Ti West’s (The House of the Devil, The Sacrament) latest foray into horror, X (released in March 2022), leans heavily on a stereotypical horror-genre formula whilst producing a satirical twist on a well-worn grind-house concept. X is widely considered an intelligent and thought-provoking entry into the genre’s canon.
X is not simply a game of cat and mouse, as is the case for many slasher films; it is nuanced, and the movie’s supposed villains and heroes mirror (literally in Mia Goth’s case) and contradict each other in what is essentially a complex and violent difference of opinion. Intelligence, which is largely defined in the film in terms of a character’s emotional awareness, is of grave importance in determining each character’s respected fates and is the compass that Ti West uses to navigate them through the darkness.
RJ Nichols
Much like his fellow crew members, director RJ Nichols appears to display a distinct lack of self-awareness. The ranch where he and his disheveled crew have chosen to shoot their movie, along with its menacing proprietors, does not scream ‘welcoming’ and ‘secure’. On the contrary, it has all the classic horror movie trappings of a scene marked out for a bloodbath. RJ is also a closed-minded individual, unwilling to leave his comfort zone, which is often cited as a sign of limited intelligence.
When presented with the opportunity of filming his girlfriend, Lorraine, for a scene in the movie, RJ’s discomfort in broadening his horizons results in him attempting to flee the ranch and, ultimately, leads to his untimely demise. RJ’s conflicting and contradicting beliefs contribute to his eventual downfall and instigate his doomed escape attempt.
Bobby-Lynne
Bobby-Lynne’s character trajectory is an unfortunate and fairly predictable one. She is fiercely committed to her central performance in the erotic feature being produced on the ranch but is also a short-term thinker. Bobby-Lynne is not necessarily interested in the film’s artistic merits and displays poor interpersonal skills when she criticizes fellow performer Jackson Hole after they shoot a scene together. She also derides Jackson for not disassociating emotionally from his role.
Bobby-Lynne does display some redemptive qualities but does not appear to be self-reflective enough to realize she is in danger. In X, her character arc is mostly used as an antithetical conduit to be mirrored against the emotional complexity of Pearl and Maxine (both played by Mia Goth), and it comes as no surprise that Pearl has the eventual last say in Bobby-Lynne’s fate.
Wayne Gilroy
Producer, Wayne Gilroy, is an excitable and ambitious man but has not researched the property adequately enough before choosing to film on it. Wayne is cunning enough to persuade RJ to shoot a scene involving Lorraine but eventually falls foul of one of the biggest horror movie faux-pas around when exploring an abandoned barn after dark – looking through a peephole. At no point during the film is Wayne portrayed as intelligent enough to understand the gravity of the danger is placed.
Like many of the male characters in X, Wayne is narrow-mindedly obsessed with his own personal gain, whether it is positioned in the dynamic shared with Maxine, or in the success he envisions for his film. But horror movies have a habit of exposing the hubris in their protagonists and X is no different, as Wayne will learn that vanity will only get him so far.
Jackson Hole
Vietnam-war veteran and porn actor Jackson Hole is the film within a film’s jack of all trades. Out of all of X‘s cast, Jackson is the star of the show and has the bravado to match. It could rightly be assumed though, that a man with such experience of war might fare better when it comes to surviving the maniacal machinations of the movie’s elderly provocateurs, Pearl and Howard. Sadly for Jackson, he is outsmarted by Howard and is given his marching orders by way of a shotgun.
Like Wayne before him, Jackson’s posturing and admiration for his own image indicate average intelligence. He is not portrayed as being sufficiently self-aware enough to look past the man he sees before him in the mirror. It will inevitably lead to his undoing, as his superiority complex is exposed at the brutal hands of Howard.
Lorraine
Lorraine (played by Jenna Ortega) begins the movie by displaying self-righteous closed-mindedness regarding the content of the film she is working as a sound engineer on. Over some late-night drinks, however, she shows a willingness to explore new things and ultimately confesses a desire to become an actor in the film, much to her boyfriend RJ’s dismay. However, things go downhill for Lorraine after that, as she is locked in a basement by Howard and has her fingers brutally severed when trying to escape.
Out of all the characters in X, Lorraine is the first to sense that something is not quite right at the ranch. Unlike Wayne, RJ, and Jackson before her, Lorraine’s perception and emotional intelligence lead her to question what exactly she and her friends are making, but the movie’s thrilling climax also provokes her into making erratic and fatal decisions.
Howard
It is unclear whether Howard and Pearl always intended to murder their filmmaking guests, but Howard is a traditional man who is empathic towards his wife nonetheless. Like Lorraine, Howard shows a willingness to try new things and pushes himself outside his comfort zone when eventually agreeing to have sex with Pearl, a sign of high emotional intelligence. The aging killer, however, underestimates X‘s main protagonist Maxine Minx, who will kill Howard in a gruesome manner in the film’s climactic finale.
It is in Howard’s relationship with Pearl that X cleverly positions its emotional thrust. Howard loves his wife and will do almost anything (including murder) to satisfy her, and their relationship is starkly contrasted with that of Wayne and Maxine, whose emotionally naive romance is reduced to that of a youthful folly in comparison.
Pearl
Pearl is X‘s most intriguing character. She is thoughtful, nostalgic, and inquisitive. Before carnage ensues, Pearl is initially intrigued by the film being shot on her property and it unlocks a long-neglected sexual reawakening in her. Pearl’s cluttered and untidy house can be seen as symbolic of her troubled and complex psyche. However, this becomes her undoing, as like her husband before her, she lets the buried hatred and jealousy get the better of her.
Pearl’s emotional intelligence is extremely nuanced and it suggests that the violence that is unlocked inside her could well be born out of a complicated relationship with her troubled past, something that Ti West is keen to explore in the context of her relationship with Maxine and also in a much-anticipated prequel, Pearl, due to be released later this year.
Maxine Minx
Maxine Minx, played by Mia Goth (who also plays Pearl), is X‘s defiant lead. She is curious and confident and is unafraid to jump into new experiences with an open mind and an abundance of enthusiasm. She also displays strong interpersonal skills when attempting to forge a friendship with Pearl. It goes without saying that being the sole survivor of a horror movie automatically marks a character as being of superior intellectual perceptiveness to their deceased friends.
Or, maybe they were just lucky? Either way, apart from an early near miss with a freshwater dwelling alligator, Maxine never looks like she would meet the grizzly end that befalls the other seven characters in X — such is her intelligence, cunning, and guile. Maxine displays throughout the film the emotional integrity that is often considered a sign of superior intelligence.
