‘MaXXXine’ Images — Experience the Horrors of Hollywood

It’s going to be a summer full of horror. When it comes to franchise returns, one of the most anticipated films has to be Ti West’s MaXXXine. The third entry in the beloved genre director’s X trilogy hits theaters in July and, since the first trailer’s debut last month, marketing for the Mia Goth-led nightmare is in full bloody swing. Now, new images for MaXXXine depict the horrific reality of Hollywood.

Provided exclusively by Entertainment Weekly, the four latest images see Goth’s Maxine dealing with her new-found fame. With the backdrop of glossy Hollywood behind her, this includes Maxine walking down a studio backlot on her way to an audition, the up-and-coming actress with Elizabeth Debicki’s filmmaker Elizabeth Bender, and Maxine in the make-up chair getting a mold of face similar to what made 80s horror slashers famous. There are a few clever callbacks to both X and Pearl, with the “X-Factor” sign being a major theme of the entire trilogy. The line of look-alike actresses are a modern update of Pearl’s ill-fated dancing audition scene. When it comes to pure horror, the last image in this batch has Kevin Bacon’s private investigator covered in blood and looking like he just saw a ghost. The actor is no stranger to horror as Bacon has previously starred in Tremors and the original Friday the 13th. The latter of which started the 80s slasher-caze. Bacon was murdered at the hands of Jason Voorhees’ vengeful mother.

The Dark Side of Hollywood

When teasing the film’s story to EW, West went headfirst into MaXXXine’s iconic backdrop. “What people think it’s like making movies — or what people think Hollywood is versus what it is actually — is a big part of what’s happening in the movie. I guess ‘seeing behind the curtain’ is a thematic element.” That has been a thread of the whole trilogy. X was all about comparing the way grindhouse films of the 70s were made to the rising adult film industry, while Pearl was a Golden Age Wizard of Oz glossy nightmare that stabbed the “American Dream” to a blood-soaked pulp. X’s gruesome murder-spree looks to continue with MaXXXine. “Some people, in a very gruesome way, don’t make it to the end. If you’re expecting it to be part of this X movie and people will be killed, yeah, I’m going to deliver on all those things.” West went on to say before teasing, “But it’s going to zig instead of zag in a lot of places that people aren’t expecting. It’s a very decadent world that she lives in, and it’s a very aggressive world that she lives in, but the threat shows up in an unexpected way.” The story picks up with Maxine in 1985 Hollywood where she finally gets her big break from Bender. The latter made the indie horror hit The Puritan and now its sequel is a major studio project. This leads to Bender stunt casting Maxine, who’s made a name for herself in the porn industry, as the star. However, Bacon’s private investigator was hired to track down Maxine, which has put a wrench in her rise to fame. To make matters even worse, the real-life serial killer known as “The Night Stalker” is terrorizing Hollywood.

When Does ‘MaXXXine’ Release?

MaXXXine arrives in theaters on July 5, 2024. Along with Goth, Bacon, and Debicki, the horror picture stars Lily Collins, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Monaghan, Halsey, and Giancarlo Esposito. West Descirbed the film a “big, sprawling Los Angeles ensemble movie” and this will most likely be the end of the Maxine-era of the franchise. Yet, there may be more stories to tell in this ever-expanding hard-R horror universe.

MaXXXine

The third film in Ti West’s X trilogy, starring Mia Goth.

Release Date

July 5, 2024

Director

Ti West