A24 Brings Sex, Sleaze, And A Serial Killer To Hollywood In The MaXXXine Trailer

Two years after Ti West's "X" unleashed aspiring movie star and blood-soaked final girl Maxine (Mia Goth) into the world, she's back in the first trailer for "MaXXXine" — and closer than ever to achieving her dream. "You're a f**king movie star," she whispers to herself in the mirror at the end of the film's just-released first trailer, and it's easy to believe her.

A few years after driving away from the Texas farmhouse where she was nearly killed, Maxine Minx has rebranded herself as a bombshell blonde in double denim, and she's quickly building a resume in the adult film industry. The movie seems to kick off with Maxine earning a role in a legitimate horror movie, but her aspirations are soon threatened by something neither the women who work alongside her in L.A.'s sex work scene nor fans of West's franchise saw coming: the L.A. Night Stalker.

Richard Ramirez, a.k.a. the Night Stalker, was a drug addict and burglar whose break-ins escalated to rape and murder (often with Satanic symbols left behind, like the one shown in the "MaXXXine" trailer) during the mid-'80s, leading to an infamous fourteen-month crime spree. Ramirez was ultimately caught and convicted of thirteen counts of murder, among other charges, and he died in prison in 2013. Interestingly, one of Ramirez's real-life victims was named Maxine, but she was a middle-aged married woman, so it seems likely (and probably for the best) that West's film will be taking some liberties with the facts of the case. Also interestingly, Ramirez came to L.A. from Texas, just like West's Maxine.

Based on this first look at "MaXXXine," the rising star seems to relish the chance to come face to face with the Night Stalker despite warnings about the danger he poses to women. At one point, she dons a black wig and dances for a sinister-looking stranger in a peep show, and she carries a small handgun with a steady hand while the investigators around her seem to be at a loss about how to solve the case. "MaXXXine" has a wildly stacked cast, even compared to "X." Halsey, Elizabeth Debicki, Lily Collins, and Giancarlo Esposito all make appearances in the trailer, while Bobby Cannavale shows up as a cop and Kevin Bacon (in full intimidation mode with a weird fake voice to match) plays a private investigator on the hunt for Maxine.

Bacon's character says he has a powerful benefactor, and it seems likely he's Maxine's televangelist father from whom she ran away back in "X." The Night Stalker, then, isn't the only threat to her livelihood, but if anyone can shake off (or run over) the haters, it's our girl Maxine. Aside from the intriguing plot and fantastic cast, "MaXXXine" also has a giallo flavor to its visuals that's deeply satisfying. Shots of black-gloved hands and excessive blood spatter call to mind the works of Dario Argento, but with his past works and this Goth-led trilogy, West has proven himself a director with a strong vision all his own. 

"MaXXXine" is due to hit theaters on July 5, 2024.