"X" Review

The year is 1979, the place is a farmhouse in Texas. Maxine (Mia Goth) is an aspiring superstar and cokehead accompanied by her older boyfriend Wayne (Martin Henderson), about to make a high class pornographic film . Their cinematographer/cameraman is RJ (Owen Campbell), his quiet girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega) is the sound girl, Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) is his confident leading lady, and Vietnam veteran Jackson (Scott Mescudi) his leading man.
They settle into the farmhouse of an elderly couple and get to work. But there is something about these people which just seems off, and Wayne never told them exactly what they were doing here. So if they find out, there may be some trouble...

This movie fucking rules.
I went into this knowing absolutely nothing, save that it was the new Ti West - which is enough. Ti West always crafts his movies as love letters to 70s and 80s horror flicks, far more of the former in this case (though I get ahead of myself), and has very much done the same here. He's a meticulous craftsman with a great eye and sense of fun.
The build up is excellent, the setting superb. Little details like the way shots will flicker in between transitions as if a few frames are misplaced, just really add to the tone as well as the dread - in the case of a superb sequence at a lake.
The build up is long, using a lot of shots to show off his skill and add tension and dread. There's one of the barn at night which could be straight out of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and the aforementioned fucking fantastic lake/pond sequence (when the dread really begins to ratchet up); the film is what West does best: building dread and atmosphere.
I'll take this moment to say that the editing in this movie is the best I have seen in years, it's got amazing transitions and top tier cuts. The comparisons and contrasts between the porn movie and the events around them are just the beginning, the use of Christian preachers on the television truly elevate it all. If you have the vaguest interest in editing, watch this.
When it all inevitably kicks off, the bloodbath is fun. You know it's going to be a slasher movie, WE know it's going to be a slasher movie, WEST knows it's going to be a slasher movie, so he sets out to craft one perfectly and make you work for it.
I'll also add that I like the performances here: Henderson could easily have just played it as sleazy, but honestly makes Wayne kind of lovable! What was the last thing you saw Henderson in? If I have a flaw with the movie, it's that Ortega is truly excellent and I wish she was in it more...
If you enjoy gore flicks or 70s horror then you'll know if you like this or not.
Personally speaking, this felt like a far better love-letter and homage to horror and the films of old than something like "Scream" or "Cabin in the Woods".