“A B-movie with A ideas” is how director Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki) describes her work on horror sequel “The Puritan II” in “MaXXXine,” the third movie in Ti West’s “X” trilogy, and that description could easily apply to West’s horror series as a whole. Beginning with 2022’s “X” and continuing through its 2022 prequel “Pearl” and 2024 sequel “MaXXXine,” West and star Mia Goth created a franchise that has already cemented its place among horror classics, and all three movies can now be streamed on Hulu.
I saw each film when it was initially released, but rewatching them all back-to-back recently made West’s achievement even more impressive, as he offers a master class in cinematic homage across three movies. Not only does he borrow from the rich history of horror, as might be expected, but also from the disparate sources of both classic Hollywood and vintage adult films, filtering all of those influences through his own unique sensibility and Goth’s mesmerizing screen presence.
