All through October, I’ll be posting reviews of the best of the best films in the horror genre released since October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. As an added bonus, I’ll be adding a secondary review that may be somewhat related to the main review or slightly missed the countdown by inches. Follow along the countdown every day in October. Feel free to agree, disagree, or better yet, give me your own picks for your favorite horror movies of the year. Happy Halloween!

#17 – MAXXXINE (2024)
Released on July 5, 2024, and is available On Damand, digital download and BluRay from A24!
Directed/Written by Ti West.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/y0uS3t6nFgY
In the third and possibly final film in Ti West’s X saga, we catch up with Maxine Miller (Mia Goth) in 1985 Hollywood Maxine now goes by the name of Maxine Minx and is currently a porn star and stripper with high hopes to break into mainstream acting. But just when she gets a break and is cast in a horror movie by up-and-coming director Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki), she finds herself stalked by a sleazy detective named John Labat (Kevin Bacon), who seems to know about dark past. Meanwhile a series of murders are committed by a person in black brutally murdering sex workers–all of them happening to be within Maxine’s orbit. With a pair of cops (Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan, Labat, and the mysterious black gloved killer zeroing in on Maxine, how will Maxine ever be able to find the time to become the star she dreams of becoming?

It’s tough saying goodbye, if indeed that’s what MAXXINE is for the X series. Any time a series comes to an end and the plot has to be wrapped up, sometimes, it just isn’t as satisfying as the road there. I didn’t hate MAXXXINE. In fact, I liked it quite a bit, but I do feel it is the weakest of the trilogy in terms of story. And it’s all because in order to wrap up a story, sometimes you have to go back to where you began and because of that, I felt MAXXINE was rather predictable in the story department. The movie hinges on a masked killer who isn’t revealed until the climax, but because there really wasn’t anyone left in Maxxine’s wake throughout X and now MAXXXINE, the identity of the killer was pretty evident from the get-go. It makes me wonder if I would have felt this wave of disappointment had Ti West simply let the cat out of the bag from the beginning and not hinged the plot so heavily on the identity of the masked killer, would the story have been more satisfying. I think it might have and therefore I think this plot point is MAXXXINE’s biggest flaw, making it pale in comparison to X (which relied on the plot twist in the middle) and PEARL (which simply riveted you to your chair because of Mia Goth’s performance).

All of that said, I had a good time with MAXXXINE. If anything, it shows that Ti West is the real deal in terms of filmmaking. The range he exhibited over these three films–making a meta-slasher, a period piece/descent into madness, and now a neo-noir retro-mystery thriller, makes me believe this guy can really do anything if he puts his mind to it. Having followed West’s work since the beginning with the exceptionally scary HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, West has evolved into a big-time filmmaker while others of his ilk have accepted big budget flicks like the GODZILLA movies and such and failed to make the transition, West seemed to do it at his own pace and in his own way. Simply seeing West emulate such films as HARDCORE, CRUISING, and other seedy and sultry sleaze-fests of the seventies that make you want to take a shower after watching is impressive as all get out. On top of that, he tosses in a black gloved killer and elaborate death scenes ripped straight from the great Italian Giallis of old. West even seemed to film this movie on aged and weathered film stock to make it feel like a movie one might have found in the horror section of the local video store you used to frequent way back when. Add on top of that, homages to films like BEYOND THE GREEN DOOR, AVENGING ANGEL, and other sexploitative horror films of the seventies and eighties, and you understand that West has done his homework, understands it, and is able to convey that look and feel on the screen with the ease most directors dream of. Hell, West even pays homage to PSYCHO in a way that isn’t hammy or hacky.

There are numerous scenes early on that took my breath away, but one in particular that takes place in a video store that seals it that West is a filmmaker I will follow to the grave and beyond. It is choppily edited between Maxxine reading her script and someone being murdered that is so well done, I wanted to rewind it and watch it over and over again to see how it was put together, and believe me, once I get the Blu-ray, I will be doing so. Other scenes soak in the seedy underbelly of Hollywood so well, you can almost smell the tipped over trashcans.

Mia Goth is going to be the reason most are going to be seeing MAXXXINE and while I feel the character she plays is a bit less dimensional as her performances in X and especially PEARL, she still maintains the spunky, crass, and downright ballsy attitude she had at the end of X. She is given a moment to flex her acting muscles in an audition early on, and delivers a fascinating audition, giving the audience a peek at the trauma she has been through. Still, this distanced, tough gal performance is part of Maxxxine’s character. Full snouted with coke and alcohol, Goth plays someone who would do anything not to be alone in her thoughts. This is evidenced by another phenomenal character scene where Maxxxine has to have her head cast in plaster and has nowhere to go and nothing to snort to hide from her past trauma.
The rest of the cast is solid, but with the bigger budget, comes familiar actors that sort of distracted me from the story itself. Kevin Bacon chews the entire fake scenery of the Hollywood backlot as Private Detective John Lebat, who is hellbent on exposing Maxine’s secrets. Still, the recognizability of the character took me out of the story, as did the appearance of Giancarlo Esposito who plays Maxxine’s agent. He’s good in the role, but the whole time, I was distracted by his wig. Appearances of less A-list acters like Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan as cops feel more at home in the low fi atmosphere filmmaker West conveys, but their banter felt forced and too on the nose at times. I guess what I am saying is that I feel since this movie emulated the low budget, z-grade horror films of the late seventies and early eighties, it distracted me seeing these stars showing up in key roles. Still, that’s a minor complaint as everyone played their part really well.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised as both X and PEARL were excessively violent and gory, but the over-the-top gore in MAXXXINE really impressed me. At this time in cinema, it is hard to do something new and different in gore that you haven’t seen done a billion times before. But MAXXXINE has some surprisingly unique murders and carnage, most of which feels like West put a lot of thought into it to be like nothing on film before. And kudos to that. On top of that, the soundtrack, which occasionally plays the hits, but more often than not, relies on more deeper cuts of bands like FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD and the like, is definitely one I’m seeking out.

