Ti West's X is a pretty straightforward grindhouse horror. It homaged movies like The Hills Have Eyes and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, bringing a crew to a Texan farm to secretly shoot a porno in the '70s. It resulted in the owners -- a couple of old serial killers -- going on a killing spree, forcing Maxine (Mia Goth) to transform from an adult film star to a badass final girl. She eventually oversaw the villains' deaths, but as she drove off, the film still had some unanswered questions and plot holes.
Why Did Howard Leave Lorraine Untied in X?
The old man, Howard, tricked Lorraine into going into the basement when folks went missing. He locked her in, only for Lorraine to get a hatchet and try to break the door down. He bludgeoned her hand, breaking some of her fingers, but then simply yelled for her to behave. He left to continue the spree, but it's never explained why he didn't go tie her up. Her screams would have alerted her peers, plus she could have gotten other tools, fought through the pain and broken free.
Why Did X's Howard and Pearl Pick That Moment for Sex?
When Howard and his wife, Pearl, went into the porno cabin, Maxine was missing. She was Pearl's main target throughout X, so they should have kept looking. Instead, they had sex on the bed while Maxine hid underneath. This made no sense because it meant Lorraine was unattended and Maxine could have been freeing her or fleeing for help. Admittedly, the old-timers were turned on by their murders, but it was really odd timing because the job wasn't done.
Why Didn't Maxine Attack the Couple in X?
Maxine was understandably scared, so she snuck out to the main house to try to escape in a van. But she could have attacked the couple while they were disarmed and having intercourse. They were so weak and fragile, not to mention weaponless and vulnerable. She could have overpowered them at this moment, grabbed weapons from the cabin or stolen Howard's gun to kill them.
Why Didn't Maxine Bring the Cops Back in X?
After Howard and Pearl died at the end of X, Maxine sped off in their van. But she didn't go to the cops to inform them what happened. They showed up only because Howard called earlier to frame the porno crew as trespassers, giving him an alibi for killing them. It's a strange decision because Wayne was her boyfriend and the others were friends, so one would think Maxine would want to clear her name. Ironically, the cops got the footage from RJ's camera, which could incriminate her.
What Was Howard's Big Plan in X?
Howard framing the crew was impossible logistically. Seeing as they were killed in various manners at different locations, it'd have to be that he and Pearl set traps like Home Alone, hid in the shadows per his Marine training, or scurried around quickly to kill their enemies. Given the estate had other victims and a submerged car, the cops would have to be extremely incompetent not to see the couple were killers.
How Many People Were Killed & Who Was in the Basement in X?
Lorraine encountered another dead victim, naked and strung up in the basement, while Jackson saw the dumped car, confirming others were murdered. The couple even admitted they did this before, so it would have been nice to glean an idea of how long they'd been baiting people with their advertisement in the papers and how many people they ensnared. Plus, the identity of the dead body goes unnoticed and remains a mystery desired to be answered. After all, they could've been doing this long before the events of X.
What Was Pearl's Past in X?
While a prequel to X, Pearl (also starring Goth as the titular character), showcases the character's backstory, the details are vague in X. As such, it'd have been nice to hear more about her past from the early 1900s when she spoke to Maxine. She was jealous that these young ladies were beautiful and vibrant, so she may have been a sex worker. She also kept calling them "whores," so maybe someone close to her cheated with women like this. Lastly, seeing as Pearl was into Maxine, she may have suffered as a closeted bisexual, making her angry that she was too old to act on these impulses now.
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