Reviews
X Review: A Spoilery Review of Ti West’s Return to the Big Screen
Indie horror darling Ti West is back with a vengeance with his grindhouse throwback X.
Since the release of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974, many films have sought to emulate its grimy concoction of backwoods isolation and exploitive terror– hell, many of its sequels have unsuccessfully tried as much. Somehow, through some divine intervention (IYKYK), filmmaker Ti West has created a gnarly, filthy homage to the film and the genre it inspired while also standing on its own as a horror flick with substance beneath all its sex and gore. X follows a loveable, lecherous cast of amateur pornographers who travel from Houston to rural Texas seeking to create a film in the vein of French Avant-Garde cinema that will make them rich and famous. Unfortunately for them, the elderly proprietors of the farmhouse at which they rent lodging to secretly film their lewd and ambitious masterpiece stick a pitchfork in their plans, and, true to form, the sex turns to violence in the blink of an eye. West effortlessly weaves between low and highbrow visuals and ideas, as his characters seek to do the same. He spices up the debauchery with themes of youth and beauty, the power they have, and the dreams and desires that are lost when they fade. It’s a classic Ti West slow burn, yet also his most mainstream and thrilling because when the shit hits the fan, it sticks for a while.
Further propelling the film’s trajectory to a top-tier slaughterhouse slasher are its well-written characters and bold filmmaking style. West pits youth against the wrath of time personified in a way that deftly balances rich characterization, comedy, and internal distress while continuously upping the tension through smart editing and a score by Chelsea Wolfe that lulls you into a trance with its quiet and mystical echoes. The entire cast of X is appropriately horny – yes, even the elderly couple – and they’re brought to life in a way so many slashers fail to achieve. Mia Goth is the breakout star of the film, doing double duty as the determined Maxine and(under heavy prosthetics) the elderly villain Pearl. The parallels between the two do not stop there, as both women desire the life they feel they deserve; Pearl, however, is denied any hope of attaining it in her old age. This resentful mirroring of her past self upon the arrival of the libidinous filmmakers sets the horrors of X in motion. The film’s first kill exquisitely blends such pathos with visual flair, utilizing a drastic change in lighting and intensity, ending the scene in an elegant victory dance that is as comical as it is unsettling. It’s here that a new horror icon is reborn, bathed in her victim’s blood. West and Director of Photography Eliot Rockett continue using similar techniques of flashy transitional edits, melancholy juxtaposition, and slow-panning camerawork to build suspense, with one early knuckle-biting sequence involving an alligator perhaps being the most intense of all.
The rest of the cast likewise hold their own, and Brittany Snow, particularly, shines as pornographic professional Bobby-Lynne. She exudes wit and charm like no other, stealing every scene she’s in and even gracing us with a beautiful rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” accompanied by scene partner Jackson (Kid Cudi) on guitar. Martin Henderson brings his best McConaughey to the table as producer Wayne, and emerging scream queen Jenna Ortega surprises as the shy boom mic operator Lorraine, who might be taken by the allure of sex and fame the others are selling. Pearl’s husband Howard (Stephen Ure) also gets in on the action, and their relationship starts to resemble something of a foul version of The Notebook as more layers are peeled. And while much has been said about the film’s lovely cast and artistic elements, X isn’t afraid to rough it through the Texas dirt. The kills are brutal, and they are gory. It is a slasher through-and-through and opens at the scene of the crime, unafraid to show you the aftermath of the carnage you will endure.
Many were thrilled when X was announced as Ti West’s return to big-screen horror, and he has certainly not let them down. As a tribute to films of decades past, he has expertly crafted a modern slasher with 70s sensibilities, ready to get into the thick of it while also delivering thoughtful commentary on deeply human topics and a villain you almost feel sorry for. References and homage not only to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre but also films such Friday the 13th, The Shining, and his very own The Innkeepers will continue to keep fans of the genre grinning between the gore. X certainly has the X-factor.
And one more thing: Do make sure to sit through the end credits because a surprise is waiting that makes this journey through the filth all the more worth it.
Rating: 4.5/5
A24 never stopped pumping out banger horror movies. Let’s get that out of the way, straight away. Even its commercial and critical flops, like Opus or Y2K, still took a lot of really original swings, even if it hasn’t been a string of masterpieces like in their horror heyday of the late 2010s and early 2020s. Still, they may have made their scariest yet with Undertone, in a return to A24’s original MO of pure indie filmmaking.
A Single Location Horror Film Powered by Sound
Undertone is not a perfect movie, with an occasional off story beat, and the ending just missing the mark of perfection, but it is a tried-and-true testament to the power of storytelling. With essentially one active, on-screen actress and a single location, the film manages to create a sensory hellscape with immersive nightmare-inducing audio that has both story and scares derived entirely from a podcast. It is a sensory overload of pure terror, one that feels deeply sinister in its pitch-black story, one that demands to be seen in the darkest possible movie theater.
A24’s Undertone: A True Crime Podcast Turns Supernatural
The story is pretty straightforward…at least at first. It follows a true crime/horror podcast host (Nina Kiry), who lives by herself as she takes care of her dying, elderly, and borderline vegetative mother. Her co-host (Adam DiMarco, who is never fully seen) is sent a series of ten mysterious audio files from an unknown address, presumably sent for her to listen to on the show. As they begin to record their latest episode with live reactions to the files, reality slips further as she and her co-host fall into supernatural delirium. Strange noises, slipping time, and other haunted house trimmings all come out to play, each elevated by (as mentioned) horrific sound design and an even more horrific backstory.
