MaXXXine review: "If you've come for carnage, this slasher will satisfy your bloodlust"

GamesRadar+ VerdictThe final act loses its way, but in the main West wraps his slasher trilogy in satisfying style, putting a blood-soaked, Hollywood-branded bow on his eras-spanning saga. GamesRadar+ Verdict GamesRadar+ Verdict The final act loses its way, but in the main West wraps his slasher trilogy in satisfying style, putting a blood-soaked, Hollywood-branded bow on his eras-spanning saga. The final act loses its way, but in the main West wraps his slasher trilogy in satisfying style, putting a blood-soaked, Hollywood-branded bow on his eras-spanning saga. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. “The past ain’t finished with you, Maxine” yells Kevin Bacon’s odious private dick in writer/director Ti West’s trilogy-closing slasher tale. Following last year’s prequelPearl, MaXXXine sees Mia Goth reprising her wannabe porn star character from franchise starter X (2022). Pushing the showbiz homages further, West stages scenes on the Universal backlot (thePsychohouse makes an appearance) and serves meta-exchanges about actors who got their starts in horror films. All this is fun, if slightly blatant in its nostalgia baiting. But it’s a shame that one seemingly key subplot is a red herring and that not all the casting entirely works (Giancarlo Esposito, for one, as Maxine’s agent/lawyer, is shackled with the most ridiculous wig you’ll ever see). Still, Bacon and Debicki relish their roles, while Goth has roaringly good fun as the title character, a woman who gives as good as she gets. And if you’ve come for the carnage - faces are branded, eyes are slashed, bodies crushed - then MaXXXine should satisfy your bloodlust. MaXXXine is released in UK cinemas and US theaters on July 5. 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