Best 2022 Slasher Comes To Netflix In February 2024

Summary:

• No one expected 2022's X to be a huge success, but the movie managed to surprise both critics and audiences
• Despite being made on a shoestring budget of $1 million, it was incredibly entertaining and featured some outstanding acting
• The movie will be available on Netflix in February 2024, so you might want to check it out before the sequel is released

A new month is almost upon us, and with it comes the usual update to the lineup of movies and TV shows available on Netflix, with some leaving the streaming service and others taking their place.

While there are quite a few newcomers that will be premiering on Netflix over the course of the coming month, one of them definitely stands out as it was one of the most unique and entertaining horror films of the past few years.

X Managed To Deliver An Unusual Take On The Slasher Genre

Directed by Ti West and starring Mia Goth and Jenna Ortega, both of whom have seen their careers rise significantly as of late, X is a slasher film that was released in 2022 and has been praised by critics and audiences alike.

Set in 1979, the setup of the story is somewhat typical of the genre, as the movie begins with a group of young people, including Maxine, an aspiring adult actress, on their way to shoot a pornographic movie, which will obviously end horribly for most of them.

Eventually they arrive at a farm owned by an elderly couple, Pearl and Howard, to use their guest house as a set while keeping the owners in the dark about the true purpose of their stay.

What they don't know is that the seemingly harmless old timers are much more dangerous than they look, and when Pearl finally discovers the truth and becomes incredibly jealous of Maxine's young beauty, it brings out the murderous tendencies in the elderly woman.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the movie, of course, is an incredible double performance by Mia Goth, who absolutely shines as both Maxine and Pearl, although in the latter case she looks almost unrecognizable due to a lot of makeup and prosthetics.

Such a creative choice perfectly illustrates the similarities between the two, and how young Maxine is the embodiment of everything Pearl always wanted to be, but couldn't because of the morals of the old days.

This serves as the crux of the movie's main conflict, with Pearl being furious that her time has passed and she can never be like Maxine now, and the actress delivers beautiful performances as both characters.

The movie also features some clever and fresh takes on familiar slasher movie tropes, giving a new flavor to the familiar setup of obnoxious young people being killed off one by one in all sorts of creatively brutal ways.

X Kickstarted A Whole New Franchise

As mentioned above, the film proved to be a huge success, and later that year a prequel film, Pearl, was released, set in 1918 and revealing the backstory of the film's antagonist, once again portrayed by Mia Goth.

Although quite different in style and atmosphere from X, it was also exceptionally well received, so a third film, MaXXXine, which will continue the story of the main character from X, is now in development.

No specific release date has been announced yet, so in anticipation, you might want to check out where the story began, as X will be available on Netflix on February 1, 2024.