Fans of Ti West’s X Trilogy — which includes X, Pearl, and MaXXXine — will be thrilled with the release of the new Collector’s Edition box set featuring all three films. While we received the 1080p Blu-ray edition for review, A24 has also issued the collection on 4K UHD, marking the first time X and Pearl have been available on 4K disc in the U.S.
Released in 2022, writer/director Ti West’s X became a standout in modern horror. Though it earned a modest $15 million worldwide, its low production budget ensured profitability. West cleverly filmed a prequel, Pearl, back-to-back with X during the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing the same sets to minimize costs. Star Mia Goth co-wrote Pearl alongside West, adding a deeper creative layer to the project. Audiences were pleasantly surprised when a teaser for Pearl appeared as a post-credits tag at the end of X. Thanks to the success of X, Pearl was granted a full theatrical release — cementing the trilogy as one of the most inventive horror sagas of the decade.
What makes Ti West’s trilogy so compelling is how each installment feels distinct in tone and style. The first film, X, draws clear inspiration from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Set in rural Texas in 1979, the story follows a group of adult film actors and filmmakers who rent a guesthouse from an elderly couple, unaware of the horror that awaits them. The couple has no idea what kind of movie is being shot on their property—until they find out. Once the truth is revealed, chaos ensues, and the filmmakers quickly learn that they won’t be the ones getting the final cut.
While X features a recognizable ensemble cast that includes Jenna Ortega and Brittany Snow, it’s Mia Goth who ultimately becomes the defining face of the franchise. Goth delivers a standout performance in dual roles—portraying both the ambitious young performer Maxine and the elderly, enigmatic Pearl.
2022’s Pearl serves as a prequel to X and stands as my personal favorite entry in Ti West’s trilogy. Set in 1918, the film follows Pearl (Mia Goth), who lives on a rural Texas farm with her strict German immigrant mother and father while her husband serves overseas in World War I. As the family isolates themselves from the Spanish flu pandemic—a detail that felt particularly resonant during our own recent experience with COVID—Pearl dreams of escaping to Hollywood to become a star.
Her mother, Ruth (Tandi Wright), enforces rigid discipline, demanding that Pearl tend to both the family farm and her infirm, paralyzed father. When left alone, however, Pearl channels her frustration and suppressed rage into disturbing acts, including abusing her father and killing animals around the property. The only creature she shows kindness to is an alligator living in the nearby lake, which she regularly feeds.
The film also features a pre-Superman David Corenswet as the charming movie theater projectionist who captures Pearl’s attention. While X was an enjoyable, stylized period slasher, Pearl is superior in nearly every respect. Goth delivers a mesmerizing performance, carrying the film with her descent into madness and obsession. The pandemic backdrop gives the story an eerie relatability, and the film’s tone and character study make it a far darker, more unsettling experience.
The third installment in Ti West’s X trilogy, 2024’s MaXXXine, serves as a direct sequel to the first film. Unfortunately, despite being an ’80s kid myself, this 1985 Los Angeles–set trilogy capper turned out to be the most disappointing entry in the series. Even an impressive ensemble cast that includes Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, Sophie Thatcher, and Kevin Bacon couldn’t save it. While MaXXXine ultimately became the highest-grossing film in the trilogy, it was also by far the most expensive to produce.
Set six years after the events of X, the story follows Maxine Minx as she attempts to transition from adult films to mainstream Hollywood features. After landing the lead role in a horror sequel titled The Puritan II, her dream seems within reach—until a mysterious, leather-clad stranger delivers a police evidence videotape containing footage from the adult film she made with her now-deceased friends from the first movie.
Unlike the first two entries, MaXXXine shifts away from horror and leans more into a sleazy, neon-soaked ’80s thriller—a concept I’d normally be all for. Despite another strong performance from Mia Goth and an excellent score by Tyler Bates, the story simply lacks the fun and tension that defined the previous films. I appreciate what Ti West set out to achieve with this final chapter, but as with many trilogies, the third installment ultimately fails to live up to the promise of its predecessors.
For the Blu-ray set, the three films are presented in 1080p and al include a Dolby Atmos track. The box set includes a 64-page booklet with a new essay by Jon Dieringer, unreleased concept art, costume sketches, behind-the-scenes photography, original poster and VHS artwork created as set dressing for the films, and more, alongside over 90 minutes of making-of featurettes and new commentary tracks on all three films.
X Bonus Features:
- Commentary with D.P. Eliot Rockett and Production Designer Tom Hammock
- Pearl Makeup Timelapse
- “The X Factor” Featurette
- Original Trailer
Pearl Bonus Features:
- Commentary with D.P. Eliot Rockett and Production Designer Tom Hammock
- “Coming Out of Her Shell: The Creation of Pearl” Featurette
- “Time After Time” Featurette
- Original Trailer
MaXXXine Bonus Features:
- Commentary with Production Designer Jason Kisvarday and Set Decorator Kelsi Ephraim
- “The Belly of the Beast’ Featurette
- “XXX Marks the Spot” Featurette
- “Hollywood is a Killer” Featurette
- Deep Dive with Composer Tyler Bates
- Q&A with Ti West
- Original Trailers
By: Marc Ferman
