It's a great time to be a horror fan, as the genre has been experiencing a thrilling renaissance for years now. Some of the best horror movies have come out of studios during this time, both sequels and original concepts. Ti West's X trilogy is in the latter category, with thee threequel MaXXXine being one of the most highly anticipated upcoming horror movies prior to its release. I finally saw MaXXXine and thought the finale was missing something I loved about the first two movies.
MaXXXine's ending saw her confront her televangelist father, who was hinted at heavily throughout the events of X. While we got action and some fun kills, I thought one key element of the franchise was missing in the finale: camp and humor.
Part of the reason why fans loved both X and Pearl (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) was because Ti West included elements of dark comedy and camp within the slashers. Pearl especially leaned into this concept, allowing Mia Goth's title character to be memed countless times since its release. And in that way, it felt like the third act of MaXXXine lost the plot.
While West's threequel had some moments of camp throughout its runtime, including Maxine's short fuse and that over the top car crush death, the finale felt much more literal. She managed to kill her father and continue her rising career in Hollywood, becoming the star that both she and Pearl longed to be throughout the first two movies. The story was wrapped up neatly, but I could have used more of the franchise's signature tongue-in-cheek humor.
X leaned into camp with moments like Brittany Snow's death at the hands of an alligator, as well as the faux porn scenes. Pearl embraced dark comedy even more, as the title character's delusion and penchant for violence resulted in a bonkers and thoroughly enjoyable movie experience. Pearl's ending was particularly memorable for this reason, with the credits rolling as Mia Goth's character smiled painfully into the camera. And after the sequel became meme fodder for years, I expected MaXXXine to provide more campy/humorous moments.
To be clear: I still think that the X trilogy was a success, and had a great time as a hardcore horror fan. Some fans are wondering if Ti West will continue expanding the franchise, although there doesn't seem to be any plans for that at the time of writing this story. And who can blame him? He's spent years collaborating with Goth on his three slashers, to great success.
MaXXXine is available to be rented and purchased on digital now, while Pearl is streaming on Netflix. While we wait to see if more movies come, check the 2025 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year.
