History Film / X2022

* CarFu: [[spoiler:Maxine]] backs the truck over [[spoiler:Pearl]]'s head.

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: When RJ starts up the van [[spoiler:in his attempt to abandon the shoot]], [[Music/BlueOysterCult "Don't Fear the Reaper"]] starts playing on the radio. [[spoiler:He soon encounters Pearl, who ends up becoming RJ's reaper.]]

*** When [[spoiler:Bobby-Lynne]] walks out of the strip club, there's a mural of an alligator pulling off a blonde woman's bikini, similar to her later death of being attacked by one in the pond.
*** [[spoiler:Wayne]] mentions that he didn't serve in the army because of his flat feet condition and later gushes to RJ that "people's eyes are gonna pop out of their damn skulls" when they see ''The Farmer's Daughters''. He winds up stepping on a nail when investigating the barn and dies while his eyes are impaled with a pitchfork.
*** [[spoiler:Jackson]] mentions being threatened by farmers with guns while in Vietnam and is later killed by Howard with a shotgun.
*** [[spoiler:Howard]] states that he doesn't have sex because of his heart condition. Thus, after he and Pearl have sex, it is not surprising when he dies from a heart attack.
*** Howard mentions that [[spoiler:Pearl]] could fall and break her hip, which happens once she gets blowback from trying to shoot Maxine with a shotgun.

''X'' was officially released on March 18, 2022, by Creator/{{A24}}, under a week after its [=SXSW=] premiere. At the festival, West revealed a prequel to the film titled ''Film/{{Pearl}}'' was already in post-production, [[MovieMultipack shot back-to-back]] with the film and centering around the elderly woman of the couple in her younger years. The film is set to release on September 16, 2022. Three days before that, Ti West and A24 announced a full sequel titled ''Film/{{Maxxxine}}'', once again starring Mia Goth as Maxine seeking to make it as an actress in [[TheEighties 1985]] Hollywood.

''X'' was officially released on March 18, 2022, by Creator/{{A24}}, under a week after its [=SXSW=] premiere. At the festival, West revealed a prequel to the film titled ''Film/{{Pearl}}'' was already in post-production, [[MovieMultipack shot back-to-back]] with the film and centering around the elderly woman of the couple in her younger years. The film is set to release on September 16, 2022. Three days before that, Ti West and A24 announced a full sequel titled ''Film/{{Maxxxine}}'', once again starring Mia Goth as Maxine seeking to move past the events of the first film and make it as an actress in [[TheEighties 1980s]] Hollywood.

''X'' was officially released on March 18, 2022, by Creator/{{A24}}, under a week after its [=SXSW=] premiere. At the festival, West revealed a prequel to the film titled ''Film/{{Pearl}}'' was already in post-production, [[MovieMultipack shot back-to-back]] with the film and centering around the elderly woman of the couple in her younger years. The film is set to release on September 16, 2022. Three days before that, Ti West and A24 announced a full sequel titled ''Film/{{Maxxxine}}'', once again starring Mia Goth as Maxine seeking to move past the events of the first film and make it as an actress in 1980s Hollywood.

''X'' was officially released on March 18, 2022, by Creator/{{A24}}, under a week after its [=SXSW=] premiere. At the festival, West revealed a prequel to the film titled ''Film/{{Pearl}}'' was already in post-production, [[MovieMultipack shot back-to-back]] with the film and centering around the elderly woman of the couple in her younger years. The film is set to release on September 16, 2022. Three days before that, Ti West and A24 announced a full sequel titled ''Film/Maxxxine'', once again starring Goth as Maxine seeking to make it as an actress in 1980s Hollywood.

''X'' was officially released on March 18, 2022, by Creator/{{A24}}, under a week after its [=SXSW=] premiere. At the festival, West revealed a prequel to the film titled ''Film/{{Pearl}}'' was already in post-production, [[MovieMultipack shot back-to-back]] with the film and centering around the elderly woman of the couple in her younger years. The film is set to release on September 16, 2022.

* DeusExMachina: [[LampshadeHanging Acknowledged]]. [[spoiler:When Pearl pulls the trigger on the shotgun, she misses Maxine completely despite the short distance. Immediately after this happens, the preacher on TV talks about a [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane divine intervention]]. That said, this is {{justified}} since Pearl never demonstrated any particular expertise in using firearms.]]

