MaXXXine Director Teases ‘Gruesome’ Deaths In Latest Sequel

The third film in the acclaimed X franchise from Ti West is just under a month away from its theatrical release, and while the director recently teased some of the film’s more gruesome deaths, he doesn’t necessarily consider MaXXXine to be on the same level in terms of horror as previous entries in the franchise. X debuted in 2022 and was quickly followed by the prequel film, Pearl, later that year. To date, the two movies have grossed a combined total of $25.2 million dollars against a budgeted total of $3 million, and have gone on to be regarded as some of the finest horror films in recent memory.

Speaking with SFX magazine (via GamesRadar), Ti West touched on the differences between MaXXXine and his first film in the series, X, calling his most recent entry much “broader” in terms of its horror. He says that unlike X, his new movie isn’t as upfront as fans might expect from the auteur. Check out his comments below.

“If you’re expecting something like X, something very in your face, a horror beat all the time,
it’s broader than that
.”

With that being said, though, West would go on to mention that, like both X and Pearl, fans can look forward to seeing some “gruesome” deaths in MaXXXine that have come to be expected from the franchise.

Ti West Believes His Films Aren’t Just for Horror Fans

Starring Mia Goth as Maxine Minx, the third film in Ti West’s horror trilogy follows the aspiring actress/adult film star in 1985 Hollywood at the same time real-life serial killer Richard Ramirez (aka The Night Stalker) is terrorizing Los Angeles. The movie also features a star-studded cast including Kevin Bacon, Giancarlo Esposito, Elizabeth Debicki, and Michelle Monaghan.

While director Ti West does consider his films to be horror movies, he also remarks that fans who don’t necessarily enjoy the genre tend to gravitate toward them. He admits that the challenge is in getting them to take a chance on something they otherwise think they might not like.

“My movies are horror movies, but
people who don’t like horror tend to like them
. The big hurdle for me is trying to convince them – ‘You say you hate horror movies, but it’s not what you think,
give it a try
.’”

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He points to star Elizabeth Debicki as an example, saying that even though the 33-year-old Australian actress appears in the movie, she’s never been a fan of horror films. However, after watching MaXXXine, West says she “had a blast with it.”

“We showed Elizabeth Debicki the movie the other day at 9am, which is a horrible time to watch it, and afterwards she said, ‘I hate horror movies and I was stressed out about watching it,’ but then
she really had a blast with it
. Right from the get-go, she was on board.”

Fans can have a blast with MaXXXine for themselves when the film hits theaters on July 5, 2024.