Maxxxine: Panic Reborn in a New Horror Movie Capturing the 80s Satanic Scare

Serial killers do on a small scale what governments do on a large one. Richard Ramirez

I went and saw Maxxxine this week. It was a satisfying ending to horror cinema's most unique and unexpected trilogy. The trilogy started with X.  X reminded me of the video nasties of the 1970s and 1980s—especially The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Next came Pearl. Pearl was the next film in the trilogy, and it had the look and feel of technicolor films, especially The Wizard of Oz.  Having the look of The Wizard of Oz in contrast with Pearl’s descent into madness was an exciting but sad combination.  It had a little Psycho thrown in for fun.  Pearl is the best film in the trilogy, in my opinion, because Pearl is a more interesting character than Maxxxine. 

Watching Pearl dream of leaving the farm and living a better life was a sad but terrifying journey because the audience knew who Pearl would eventually become even though we were rooting for her to achieve her dream. We were pulled into Mia Goth’s captivating performance as Pearl.

Maxxxine is the third film in the trilogy, and I never felt like I knew who Maxxxine was as much as I did Pearl. It may be because no one can get as close to Maxine as they can, Pearl.  She keeps a hard shell around herself because of the abuse she has been through.  Pearl can’t keep a shell around herself for long because her mental illness will not let her. 

What I liked best about Maxxxine was the atmosphere created by Ti West and Eliot Rocket. They did an excellent job of creating an atmosphere that made me feel like I was watching an exploitation film from the 1980s. Maxxxine pays tribute to the infamous video nasties of the past, capturing their raw, unfiltered brutality. These films, often banned or censored for their extreme content, pushed the boundaries of horror and left an indelible mark on the genre.

Maxxxine is less of a horror movie and more of a thriller. It reminded me of movies like Angel and Savage Streets. Although I enjoyed Maxxxine as a badass ending to the trilogy, I would have liked to have seen a deeper exploration of the film's roots. The era of censorship of pornography, metal, and horror, which influenced the film's narrative, could have been delved into more deeply. This lack of exploration left me curious and eager for more, a testament to the film's ability to captivate and engage its audience. 

Exploring the Roots of Maxxxine: The Era of Censorship on Pornography, Metal, and Horror

The Satanic Panic of the 1980s was an exciting time in history.  It was one of the few times that Republicans and Democrats agreed on something. Tipper Gore led the charge in this censorship campaign. And let’s face it, some of the music and movies of the 1980s pushed the envelope.  I would have been interested in seeing Maxxxine explore this more than it did.  They may have chosen not to explore these themes because they focused more on creating an entertaining movie.  But Ti West did bring up the things going on in 1985, so it was on his mind, but why use it as the film's backdrop and not bring it to the forefront?  And do the Satanic Panic eighties have anything to do with what we experience in cancel culture, religion, and politics today?

When groups of people want to ban stuff, the argument is always, “Should an artist be allowed to say certain things?”  but the question that is never asked is, “Why are they saying it?” Are they saying it only for attention, money, or personal gain, or is there a reason people like NWA and Ozzy were saying what they were saying during that time?  Why did the youth relate to it? What was it about the 1980s that caused an explosion of violence and creativity in pornography and horror movies that the world has never seen and probably will never see again? What was it about American Culture at that time that brought forth the Satanic Panic? And with what is going on with horror movies, religion, and politics today, are we ripe for another era of Satanic Panic culture?  

I thought it was interesting how Maxxxine kept bringing up St. Elmos Fire throughout the film. St. Elmos Fire is also known as Witch’s Fire, and some consider it to be the movie that ended the Brat Pack era. During the 1980s, teenagers watched two types of films: John Hughs movies and horror movies.  The two streams of films that teenagers drank from were similar in their raunchiness but were two very different world views or hearts. 

Hugh’s films went to raunchy places but always ended with heart, usually with the teenagers and parents or the older generation better understanding each other. Not so with the 80s horror. The parents were usually absent, and if they were there at all, they usually represented authority that the teenagers rebelled against or were trying to abuse or kill the teenagers for misbehaving. 

I don’t think Ti West was thinking about those things when directing Maxxxine, but I wonder why he brought up St. Elmos Fire a few times during the movie and what it was supposed to represent. 

The Night Stalker

Why was The Night Stalker in Maxxxine? The Night Stalker was used as a plot device, but I would have liked to see a deeper exploration of this character. This may have been hard to do without taking away the focus of Maxxxine because the movie is about her, after all. But The Night Stalker was so influenced by Satanism. Was he the fruit of Satanic Panic culture, or was he part of the cause of it? Don’t get me wrong.  I loved Maxxxine and it had a kick ass ending.  I enjoyed the ride.  But it may have been fun to explore the roots presented in the film.  But then again, you can’t bog a movie like this down with too much-added stuff.  If you saw Maxxxine, what are your thoughts, and which film in the trilogy did you like the best?