Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for MaXXXine (2024)
Summary
While I was shocked to discover thatMaXXXine, the follow-up toXandPearl, didn’t center around the Night Stalker, I was also deeply relieved by this revelation. It is tough for horror movies to reference real-life crimes. On the one hand, a lot of effective horror is rooted in reality and nothing scares audiences as much as a believable story. This explains why hits likeThe Texas Chain Saw MassacreandThe Blair Witch Projectclaimed to be based on true stories in their promotional materials. On the other hand, adapting true stories into horror movies can be tacky and exploitative.
This is why, afterPearl’s perfect ending, I was concerned by earlier trailers for director Ti West’sMaXXXine. A direct sequel to 2022’s hit slasherX,MaXXXinewas also the final chapter in West’s trilogy of interconnected feminist horrors.X,Pearl, andMaXXXineall focused on complex characters played by Mia Goth, who earned some of the best reviews of her career as Maxine Minx andPearl’s titular tragic villain. By the timeMaXXXine’s big twist endingrolled around, my fears were assuaged. However, this was only because a big chunk ofMaXXXine’s advertising centered on a misleading promise.
Does MaXXXine Have A Post-Credits Scene?
Audiences stepping into MaXXXine might be wondering if there’s a post-credits scene to the horror film, and if it’s worth staying through the credits.
The Night Stalker Isn’t Part Of MaXXXine’s Plot
Richard Ramirez’s Killing Spree Is Mentioned In Passing
Richard Ramirez was a real-life serial killer whose crime spree terrorized residents of Los Angeles in the ‘80s. Nicknamed the “Night Stalker” by the media, Ramirez was a burglar, rapist, and murderer who claimed at least 13 lives during his months-long crime spree. These events were alluded to in almost all the trailers and promo clips forMaXXXine, making it seem like the movie’s villain would be a fictionalized version of this real-life killer. This would have been hard to pull off for numerous reasons, not least because some of the survivors of the real Ramirez’s spree are alive to this day.
The Night Stalker is addressed a handful of times in dialogue and is seen in brief new flashes that appear throughout the movie.
Fortunately,MaXXXine’s depiction of Richard Ramirezisn’t tasteless, primarily because it barely exits.The Night Stalker is barely even mentioned inMaXXXinedespite his outsized roles in its trailers. He is addressed a handful of times in dialogue and is seen in brief new flashes that appear throughout the movie. That is the extent of Ramirez’s role inMaXXXine, and his prominence in advertising turns out to be a red herring to distract from the movie’s real villain. Anyone who has seenXhas a reasonable chance of successfully guessing the identity ofMaXXXine’s central antagonist, but Ramirez’s presence makes that harder.
MaXXXine’s Night Stalker Story Could Never Have Worked
Ti West’s Trilogy Is A Campy Slasher Series
West’sXwas a campy slasher movie that, although violent, dark, and complex, never lost sight of its sense of humor.MaXXXineis a much goofier, more over-the-top horror movie, trading in the grim nihilism of ‘70s horror for the gory, blackly comic excesses of the ‘80s slasher boom. For this twist to work,MaXXXinewould need to recreate Tarantino’s ambitiousOnce Upon A Time In Hollywoodtwist and have its titular heroine successfully defeat the Night Stalker. However, this could have come across as tasteless since the real Ramirez was a severely disturbed individual who died in prison.
MaXXXinemaking Ramirez its villain would never have succeededsincePearl’s entire story was predicated on viewers sympathizing with a mentally unwell killer. Turning Ramirez into a cartoonish monster after revealing the depths of Pearl’s tragic humanity would have been a disservice to Goth’s iconic character, and a more empathetic portrayal of the killer would run another risk.MaXXXine’s story could inadvertently glamorize or romanticize a real-life murderer, somethingAmerican Horror Story 1984did with Ramirezin 2019. When that controversial horror anthology series made Ramirez one of the villains of its ‘80s-set slasher story, the choice was deservedly panned.
MaXXXine’s Night Stalker References Work Perfectly
The Killer’s Presence Makes Mia Goth’s Heroine More Paranoid
I was certain that West’s movie would either depict Ramirez in a way that made the troubled murderer seem charismatic or turn the real-life figure into a ludicrous caricature. As such, I was delighted when any mention of the Night Stalker turned out to be just that. These throwaway references deepened the movie’s sense of paranoia and discomfort without straying too far into exploitation.I can see why West wanted to remind viewers of the fear and unease that permeated Los Angeles during Ramirez’s killing spreeand I thought occasional news flashes were a clever way to achieve this.
MaXXXine’s villain was a perfect embodiment of the trilogy’s themes.
I’m also relieved thatMaXXXinedidn’t ruinPearl’s heartbreaking storyby using another serial killer as a historical in-joke. Instead,MaXXXine’s villain was a perfect embodiment of the trilogy’s themes. A mirror image of Goth’s ambitious, vicious heroine,MaXXXine’s real villain is a more effective encapsulation of West’s overarching message than any fictionalized take on the Night Stalker. Thus,MaXXXinedidXandPearljustice by subverting my expectations and ignoring the promises of its own trailers.
