The X Trilogy (2025)
Goth Girls
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
I was already a fan of director Ti West when he released X, a
superior slasher film set in the world of 1970s porn. The sequel Pearl,
a happy accident from COVID, is even better. And even though the third
film MaXXXine wasn't quite as well-received, I loved it for its sleazy
vision of Hollywood in the 1980s. Mia Goth is extraordinary in each
film, and each film had its own style, either grungy or polished, raw
film or analog video. I was thrilled when A24 announced this deluxe box
set, The X Trilogy, and it does not disappoint.
Click here for my original reviews for X (2022), Pearl (2022), and
MaXXXine (2024).
All three discs feature a Dolby Atmos audio mix, plus a Descriptive
Audio track. There are English and Spanish subtitles.
Bonuses for the X disc include "Pearl Makeup Timelapse" (1:33), "The
Farmer's Daughters" (4:56), (footage from the shoot), "That X Factor"
(11:37) (a making-of featurette), and a trailer (2:26). D.P. Eliot
Rockett and production designer Tom Hammock provide a commentary track.
Bonuses on the Pearl disc include "Coming Out of Her Shell: The
Creation of Pearl" (11:37), "Time After Time" (4:00), and a trailer
(2:09). Rockett and Hammock provide a commentary track.
Bonuses on the MaXXXine disc include "The Belly of the Beast" (9:38),
"XXX Marks the Spot" (11:19), "Hollywood Is a Killer" (8:13), Q&A with
Ti West (25:45) (from the Alamo Drafthouses screening), and "Deep Dive
with composer Tyler Bates" (8:26), plus two trailers. Production
designer Jason Kisvarday and set decorator Kelsi Ephraim provide a
commentary track.
This is Highly Recommended.
