Review: X

Horror movies have rarely been scared to throw a little sex into the mix. The slasher genre's 80s heyday was all about teens getting it on before getting offed - so much so that when 90s versions started leaving sex out it seemed more like ditching a cliche than losing something essential. Now writer / director Ti West's X has returned brutal murder sprees to their sexy roots... though not quite in the way you might expect.

The year is 1979, and a group of aspiring porn stars led by producer Wayne (Martin Henderson, giving off serious Matthew McConaughey vibes) and his fame-seeking girlfriend Maxine (Mia Goth), are in a van heading to a cabin they've rented on an out-of-the-way farm outside Huston. If you're already getting Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original) vibes, congratulations - though a thoroughly messed-up dead cow on the road is a helpfully blunt reminder that we're all just meat in the end.

Farm owner Howard (Stephen Ure) is a crotchety old type who disapproves of young folk and would disapprove even more of what they're getting up to if he knew about it. His decrepit wife (make sure to check the end credits) is off in a world of her own, though there are hints that her view of what the kids are up to would be somewhat different from her husbands.

Wayne's crew are making a porno titled The Farmer's Daughters; roughly the first half of X is the story of a plucky group of free-spirited sex fans getting it on in front of the camera, with the occasional spot of behind-the-scenes drama as would-be auteur director RJ (Owen Campbell) discovers his shy boom-mike holding girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega) doesn't quite share his disdain for porn.

There's plenty of creepy moments and ominous foreboding going on (plus a lake with alligators), but this section works just fine as a salute to the golden age of DIY porn filmmaking. The characters are lively and interesting, there's nothing judgmental about their approach to sex, and their get-rich-from-porn plans seem no more deluded than any other get-rich scheme. 

And then the murders begin. This isn't really a brutal gore-fest, though nobody dies easy; the focus is on the suspense of who'll die next and the inventiveness of the kills (fans of actual Farmer's Daughter's sex jokes will enjoy the way they're referenced in at least one death). Tonally the horror is the mirror image of the sex; it's never truly confronting or extreme, aiming more for the satisfaction that comes from seeing a well-crafted tale where all the pieces fit. 

There's the occasional gesture towards deeper themes - it seems getting old sucks when you've built your life on being sexy - but true to its porn heritage most of the fun is on the surface. The characters (and the performances) are strong enough to make sure this avoids the usual pitfalls that come with making a film about film-making, giving the slaughter just enough of an emotional core to keep it from being a collection of flashy slashes; you'll hate to see them go, but you'll love to watch them leave.

- Anthony Morris