''X'' was officially released on March 18, 2022, by Creator/{{A24}}, under a week after its [=SXSW=] premiere. At the festival, West revealed a prequel to the film called ''Film/{{Pearl}}'' was already in post-production, [[MovieMultipack shot back-to-back]] with the film and centering around the elderly woman of the couple in her younger years, set to release in the same year in September.

* ChekhovsGun: A literal gun, but played with in that [[spoiler:it ''hinders'' the protagonist]]. After pointing a shotgun in Wayne's face, Howard mentions that it isn't loaded, noting that waving it around is usually enough to get people to stand down. Wayne casually mentions that he does the same thing to the handgun in his glovebox. [[spoiler:Howard is bluffing, as he uses the same shotgun to kill Jackson and Lorraine later in the film. Wayne isn't, as Maxine threatens Pearl with it only to pull the trigger and find that it's empty.]]

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Jackson, Wayne, and Lorraine all meet relatively quick ends, but the same cannot be said for RJ and Bobby-Lynne.]]

** [[spoiler:The alligator in the pond kills Bobby-Lynne by biting her head, dragging her underwater, and presumably devouring her and/or ripping her apart. As she thrashes, it's not-so-subtly implied that the gator is doing a death roll while her head is still in its jaws.[[note]] The death roll is a maneuver performed by many species of crocodyliformes like alligators that allows them to subdue and dismember their prey.[[/note]]]]

*** [[spoiler:Jackson]] mentions being threatened by farmers with guns while in Vietnam, and is later killed by Howard with a shotgun.

** After allowing Wayne into the guest house Howard claims his shotgun isn't loaded, and only there for intimidation. Wayne visibly relaxes and says that he does the same with the revolver in his van. During the climax, it turns out only [[spoiler: Wayne was telling the truth, while Howard is able to shoot down Lorraine and Jackson with his gun while Maxine is left nearly defenseless with Wayne's]].

*** Lorraine had earlier explicitly named the film as one of RJ's favorites.

* MaleFrontalNudity: Surprisingly very little for a film centered on pornography, but brief flashes of it do occur.

* OneLetterTitle: Pretty self-explanatory, as the title is just the letter "X".

* ShoutOut:
** Lorraine takes an axe to a door with the camera following her swings, a la Jack Torrance in ''Film/TheShining''. But in a unique inversion of the usual reference, [[spoiler:instead of trying to break ''in'' somewhere, here Lorraine is breaking down the door to get ''out''.]]
** Maxine lightly treading water while skinny-dipping in the lake is a dead ringer for Chrissie doing the same thing out at sea during her famous death scene in ''Film/{{Jaws}}''. The overhead view of the alligator swimming towards Maxine also invokes the famous poster of the Great White Shark swimming upwards and underneath the swimming woman.

* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnFemale: Averted. [[spoiler:Maxine is horrified and disgusted when she finds that Pearl has molested her in her sleep, and the scene is played as disturbing.]]

* DecoyProtagonist:
** {{Subverted}}. [[spoiler:Maxine has the most screen time, but Lorraine checks a lot of boxes for the FinalGirl stereotype (quiet personality and modest dress sense) and has a subplot of becoming a porn actress herself. However, Lorraine suddenly dies after escaping the cellar, leaving Maxine as the last protagonist standing.]]
** [[spoiler:Jackson]] is a more straightforward example. He served in the Vietnam War, which implies that his military skills give him the best chance of survival, [[spoiler:but he ends up as the [[TheWorfEffect third death]]]].

* FanDisservice:
** Pearl attempts to strip for people at multiple points in the film, [[spoiler:and fully disrobes to get in bed with and molest Maxine]], and that's not to discount [[spoiler:the sex scene between her and Howard, which puts liberal focus on Howard's backside]].
** [[spoiler:Lorraine ends up stumbling upon a very nude, and very hung, chained-up corpse in Pearl's basement -- implied to be her [[ILoveTheDead plaything]].]]

*** The adult film actors are shown to be fully understanding and consenting of their participation in it, with no shown or implied coercsion, so Wayne's "sleaz[iness]" is an irrelevant factor. RJ's hurt is rightfully shown as a product of his hypocrisy rather than anything emotionally deep. He is fully onboard with directing the film and waxes poetic about the genre, yet gets offended when Lorraine has the [[SarcasmMode gall]] to make her [[spoiler:participation decision for herself]].

