MAXXXINE (2024) ¢ ¢ ¢
D: Ti West
Mia Goth, Simon Prast, Kevin Bacon, Deborah Geffner,
Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Halsey, Lily Collins,
Chloe Farnworth, Giancarlo Esposito, Zachary Mooren,
Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Sophie Thatcher
The third entry in the Ti West/Mia Goth horror trilogy finds Maxine Minx, the sole survivor of the massacre in "X", in Hollywood, still working in the skin trade, but determined to make it big in mainstream films. Also, there's a serial killer on the loose, the "night stalker," whose victims all appear to be connected to Maxine. West is at least as interested in the workings of the movie industry as he is in the maniac-on-the-loose storyline, and it's another picture that makes you thankful to be living anywhere except Hollywood. It's set in 1985, and it has the look of a low-budget thriller viewed on an old VHS tape. (Be kind. Rewind.) The synth-driven musical score fits the period, too, along with Kevin Bacon, chewing everything except the Hollywood sign as an obnoxious private eye. It's Mia Goth's movie, though. With an on-screen producer's credit and her name above the title, there's no doubt she's the star, and she plays her role with a naked yearning for the attention her character believes she deserves. Maxine herself wouldn't have it any other way.
