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MaXXXine, like its predecessors, is another love letter to the horror genre. We saw the grindhouse era with X, the technicolor craze in Pearl and with MaXXXine, the Giallo vibes are sprinkled throughout 80’s sleaze. One thing the film does exceptionally well is that it really puts us in 1980’s Hollywood. The 80’s aesthetic was all over this one and it truly felt like MaXXXine could be a movie you pull out of the video store back in the 80’s. Ti West really knows how to give his films the look and feel of a classic. MaXXXine has some gorgeous cinematography and creative set designs. It truly is a beautiful film and one that has made its scope much larger than its predecessors.
There is a point in this movie where you are either with it or you are not. We have a great 2nd act ending scene and as we hit the beginning of act 3, you either understand the obsession with cults and religion of the 80s or you don’t. You either ride with the cheese and the almost cartoonish metaphor that haunted the 80s in both video nasties/Hollywood sleaze or you want a more modern finale.
I rode that ride and I loved it. That ending will not be for everyone but I think it was always meant to lead to this kind of thing.
Give Mia Goth her Oscar for the whole trilogy.
P.S. I feel like people unfamiliar with the genre don’t understand how different a slasher and a giallo are.
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