Summary
AlthoughMaXXXinelooks like a promising end to director Ti West’s slasher trilogy, the upcoming horror movie runs the risk of repeating a horror TV show’s most regrettable mistake. Horror movies have a fraught relationship with reality. Some found footage horror mockumentaries, likeThe Blair Witch Project, became hits based on viewers assuming their stories were real. Others, likeThe Amityville HorrorandThe Conjuring, claimed to be based on real events despite taking sizable liberties with their inspirations. Finally, some horror movies, likethe upcoming slasherMaXXXine, feature real-life people as characters and reference actual historical events.
MaXXXinewill end the slasher trilogy thatHouse of the Devildirector Ti West started in 2022 withX. That farm-set slasher saw an adult production crew picked off by a pair of unhinged elderly killers. By theend ofX’s prequelPearl, one of these serial killers had become a tragic anti-villain as West revealed her surprisingly sympathetic backstory. Now,MaXXXineis set to pick up whereXleft off, with the title character attempting to make a name for herself in ‘80s Hollywood. This links intoMaXXXine’s Night Stalker storyline, which could be a major mistake.
Kevin Bacon’s Private Investigator Is The Key Connection Between MaXXXine & X: Read Our Theory
The private investigator storyline teased by the MaXXXine trailer could finally address the big reveal about Maxine’s past from X’s twist ending.
American Horror Story: 1984 & MaXXXine Both Feature Richard Ramirez
The Night Stalker Was A Real-Life Serial Killer Who Terrorized LA
Judging by the trailer’s revelations,MaXXXineruns the risk of depicting real-life killer Richard Ramirez as a campy slasher villain, just likeAmerican Horror Story: 1984.1984’s romanticized depiction of the Night Stalker drew condemnation online for glamorizing the killer and turning his crimes into a silly slasher story.MaXXXinecould potentially end up doing the same thing, judging by its goofy second trailer. Like bothXandPearl,MaXXXine’s trailer promises that the final movie in West’s trilogy will feature moments of dark comedy between its many murders. However, that may prove to be a problem for the sequel.
UnlikeXandPearl,MaXXXine’s plot centers on a real murderer. WhileAmerican Horror Story’s real-life charactershave always been handled questionably, the show’s depiction of Ramirez in1984was uniquely tacky. The murderer was portrayed as a charismatic charmer rather than the severely troubled murderer that Ramirez was in reality. SinceMaXXXine’s trailer features gags about fake blood on movie sets and playful nods to the set ofPsycho’s sequel, it looks like West’s movie will be closer in tone to that campy series than a more self-serious portrayal of serial killers likeMindhunteror 2006’sZodiac.
MaXXXine Can Fix American Horror Story: 1984’s Biggest Mistake
Ti West’s Slasher Trilogy Is Surprisingly Smart
Luckily,MaXXXinemight still be able to avoidAmerican Horror Story: 1984’s Night Stalker mistake,depending on how the movie handles the killer’s role. IfMaXXXine’s heroine kills Ramirez, rewriting real-life history in the process, West’s movie may use the killer as a symbolic embodiment of the patriarchal oppression that Maxine and Pearl both railed against. This would ensure that the plot wasn’t exploitative or solely done for shock value, which could result inMaXXXinefixingAmerican Horror Story: 1984’s biggest mistake. That said, changing real history would be a tricky, ambitious twist forMaXXXineto pull off.
