X

Set in the rural hush of late 1970s Texas, a small crew of aspiring filmmakers travels to a secluded farmhouse to shoot an adult feature. They arrive hopeful, hungry for an opportunity to prove themselves, only to discover their hosts are a pair of quiet, aging locals who keep a disturbingly tight control over the property. What begins as a casual collaboration quickly turns menacing as boundaries blur and fear takes hold. The night tightens around the intruders as the manor reveals its own dark rhythms and the group realizes the situation is far from a simple shoot gone wrong. With danger escalating, the young crew must improvise against a threat whose methods feel intimate and personal. Tonight danger deepens.

Directed by Ti West, X is a loving nod to late 1970s grindhouse cinema and features an original screenplay rather than a book or franchise adaptation. The film stars Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Kid Cudi, and Martin Henderson.

Box office performance for X was strong relative to its modest budget, reflecting how a well crafted throwback horror can draw attention. The film found audiences in theaters and on streaming, expanding its reach beyond the initial release window worldwide.

X sparked renewed chatter about 1970s style horror and the limits of on screen sexuality, largely thanks to Mia Goth's dual presence as Maxine and Pearl in the film and its preceding prequel. The look, practical effects, and period setting left a recognizable stamp on indie horror for genre fans.

Critics generally praised West for delivering a lean, tense throwback that blends suspense with gory shocks while foregrounding character dynamics over spectacle. Themes include artistic ambition under pressure, danger of exploitation, and the uneasy line between performance and reality, all wrapped in an atmospheric, sunlit terror that invites ongoing discussion.