So this is the prequel to Ti West’s X, about the younger life of the old lady. I’ll be super-transparent here and admit that I only remembered X in broad outline, and so there was probably some exposition in that movie about the character’s youth that would have led me to have certain expectations for this movie, but I had forgotten it if so.

So what I was sort of expecting, and what I kinda got at first, is a movie about a girl trapped on a farm in a shitty situation, who dreams about leaving and getting into show business. And obviously you know she ends up on that farm in the end, so you figure things will not go the way she wants, but beyond that I had no idea.

Well, so the direction they go in wasn’t the direction I expected, but was effective all the same. The only real problem I had with it was that while the first part of the movie was all about building up these characters in interesting ways, the movie got a lot flatter once it turned into horror and the bodies started piling up. Subtle, complicated relationships get a lot less subtle and a lot simpler when someone’s got an ax in their hands and plans to use it.

And I realize that I’m basically saying here that this horror movie would have been better if it weren’t horror, but… honestly, it would have been. Maybe it wouldn’t have worked as part of a trilogy with X quite as well, but just as a movie in its own, I think that just staying with the character drama for the full length would have been more interesting.

Still, though, the actual movie West made is pretty good. The movie’s got a nifty Technicolor vibe to it, has memorable scenes and characters, and Mia Goth does a great job as its star. If you saw X and liked it, you’ll definitely want to see this.