Maxxxine * * * *

Never get between a girl and her career.

Maxxxine is the third film in a series of horror films starring Mia Goth and directed by Ti West. It follows the story in the first film - X.  (The second film Pearl, was more or less a spin off). 

X was set in the late seventies and Maxine was keen to make it as a porn star.  Maxxxine is set in the mid eighties, She has become a celebrated porn actress.   Now she drives a flash car and has got money.  

Aside from her sassy looks, one of the reasons that Maxine has made it big in the porn industry is that she can be very convincing.  She can really act.

But Maxine is not happy just being a porn actress.  She wants to be a real star, a movie star, and will do anything to achieve it.

She wins the lead role in an arty-horror film that is being made. Unfortunately at the same time she is given some bad news which has to do with the way things worked out at an earlier porn film she shot. (That'd be the one we saw her making in  X).  A private detective tells Maxine that someone is after her.  But there is something a bit dubious about this messenger. 

When other porn stars go missing and their bodies are discovered with evidence of torture and branding,  Maxine knows it's serious. Further, there are news reports.  There is a psycho killer on the loose targeting people in the adult industry.

The cops are already on to this and would like to help her, but Maxine doesn't want anything to do with cops. 

The private investigator wants Maxine to go meet the person that has engaged him.  Maxine would rather not.  But if she doesn't get things sorted it's going to interfere with her playing the part she has just landed in a "real' movie.

So Maxine takes things into her own hands.  We've already learnt she's a tough little cookie when we saw her dispense of a would be assailant earlier in the film.   

After creatively dealing with the private detective in a car wrecking joint, Maxine goes off to sort out  the mysterious person who wants to meet her.  If you've seen X you'll not be surprised as to who it is and what he wants. If you haven't seen X you'll still enjoy the "kill 'em all" outcome.  (Assuming you enjoy,suspense and slash-horror served with humour).

Once again written and well directed by Ti West, Maxxxxine captures the mid eighties period very convincingly both in time-shifting and referral to sexploitation films of that era, along with a couple of earlier classics.

Mia Goth has developed the character of Maxine superbly. There is also some fine (and wry) acting from Kevin Bacon as the Private Detective, Bobby Cannavale as a cop, Elizabeth Debicki as a ruthless film director and a cute cameo from Lily Collins.