* ChekhovsGunman: Or rather Chekhov's gun-animal. When Maxine goes {{skinny dipping}} early in the film, we see an alligator enter from the right side of the frame and start moving towards her as she swims to the dock obliviously. She eventually pulls herself up out of harm's way just in time. [[spoiler:The alligator is then shown lurking nearby when Jackson looks for Pearl in the woods at night, and it's eventually put to use when it ambushes and devours Bobby-Lynne moments after Pearl pushes her into the lake.]]

** [[spoiler:Jackson]] is a more straightforward example. He served in the Vietnam War, which implies that his military skills give him the best chance of survival, but he ends up as the [[TheWorfEffect third death]].

* DissonantSerenity: When Pearl [[spoiler:stabs RJ in the throat]], her expression remains absolutely unchanging as she watches him collapse and choke on his own blood.

** Pearl attempts to strip for people at multiple points in the film, [[spoiler:and fully disrobes to get in bed with Maxine]], and that's not to discount [[spoiler:the sex scene between her and Howard, which puts liberal focus on Howard's backside]].

** Wayne tells RJ at one point that when audiences see the porn they’re making, [[spoiler:”people’s eyes are going to pop out of their damn skulls,” and [[DeathByIrony he later experiences that very thing himself]] via Pearl’s pitchfork.]]

-->'''Maxine:''' [[spoiler: [driving over Pearl's head] ]] Huh. Divine intervention...

* MeaningfulEcho: For Maxine: "I will not accept a life I don't deserve." [[spoiler: It gets repeated by the televangelist on Pearl's TV when Maxine says it the second time, shortly before it's revealed he's her father.]]

* NotSoDifferentRemark: When RJ and Wayne have a private talk after RJ voices his disapproval of allowing Lorraine to have a scene in the film, RJ maintains that she is a nice girl at heart unlike Bobby-Lynne and Maxine. Wayne responds by telling RJ that ''none'' of the three are "nice girls".

''X'' was officially released on March 18, 2022, by Creator/{{A24}}, under a week after its [=SXSW=] premiere. At the festival, West revealed a prequel to the film called ''Film/{{Pearl}}'' was already in post-production, [[MovieMultipack shot back-to-back]] with the film and centering around the elderly woman of the couple in her younger years, set to release in the same year.

''X'' was officially released on March 18, 2022, by Creator/{{A24}}, under a week after its [=SXSW=] premiere. At the festival, West revealed a prequel to the film called ''Film/{{Pearl}}'' was already in post-production, [[MovieMultipack shot back-to-back]] with the film and centering around the elderly woman of the couple in her younger years.

* HiddenDepths: Bobby-Lynne shows some directorial skill at the beginning, telling RJ to change the camera angle so that it looks like Jackson is pumping gas with his penis. She also makes an earnest attempt to help Pearl when she believes her to be suffering from dementia, saying she'd had a grandmother with the same condition and is considering becoming a nurse someday.

* SeventiesHair: Jackson’s afro definitely qualifies, as well as Bobby-Lynne's bob.

* MeaningfulEcho: For Maxine: "I will not accept a life I don't deserve."

''X'' was officially released on March 18, 2022, by Creator/{{A24}}, under a week after its [=SXSW=] premiere. At the festival, West revealed a prequel to the film called ''Pearl'' was already in post-production, [[MovieMultipack shot back-to-back]] with the film and centering around the elderly woman of the couple in her younger years.

** DoubleSubverted. [[spoiler:Maxine has the most screen time, but Lorraine checks a lot of boxes for the FinalGirl stereotype (quiet personality and modest dress sense) and has a subplot of becoming a porn actress herself. However, Lorraine suddenly dies after escaping the cellar, leaving Maxine as the last protagonist standing.]]

''X'' is a 2022 SlasherMovie written and directed by Ti West (''Film/TheInnkeepers'', ''Film/InAValleyOfViolence'', ''Film/TheHouseOfTheDevil'') and starring Creator/MiaGoth, Creator/JennaOrtega, [[Music/KidCudi Scott Mescudi]], Creator/MartinHenderson, and Creator/BrittanySnow.

* AllThereInTheScript: Sheriff Dentler and Officer Mitchell's names are only mentioned in the credits.]

* DoubleMeaningTitle: The title ''X'' both references the adults-only X rating of the early days of the MPAA, and how Wayne keeps telling Maxine she has "the X factor" when she asks if he thinks she can be a big star.

** RJ tells Bobby-Lynne that he doesn't have to film the Wayne's porno in chronological order because he can just rearrange the story during editing. The movie itself does not play in chronological order, as it begins with the police discovering the aftermath of Pearl and Howard's rampage.