X (2022)

Film and Plot Synopsis

In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives.

‘X’ Movie Summary

It’s Texas, 1979, and Sheriff Dentler (James Gaylyn) arrives at a chilling crime scene. A lifeless body lies concealed in front of the house, and the front porch is marred by splatters of blood. As Dentler steps into the scene, his deputy instructs him to enter the house, hinting at a profoundly disturbing sight within. Dentler stands in stunned silence, bracing himself for what he is about to witness.

On the day before, we meet aspiring starlet Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) as she prepares to travel to a rural Texas town outside of Houston for the production of an adult film titled “The Farmer’s Daughter” where her boyfriend, Wayne (Martin Henderson) is the executive producer. His crew consists of the writer/director R.J. (Owen Campbell), R.J.’s girlfriend and sound operator Lorraine (Jenna Ortega), and the acting couple Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) and Jackson (Scott Mescudi).

Wayne playfully nicknames Lorraine as “Churchmouse” due to her perceived conservatism compared to the others, while Bobby-Lynne and Jackson passionately express their affection for each other during the journey.

Upon their arrival at the farmhouse chosen for the film shoot, Wayne takes it upon himself to engage with the elderly owner, Howard (Stephen Ure). However, the encounter takes a tense turn as Howard aims his rifle in Wayne’s direction. Wayne must gently jog Howard’s memory about their prior conversation regarding renting the property. Despite this, once Howard spots the rest of the crew, his discomfort and distrust for the group become palpable.

As Maxine steps out of the van, she catches sight of Howard’s wife, Pearl (Mia Goth), peering at her intently from a nearby window.

Before the cameras start rolling, Maxine has an encounter with Pearl, who seems to be making advances towards her. Pearl opens up about her age and expresses sorrow over her lack of intimacy with Howard for quite some time.

The crew gathers in the farmhouse, for their first sex scene with Jackson and Bobby-Lynne under the notion that Jackson’s car broke down and he comes upon Bobby-Lynne’s house and and eventually Bobby-Lynne. The next scene has Maxine as the younger sister who also bangs Jackson. Pearl watches the scene and it arouses her—giggidy appears to get aroused. She demands Howard make sweet, sweet love to her, but he declines because he has a heart condition.

On that evening, Lorraine confides in R.J., expressing her desire to have a role in the movie. However, he declines her request. The rest of the group, sympathetic to Lorraine’s wish to be an integral part of the film rather than just handling sound recording, ultimately agrees to let her participate. The scene progresses, but R.J. retreats to the bathroom to hide his emotions and shed tears over the situation.

In an act of spite, R.J. starts to drive away, intending to leave everyone behind. However, his plans come to a halt when he spots Pearl standing in the middle of the road. Concerned for her safety, he pulls over and rushes to assist her back into the house. Yet, when Pearl makes advances towards him, he firmly rejects her advances.

Pearl then stabs R.J. until he dead which results in the headlights getting sprayed with blood. Meanwhile, Wayne steps on a nail in the farmhouse while looking for R.J… barefoot. A noise attracts his attention to a hole in the wall and when he looks through, Pearl stabs it with a pitchfork… he dead too!

Lorraine decides to search for R.J., while Howard mentions that Pearl cannot be found. As Lorraine enters their house to investigate, she unwittingly gets trapped in the cellar by Howard. While exploring the dim space, she suddenly comes face to face with the lifeless, naked body of a man hanging there. Overwhelmed with terror, she lets out a piercing scream and desperately starts attempting to break free from her confinement.

Howard recruits Jackson to assist in the search for Pearl. Together, they stroll along the lake’s edge, and as they approach the water’s edge, Jackson spots a submerged car. Just as Jackson turns to face Howard, Howard’s demeanor changes abruptly. He coldly asserts that he is aware of Pearl’s activities, and without warning, he unleashes a shotgun blast that strikes Jackson in the chest. Jackson’s lifeless body crumples and falls into the water.

Pearl slips into bed beside Maxine, her touch inadvertently leaving traces of R.J.’s blood on Maxine’s back. Startled, Maxine turns to find Pearl beside her, prompting her to let out a piercing scream. Nearby, Bobby-Lynne overhears the commotion and rushes to Maxine’s aid. Witnessing Pearl fleeing from the house, Bobby-Lynne pursues her to the lake.

Bobby-Lynne attempts to assist Pearl and get her back into the house, but Pearl, filled with anger, hurls hurtful words at her, calling her a derogatory term. In a sudden and violent act, Pearl shoves Bobby-Lynne into the lake. Tragically, as Bobby-Lynne flounders in the water, she becomes prey to an alligator lurking beneath the surface.

Lorraine grabs an ax in a desperate bid to break through the door and make her escape. However, her attempt is abruptly halted when Howard intervenes, wielding his own ax. In a chilling act, Howard smashes Lorraine’s fingers with his ax, ultimately severing one of them.

Meanwhile, Maxine takes refuge in the couple’s bedroom, hiding under their bed as they enter the room.

As they discuss the gruesome murders, Howard eventually succumbs to Pearl’s advances, and takes the old gal to pound town. Meanwhile, Maxine stealthily slips out and attempts to make her way to the van, only to discover that the keys are missing. To her horror, she spots R.J.’s lifeless body nearby. In a desperate bid for safety, she reaches into the glove compartment and grabs Wayne’s gun.

Maxine rushes to the cellar to free Lorraine, desperately working to get them out. In the midst of their struggle, Lorraine directs blame at Maxine for the series of horrifying events that have unfolded. Just as Lorraine attempts to flee the house, Howard fires a shot, striking her in the face. As he tries to drag her lifeless body back inside, Lorraine emits a dying cough that startles Howard, leading to his own fatal heart attack.

Maxine manages to obtain the van keys and takes hold of her gun, aiming it at Pearl while a preacher’s video plays on the TV. In a determined tone, Maxine echoes the preacher’s words, declaring, “I will have the life I deserve!” Unfortunately, Maxine soon realizes that her gun is unloaded. Pearl fires a shotgun at Maxine but misses, and the recoil propels her out of the house, causing her to break her hip. Desperate for help, Pearl pleads with Maxine, but Maxine coldly refuses.

With no mercy left, Maxine climbs into the van as Pearl hurls insults, calling her a whore. In a shocking and gruesome turn of events, Maxine runs over Pearl’s head not once, but twice, causing it to burst.

The next day, Sheriff Dentler and his team of officers arrive at the scene. The video of the preacher continues to play, and it becomes apparent that Maxine is the preacher’s daughter, and he has been desperately searching for her. As they investigate further, one of the deputies discovers the camera that was used to film the explicit content. He turns to Sheriff Dentler and inquires about his thoughts on its contents, to which Dentler grimly responds, “A disturbing and messed-up horror show.”

As the movie concludes, the closing credits roll, and viewers are treated to a teaser trailer for an upcoming prequel film titled “Pearl.”