It is only April, but 2022 has been an amazing year for horror so far, particularly for the slasher sub-genre. Films likeSCREAMhave been a part of this great genre renaissance that fans have found themselves in the middle of, but one of the most under-appreciated gems to come out this year wasTi West’sX. If you missed out on this creatively scary film then you are in luck: he new A24 terror is coming to video on demand on April 14.
The slasher will also have a special A24 Screening Room presentation on April 12. Tickets for that screening are on sale now and will run you $20. The screening starts at 9 p.m. ET, and audiences will have a four-hour window to watch the film. The best part of this new screening is there will be an exclusive after party. This event is where you can see a never-before-seen cut of “The Farmer’s Daughters”, the horror project’s film-within-a-film. The screening also promises other “exclusive surprises”, so it will be exciting to see what A24 will have in store for fans. Maybe more information on the film’s upcoming prequel revolving aroundPearl’s character?
For people who have not seen the film, it takes place “in 1979 with 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.” Now this may sound like every slasher ever made, but this creepy film is so much more than that. The chilling story starts off as this slow burn atmospheric thriller that is very reminiscent of films likeThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre. West’s direction is so creatively unsettling and leaves you in an irreparable anxious state.
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However, once you get to the insane final act, this slasher gets flipped on its head. It is one of the craziest finales you will ever see in horror and, through all the satisfyingly sick bloodshed, this film’s themes shine hauntingly bright. What this film says about our fear of aging as well as how sometimes the older generation resent the youth for what they have and vice versa is just masterful. At the same time, how this film compares how the average horror film is made to the way porn is made is something the genre has never seen before. That stark commentary leads to some of the film’s more humorous moments, but the third act quickly reminds us that this is definitely a horror picture.
The “villains” of the story also have a lot to do with this film’s brilliantly somber success, but the less said about them the better. If you have not seen it yet, the film’s horror is capitalized on in its thought provokingly tragic performances.Mia Goth’s layered performance will leave you speechless and what her character Maxine represents, constantly escaping/out running trauma through her actions, is simply some of the best horror storytelling around. Other performances from now horror regularJenna OrtegaandKid Cudiadd a lot to this already horrific story as well. The film also starsMarin Henderson,Brittany Snow,Owen Campbell, andStephen Ure.
Xcomes to VOD on Thursday, April 14 and the A24 special screening for the film will take place on Tuesday, April 12. You can buy tickets for that screening onA24’s websiteand pre-order the film onX’s website.