I guess, it’s time to end this review and I do want to press the point that I did like MAXXXINE a whole hell of a lot despite my small issues with it. If it were not in the same trilogy as X and PEARL, it would be great on its own. But because West forced to not only wrap up those two films’ stories, but also pull together elements introduced in MAXXXINE, it feels like an impossible task. Still, this is the most solid trilogy I’ve seen in, maybe, ever in horror. I have no idea where West is going after this film and if the lovely Mia Goth will follow, though I sure hope so, because more Goth is a good thing. But whatever he does next, I’m there, center of the theater, and ready for the director to dazzle me again.

Plus – SHERYL (2023)
Released on December 1, 2023, and is available On Demand and digital download from B&B Studios!
Directed/Written by Justin Best.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/wLIN6FI0Sh4
Sheryl (Anthea Neri Best) thought things were going ok. She had a boyfriend named Ted (Shaan Sharma) and a job writing at a beauty website. But her boss berates her every day and Ted is a serial killer who drags Sheryl along to help out. Which she does wholeheartedly. When Ted breaks up with Sheryl after a home invasion gone wrong, Sheryl snaps a little. She comes up with an idea for her blog focusing on making the perfect face from perfect parts from perfect people. Not only does she write about this, but Sheryl also decides to seek out these perfect people and steal their perfect parts. And before you can say Lady Leatherface, she starts sewing the parts together to make a skin mask. Now, as luck would have it, Sheryl meets the perfect guy (Christopher Cendana), but it turns out he’s the detective investigating the murders Sheryl is committing. Wackiness ensues.

SHERYL is an offbeat horror comedy heavy on the gore and sitcom hijinks. Yes, the silly coincidences and off the wall antics of the cast do make it feel like occasionally there should be a laugh track attached to it and it should air in the half hour slot after MAD ABOUT YOU, but hiding under that goofy surface is a real tragedy that I couldn’t help but be invested in. The unbelievable moments, like how Sheryl is able to simply walk in and out of these murder scenes covered in blood and how Sheryl seems to just miss out numerous times on discovering what her new boyfriend does for a living, almost does the main themes a disservice. It helps that Anthea Neri Best (who plays Sheryl) has an extremely strong sense of comic timing, so I was willing to overlook the sillier moments of the film.

The main theme of SHERYL is society’s obsession with beauty, specifically one very strange, but somewhat typical young woman and the pressures that woman puts upon herself to be absolutely perfect. The irony of SHERYL is that Anthea Neri Best is a stunningly beautiful woman, which only highlights how damaged she is by the lengths she goes to achieve perfection. SHERYL is a powerful tragedy and thankfully the film gets the goofy stuff out of the way in the first half, so it can focus on this very heartbreaking subject matter as Sheryl continues to slide into complete insanity. The depths this film plummets is quite shocking and those looking for a quirky and safe little horror film are going definitely going to get a shock from where this story goes. Me, I loved how dark SHERYL got. While I think it’s tonally off in the beginning, it finally hits its stride in the latter half, and I was wrapped up in Sheryl’s fate completely by the end.

If SHERYL does anything, it proves that, though she is an unconventional leading actress, Anthea Neri Best is a powerhouse performer. She’s drop dead gorgeous, sure and I have to say seeing her in the various revealing outfits she sports in the film was…very nice. But aside from all that, she delivers comedy and tragedy with ease. Sheryl tackles some ugly truths about insecurities many women suffer from in this oblivious day and age we find ourselves living in. These truths are going to fall on deaf ears for most, but if you have even a bit of insight, SHERYL is a movie that might actually make you look at yourself in a new and positive light. That’s something I wasn’t expecting from a movie where the lead actress is doused in blood in every other scene, but that’s what I got from it.

SHERYL is offbeat and over the top and bawdy, gory fun, but it also packs a message coming from a very talented up and coming actress that overflows with wisdom you might learn a little from.

The Best in Horror Countdown 2023-2024
#31 – HERE FOR BLOOD (DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS)
#30 – THANKSGIVING (THE SACRIFICE GAME)
#29 – MILK & SERIAL (LOWLIFES)
#28 – PROJECT SILENCE (FROGMAN)
#27 – THE SEEDING (DARK HARVEST)
#26 – BEEZEL (THE FRESH HELL TRILOGY)
#25 – ABERRANCE (COLD MEAT)
#24 – OUT OF DARKNESS (ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH)
#23 – ARCADIAN (A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE)
#22 – YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME (GHOSTS OF THE VOID)
#21 – NEVER LET GO (LOVELY, DARK, & DEEP)
#20 – ABIGAIL (BLACKOUT)
#19 – SPEAK NO EVIL (EIGHT EYES)
#18 – BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (LISA FRANKENSTEIN)
#17 – MAXXXINE (SHERYL)

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