Maxxxine is a weird movie. Not just for its plot, which is bizarre all on its own, but also for its place in the context of the ‘X’ trilogy created by Ti West and Mia Goth. It is the third and final installment, and follows the titular character (played by Goth) after the events of the first film X, six years later. We learn that after narrowly escaping the murderous couple in that film as the final girl, leaving behind footage from the sex tape she hoped would make her a star, Maxine has done well for herself as a porn actress now living in Hollywood. Though she came out of the situation relatively unscathed and about as much of a star as she could be in the porn industry, she is yearning for brighter stardom in the ‘real’ movies. Chasing your dream of being a ‘star’, referred to as an abstract symbol of success, is a major theme in the ‘X’ trilogy, and the final instalment sees Maxine fulfilling this ambition set out in X (her motto being “I will not accept a life I do not deserve”). The second film, Pearl (a prequel following X’s villain), is rendered as a sort of interlude with the addition of Maxxxine continuing Maxine’s story. Though considering that its titular antiheroine fails to realize her dream of stardom, Pearl may serve as Maxine’s cautionary foil, her fate an existential threat that fuels Maxine’s ambition.

Maxine secures a leading role in a horror sequel that she assumes will be her ticket to stardom (a very meta beginning to the film in the context of its place in the ‘X’ trilogy, giving us an idea of where her story will go after surviving the first movie), but soon she has to contend with another threat, one which takes the movie down a bizarre path: a serial killer is on the prowl and claiming the lives of her peers, and is targeting her with knowledge of X’s events. Here the movie embraces 80’s slasher camp, with blood being spattered over VHS tapes and a seedy nightclub chase scene, that seems to be for the sake of homage separated from the film’s message, much like X did with its Texas Chainsaw Massacre inspiration. This murder mystery culminates in the self-indulgently ridiculous twist, that the killer is Maxine’s own father, a pastor leading a Christian cult that films murders to expose the filthy immorality of Hollywood- their final step is to ‘save’ Maxine by exorcising her, which they will also film. The movie provides less of a commentary on religious extremism, fame, or the parallel exploitation of both the entertainment industry and moralizing organizations (like televangelists who exploded in popularity in the 80’s), but more of a series of aesthetic references to 80’s pop culture and true crime. Maxine escapes her father with the help of well-timed police, and after a moment of fantasizing about her future as a movie star, says that he provided her with the “divine intervention” she needed, and kills him. Unlike the first movie where she comes across as a self-determined survivor, Maxine in this movie does seem consistently protected by divine intervention. She begins the movie winning a starring role, without us seeing or hearing about any struggles she had to get to that win or to move forward in the notoriously exploitative porn industry, and she ends it with this role maintained in spite of the recent murder.

Whether it’s by luck or deus ex machina saves by her agent and the police, Maxine makes it all the way to the stardom that she believed was promised to her back in X. Maybe the last shot of the film of her fake decapitated head made for the film she’s starring in is suggesting that her Hollywood ending won’t be so happy after the credits roll, considering how it’s reminiscent of Pearl ending with a close-up of the titular character smiling with barely-concealed misery, or the same character’s ending in X of having her head crushed under a tire (a very late spoiler warning for all these movies). But Maxine’s genuine happiness and acknowledgement that it could be taken away, with her stated wish that it will never end, conveys a sincerely happy ending amidst the over-the-top serial killing that has marked her cinematic journey. Maxxxine feels very aware of its lack of realism, with its theme of stardom handled uncritically rather than addressing the realistic threats of porn and film industries alike, which allows it to be so optimistic. It is the bloodiest ‘follow your dreams’ movie I can think of, and maybe audiences today need this much carnage to accept such an optimistic ending- we know there are lots of obstacles to achieving your dream, it’s more fun to represent them through a sermonizing serial killer.