X (2022)

Set in 1979, X follows a scrappy group of young filmmakers who drive out to a remote Texas farmhouse to shoot an adult film they hope will make them famous. The location belongs to an elderly, reclusive couple—Howard and Pearl—who initially seem put out but harmless. As the crew begins filming steamy sequences under the watchful eyes of their hosts, a creeping sense of wrongness grows. Once night falls, what started as an exploitative, low-budget production turns into a brutal fight for survival. Watching X is a slow-burn-then-explode horror experience: it builds tension with period detail, mounting dread, and darkly comic moments before delivering sudden, graphic violence and shocking set pieces. The film leans into 1970s textures—costumes, soundtrack, and production design—while exploring themes of youth versus age, ambition and exploitation, and the voyeuristic pleasures of cinema itself. Performances and practical effects give the movie a raw, gritty feel, and the tone moves between unsettlingly quiet and viscerally intense. Expect a claustrophobic atmosphere, creeping suspense, and stark, bloody payoffs. X will appeal to viewers who like retro-tinged slashers with an arthouse sensibility and are comfortable with explicit content and gore. If you watch it, be prepared to trade early tension and dark humor for shocking, often brutal twists that challenge who you sympathize with and why.

Actors: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow

Director: Ti West

Genre: Horror

80 /100 6.5 /10 7.2 /10