“MaXXXine is terrific”— New 2024 slasher movie receives big nod from Stephen King

Horror author Stephen King recently praised the upcoming slasher movie MaXXXine. Written and directed by Ti West, it serves as the third and final film in his X trilogy. The first two films were titled X and Pearl.

Stephen King took to X on July 4 to share a one-line review of the direct sequel to 2022's X. He wrote,

“MaXXXine is terrific.”

Stephen King's post has generated considerable online buzz, with 427 replies to it as of writing. One fan took his recommendation as reason enough to watch the movie, saying:

"If Mr. King approves it must be good. Can't wait to see it."

The post even introduced some people who had no prior knowledge of the trilogy to the movie. When one person tweeted:

"I don't know what this means."

Another user filled them in:

"It's the new A24 movie."

Resulting in the original poster quickly developing an interest:

"Oh tracking, thanks Cam Scoob!"

Another fan created a fan-made poster for the film:

Fans engaging with Stephen King's post also got the opportunity to clear up their confusion about the true nature of MaXXXine. As one poster said:

"I've heard a lot of good things about that movie. I also heard that it is connected to the movie Pearl and the movie X."

Causing others to clarify that all the movies were indeed part of the same trilogy:

"It’s the third in a trilogy."

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MaXXXine is the third movie in Ti West's trilogy

MaXXXine is the sequel to X and Pearl, a trilogy of slasher movies that dive into Hollywood culture and explore themes like chasing fame and fortune no matter the cost.

X was the first film in the series, released in 2022. It introduced the primary characters Maxine "Max" Minx and Pearl, both played by Mia Goth. The first film covered Maxine's career as an adult film actress in the '70s. She goes with a group of friends to shoot an adult film in a farmhouse they rented from an elderly couple.

However, things go murderously wrong when the film crew has a falling out with their elderly hosts, resulting in Howard and Pearl embarking on a murder spree to kill everyone involved in the movie.

The second film, Pearl, was a prequel focusing on Pearl's backstory as an aspiring actress back in 1918.

It reveals that Howard has been her husband since the days of the First World War, and Pearl had homicidal tendencies even at a young age, which manifested in her going on a murder spree after the conflicts with her family over her aspirations reached a boiling point.

The third film, MaXXXine, picks up where X left off and follows Maxine Minx's attempt to break out into mainstream Hollywood with a starring role in the horror film The Puritan II. However, another mysterious killer attempts to derail her career by targeting her friends and colleagues. She comes under suspicion from a private investigator who tries to blackmail her into cooperating with him.

It's eventually revealed that the mysterious killer is none other than Maxine's estranged father, Ernest Miller.

He reveals he wants to punish her for abandoning his teachings and living what he calls a life of sin and make a film where he'll "expose" Hollywood's sinful nature. The film ends with Maxine killing him and going back to working on her movie.

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MaXXXine was released in theaters by A24 Films on July 5, 2024.