Ti West's 'X' Ending Explained: What Happens to Maxine? (2024)

Ever since his feature debut in 2005, writer/director Ti West has proven to be one of the most inventive horror storytellers of his generation with films like The Sacrament and The House of the Devil. In 2022, the ruthless auteur's subversive hit X became a delightfully absurd slasher thriller that has spawned its own franchise with the acclaimed prequel Pearl and the upcoming sequel MaXXXine. Anyone who is sick of the slow burn, supposedly “elevated” horror films that ignore their influences will enjoy the sick thrills that West pulls off in one of this decade's best horror films. While X modernizes the “final girl” and pays tribute to the classic horror films that inspired it, the film is also just a gnarly thrill ride that’s worth revisiting as the franchise enters its next stage. Now that X is streaming on Netflix, it's time to revisit the first entry in the horror trilogy and explore why its shocking ending still packs a punch.

X (2022)

R

Horror

Mystery

Thriller

In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives.

Release Date

March 18, 2022

Director

Ti West

Cast

Mia Goth , Jenna Ortega , Brittany Snow , Kid Cudi

Runtime

105 minutes

Main Genre

Horror

What Is ‘X’ About?

X is set in the late 1970s and follows the crew of a low-budget adult film called "The Farmer’s Daughter" that is shooting at an abandoned farm. While the film’s geeky cinematographer RJ (Owen Campbell) claims that he’s trying to make an art film, its director and financier Wayne (Martin Henderson) considers it to be a straight-up p*rno. Wayne rents out the farmhouse from the elderly couple Howard (Stephen Ure) and his wife Pearl (Mia Goth, who is unrecognizable under heavy makeup). He doesn’t inform them that he’s bringing guests; the film’s stars Maxine (also Goth), Jackson Hole (Scott Mescudi), Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow), and the sound operator Lorraine (Jenna Ortega) pack themselves into the cabin for the night of the shoot. What follows is an increasingly brutal situation that may test the stomach of even the most dedicated horror movie buffs.

The cast and crew are picked off one at a time by the older couple. Pearl urges her husband to be intimate once again, but Howard can’t engage physically because of his advanced age and critical heart condition. Pearl becomes infuriated by the idealistic beauty of the film’s young stars; even the shy Lorraine decides that she wants to film explicit scenes. Howard may not be able to sleep with his wife, but he certainly still holds on to the training he received during his military service. Howard is infuriated by Wayne’s dishonesty, and the couple sets out a series of traps for them. Pearl and Howard plan to stage the bodies around the house as a home invasion, so they can claim to be acting in “self-defense” if they are questioned by local cops.

Howard is slightly skeptical that they will be able to hide the gruesome details, but Pearl believes that no one will come looking for the cast and crew of the sordid production. They divide duties and begin picking each of their home’s new inhabitants off. The deaths progressively get more gruesome; RJ has his throat impaled, Wayne is stabbed through the eye and then hung in a barn, Bobby-Lynne is devoured by the local pet alligator, Jackson is shot through the chest, and Lorraine is massacred on the front lawn. Maxine remains the sole survivor, and she finds herself trapped in Howard and Pearls’ home as she attempts to look for the keys to their truck. Pearl had previously stabbed the tires on the crew’s vehicle to prevent them from escaping.

Maxine Becomes the Sole Survivor

Maxine has proven herself to be an inventive final girl, but she gains an advantage in the fight through something that she had nothing to do with. Howard suffers a critical heart failure when it looks like the older couple has gained the upper hand, and he collapses to the ground. Maxine takes advantage of the situation, but Pearl is able to wrestle away her husband’s gun and close the young girl in. As Maxine grabs the keys to her escape, Pearl’s plan backfires (literally). She’s blasted into the front lawn, and just for her own satisfaction, Maxine drives over the old woman as she drives off. The film opens with a moment where Sheriff Dentler (James Gaylyn) and his squad find the aftermath of the massacre and contemplate what could have caused something so brutal. This moment gets a pay off at the very ending, when the video footage from RJ’s camera of The Farmer’s Daughter is discovered by one of Dentler’s deputies. Dentler’s steely reflection shows that whatever is on the tape is probably pretty messed up.

While this stinger is a humorous way to end the story, X is a surprisingly nuanced depiction of idealism, beauty, and body image. The dualism of Pearl and Maxine is exemplified by Goth’s dual roles; she embodies both a faded older beauty and an unexpected final girl. During one of the film’s more insightful moments, Pearl lies down in bed next to a sleeping Maxine and strokes her body. Maxine wakes up to see the older face that literally reflects her and screams. It’s an amazing acting moment from Goth, who has proven that she can deliver excellent performances under heavy makeup with this, Suspiria, High Life, and A Cure for Wellness. The film grants both characters' agency. As Pearl insults her, Maxine calls out her hypocritical nature. Pearl may hate her because of how comfortable the young girl is with her body, but Maxine isn’t trying to torment or insult the older woman. Throughout the film, she has felt empowered by the intimacy of the shoot, and acted encouragingly of both Bobby-Lynn and Lorraine.

It’s ironic that Pearl has objectified Maxine and despises her because of her confidence. X reflects on the ‘70s era of the exploitation era and the ongoing debate over whether these older films still have a place in the culture. The film contains many references to Tobe Hooper’s 1974 masterpiece The Texas Chain Saw Massacre; ironically, X is a much better tribute to the themes of the Leatherface series than the actual Texas Chainsaw Massacre film released on Netflix the same year. While 2022's Texas Chainsaw Massacre failed to justify continuing the Leatherface story,X homages the history of the genre, while telling an original story.

‘X’ Spawned a Unique Horror Franchise

In addition to being a crowd-pleasing hit, X became the first entry in a new horror franchise from West and Goth. Shot in secret, the prequel film Pearl followed a younger version of the older woman from X (played once more by Goth) during her adolescence in Texas in 1918. The film reveals how Pearl became a killer, showing how her infatuation with a local movie theater and its projectionist (Dylan Corenswet) led her to become infatuated and disillusioned with the fantasies of cinema. Goth delivered another sensational performance, and the film was praised by directors like Martin Scorsese for its celebration of classic horror films.

The franchise is further expanding, as the sequel MaXXXine is set to be released later this year. The final entry in the trilogy follows Maxine's attempts to become a movie star in the 1980s, which may send her down the same downward spiral that had haunted Pearl. While Maxxine does not yet have a release date, we do know that Goth is joined in the cast by Bobby Cannavale, Kevin Bacon, Michelle Monaghan, Elizabeth Debicki, and Lily Collins.

X is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

Watch on Netflix