Nursery Rhyme Origins and Deeply Disturbing Mythology
The story is about 95% airtight. Without getting too deep into spoilers, the origins of these files and their meaning are deeply fascinating, with some elements and angles involving the origins of nursery rhymes that are very, genuinely disturbing. There is one twist in particular that explores what one of the sounds truly means, which is highly upsetting once pieced together.
That being said, Undertone has some familiar tropes, and while the movie mostly touches upon certain unexplored mythology, certain scenes can feel a little too familiar to other recent demon movies like Shelby Oaks. The true meanings are a lot more creative, but it could have played around with its mythos to create a truly original villain.
Undertone’s Ambiguous Ending Demands a Rewatch
Similarly, the ending is almost perfect. There is a final twist about something the protagonist might have done that is a little confusing, and reframes the context of the film. It is highly interesting, however, and opens up several cans of worms of what this movie has to say about children, motherhood, and parenthood as a whole, as well as posing questions about the movie’s setting and timeline. It is always better to remain vague in horror, which this movie definitely does, but just a slight retweak of its final act could give the audience just the tiniest more understanding, without it going into full, mainstream territory. The film definitely requires a second watch, and in the best way possible.
A Groundbreaking Podcast Horror Experience
In a nutshell, the film’s methods of storytelling are groundbreaking. This movie is not a podcast, but all of its scares and stories are delivered to us like it is one. It feels like the birth of a new medium or style of movie, a perfect blend of audio and visual, with emphasis on the audio.
Additionally, with the story being literally told to us as if we’re listening to the characters’ podcast itself, it is a nightmare rabbit hole.
Like many people born in the mid-90s, the Sci-Fi Channel was one of my first introductions to horror. Whether it was random films playing or Sci-Fi’s 31 Days of Halloween, this channel was one of the main channels in my household. For the month of March, we’re going to take a look at Sci-Fi Originals (and maybe I cheated a bit and picked films that had their premiere on Sci-Fi). Picking films for this month was no easy task. Did I want to cover one of the plethora of amalgamated mega-animals fighting each other? Or what about shark tornadoes? One of the films I picked, after finding it too difficult to find Children of the Corn (2009) on streaming services, was an odd alien film I had never even heard of. That film is Silent Warnings.
What is Silent Warnings About?
Layne Vossimer (A.J. Buckley), his girlfriend Macy (Callie De Fabry), and a group of their friends head to Layne’s cousin’s house, Joe (Stephen Baldwin), after his mysterious death. Once there, they find the house in disgusting disarray. The friends decide to help Layne clean it up in order to put it on the market. But things quickly go south when they find a series of VHS tapes Joe left behind in the attic. What’s revealed in those tapes shows something that’s out of this world. Can Layne, his friends, and Sheriff Bill Willingham (Billy Zane) fend off these otherworldly invaders before it’s too late?
Conspiracy Theories, Mental Health, and Paranoia in Silent Warnings
As stated, this film was a late pick as I could not find 2009’s Children of the Corn streaming anywhere. Boy, am I glad I picked this. Silent Warnings has its fair share of issues. But it makes up for them in so many ways. This film is a very sober look into conspiracy theories, mental health, and the lengths that people go to when it comes to perceived threats. We get very little Stephen Baldwin, but what we do get is more than enough. He’s a recluse who lives on his 40-ish-acre property that’s been alien-proofed. His best friend (cousin?) is a scarecrow that has an AK-47. And he constantly records incoherent ramblings with his camcorder. Baldwin absolutely kills in his limited screentime. It’s like Stanislavski said, there are no small parts, only small actors.
Small-Town Horror and UFO Lore in Porterville
The quaint town of Porterville acts as the perfect backdrop for a story like this: a sleepy, nowhere town, where most people know each other. A town where the big call of the day for the Sheriff is about a missing dog. It’s the perfect setup for a story like this. It even mirrors many of the towns mentioned in Silent Invasion: The Pennsylvania UFO-Bigfoot Casebook. Much of this film’s atmosphere, the crop circles, acres of corn, and the disintegrating house, create a condensed world that adds so much claustrophobia to the film’s soul.
Acting, Dialogue, and the Problem with Early 2000s CGI Aliens
That being said, there are quite a few issues. Mainly, the acting. Besides Kim Onasch, Michelle Borth, Billy Zane, and A.J. Buckley (mostly), much of this film’s acting feels very Sci-Fi Original. It doesn’t help that the film’s dialogue, from writers Bill Lundy, Christian McIntire, and Kevin Gendreau, is just plain boring. And that’s not even mentioning how awful the CGI aliens look. A 2003 film about aliens, when only two or three are shown on screen, should be fully practical. And the fact that they use digital aliens takes away much of the film’s punch.
Why Silent Warnings Is an Underrated Sci-Fi Original
Silent Warnings doesn’t break much ground when it comes to the topic of aliens/Ufology, but it’s damn entertaining. But that’s the thing. Films don’t necessarily need to break new ground. I appreciate the swings this film takes, whether they hit or miss. There’s a wonderful setup with Stephen Baldwin, and the slow build to an exciting finale makes it all worth the wait. For a Sci-Fi Original, Silent Warnings has worked its way into my heart.
The Horror Press Podcast Episode 57: Backrooms & Jigglyspot
‘Undertone’ Review: A24’s Scariest Since ‘Hereditary’
‘Silent Warnings’ (2003) Review: An Unknown UFO Gem
Mami Wata and the Untapped Stories of Water Spirits in Horror
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