Los Angeles, 1985. Having survived the so-called Texas Pornstar Massacre, Maxine Minx is about to make the jump from the porn world to the film world with a starring role in 'The Puritan II', written and directed by Elizabeth Bender . However, a series of violent murders across the city are tied directly to Maxine, LAPD detectives Torres and Williams begin investigating just as a private investigator emerges with ties to Maxine's past...
In a lot of ways, 'Maxxxine' feels like the most obvious setting for the kind of movie that 'X' set itself up for. After all, horror and porn coalesced in the '80s with talents like Marilyn Chambers and Traci Lords working with the likes of David Cronenberg and John Waters in widely-released movies such as 'Rabid' and ''.
Mia Goth's performance as Maxine Minx isn't subtle by any means, but it speaks to her own progression that she's able to command the screen for much of the movie and keep you locked in for all of it. The supporting cast has its peaks and hollows. Kevin Bacon is inspired casting as a greasy private investigator in the same vein as the late great M. Emmet Walsh in 'Blood Simple', playing it with full Southern drawl and flop sweat.
For much of 'Maxxxine', it's a dark and sultry thriller with slices of shock horror thrown into the middle of it. There's a recurring theme of women being chewed up and spat out on the Hollywood Hills by creepy film producers, all while Maxine Minx is trying to get deeper into the belly of the beast. The difference, as she sees it, is that she's able to take care of herself.
Ti West's direction is confident and assured with a hazy, grimy feel to it that's bound to keep gorehounds and VHS fanatics satiated, but when compared to other modern horror-thrillers that traffic in the same kind of nostalgia - such as Prano Bailey-Bond's excellent 'Mia Gypsy Mello da Silva Goth is an English actress and model best known for her work in the ongoing horror film franchise X .