In less than a decade, A24 has gone from a fringe indie studio to a name that is widely celebrated by cinephiles around the world. The studio has put out a wide range of films from a variety of filmmakers, some already highly established, some homegrown, and they have also given some of your favorite stars the chance to direct their first films. They've put out awards-favorite films such as Barry Jenkins' Moonlight, Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, and Lenny Abrahamson's Room, but perhaps their most successful output is their horror films.
The studio has given acclaimed genre auteurs such as Robert Eggers and Ari Aster a chance to truly show moviegoers what they're capable of. 2022 looks to be a great year for horror for the studio as they have Academy Award nominee Alex Garland's next film Men starring this year's Best Supporting Actress nominee Jessie Buckley in the lead, as well as the star-studded Gen-Z slasher flick Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, and last but certainly not least, Ari Aster's latest horror-epic Disappointment Blvd starring Academy Award-winner Joaquin Phoenix and an all-star cast that also includes Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone, Parker Posey, Stephen McKinley-Henderson, Michael Gandolfini, Zoe Lister-Jones, and Richard Kind.
Before those films hit the big-screen, A24 has another spooky movie up their sleeve from Ti West, the underrated horror auteur behind The House of the Devil, in the form of X, a film that promises to blend camp, 70s slashers, pornography, killer old people, and Kid Cudi together in a nice bloody package (I mean, what more could you possibly want?). X looks to be quite different from any of the other big horror films A24 has done before with a much less serious approach than the likes of Hereditary and The VVitch. With a release date that is just around the corner, here is your handy guide on everything you need to know before going into X.
Here's The Official Red Band Trailer For X
A24 released the first official trailer for X on January 12, 2022, just in time for the fifth installment of the Scream franchise. The trailer, which is set to a cover of the Muddy Waters song "I Just Want to Make Love to You" is definitely NSFW, with glimpses of sexual intercourse, bloody violence, and lots of cursing, so maybe wait until you are at home to check out the trailer. There's a very campy B-movie tone to the trailer, which makes sense if one were to look back at some of West's other films. With a title card that reads "From The Studio That Brought You Hereditary," the marketing department is not afraid to let audiences know this is not your typical horror pic and of course, will make the diehard fans of the studio squeal in delight.
When Does X Come Out?
X will have its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas on March 13, 2022. The horror pic is then scheduled to hit theaters everywhere just a few days later on March 18, 2022, where it will be opening against Sony's Sandra Oh-led horror film Umma from producer Sam Raimi as well as the Focus Features backed period thriller The Outfit starring Academy Award winner and Mescudi's Don't Look Up co-star Mark Rylance as well as Zoey Deutch and Dylan O'Brien.
Who's In the Cast of X?
X has an impressive cast of both rising stars, familiar faces, and character actors. Jenna Ortega stars as Lorraine, the youngest and most innocent member of the film crew, who looks to be the 'final girl' of this slasher. Ortega has been in the business since the age of 10, appearing as a younger version of the titular character in the popular CW dramedy Jane The Virgin as well as small roles in films and shows from the likes of Iron Man 3, Insidious Chapter 2, and CSI: NY. The 19-year-old actress got her first big break in 2016, starring in the hit Disney Channel series Stuck In The Middle which ended its run in 2018. Ortega then went on to have a key role in the second season of the successful Netflix series You alongside Penn Badgley and Victoria Pedretti.
Ortega also starred in Netflix's horror-comedy sequel The Babysitter: Killer Queen opposite Judah Lewis, Samara Weaving, and Emily Alyn Lind. Additionally, Ortega starred alongside Jennifer Garner and Edgar Ramirez in the family comedy Yes Day on Netflix. 2022 is already a big year for Ortega, she had a leading role in the aforementioned Scream, sharing the screen with franchise veterans Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette as well as franchise newcomers Melissa Barrera and Jack Quaid. Ortega headlined Megan Park's directorial debut The Fallout, which was released by Warner Bros in January via HBO Max. She can currently be seen sharing the screen with Dave Grohl and The Foo Fighters in the horror-comedy Studio 666. Next up for the actress is perhaps her biggest project to date: Tim Burton's live-action Addams Family Netflix series, Wednesday, where she'll be donning the pigtails and playing the titular role.
Scott Mescudi, who's more known for his stage name Kid Cudi, is easily the most recognizable name in the cast as Jackson Hole (yes, that is his character's name, he is a 70s porn star after all). Over the course of his music career, Cudi has been nominated for 6 Grammy Awards, winning 2. Some of his most known tracks include "Mr. Rager," "Pursuit Of Happiness," and "Day 'N' Nite" (which recently has been prominently featured in the marketing for the new Marvel Studios Disney+ series Moon Knight starring Oscar Isaac).
In the last decade, Mescudi has appeared in several films and shows, playing himself in the long-awaited time-traveling comedy sequel Bill & Ted Face The Music, acting opposite Aaron Paul in Need For Speed, a supporting role in Luca Guadagnino's HBO limited series We Are Who We Are, and a three-episode run on the third season of Westworld. Most recently Mescudi had a supporting role in Adam McKay's polarizing Best Picture nominee Don't Look Up as music superstar DJ Chello and he even performed an original song for the film alongside his on-screen girlfriend Ariana Grande in the form of the insanely catchy "Just Look Up." Coming up for the superstar is the Shawn Levy-produced Disney+ movie Crater and the animated Netflix series Entergalactic from executive producer Kenya Barris.
Brittany Snow and Mia Goth are also on the call sheet as Bobby-Lynne and Maxine respectively. Snow is most known for her role as Chloe in Universal's Pitch Perfect franchise and has also shown up in films such as Hairspray and Someone Great. Goth has appeared in plenty of genre-fare including Guadagnino's 2018 remake of Suspiria, Gore Verbrisnki's artsy horror film A Cure For Wellness, and Claire Denis' sci-fi pic High Life where she shared the screen with Batman himself, Robert Pattinson. Coming up for Goth is Brandon Cronenberg's Infinity Pool which also stars Alexander Skarsgård.
Martin Henderson, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, and James Gaylen fill out the rest of the cast list.
When And Where Was X Filmed?
Filming for X took place from February 16 until March 16, 2021. Unlike the film's in-story movie, filming did not actually take place on a remote Texas ranch, but in New Zealand's North Island in the cities of Whanganui, Fordell, and the Rangitikei town of Bulls.
What Is X All About Anyway?
According to the official film synopsis from A24, X follows an adult film crew who come to a remote Texas farmhouse to film a porno. Sensing something is immediately off about the elderly owners of the property, the crew learns that their skepticism was right as their hosts' true intentions arise and well, it ain't pretty. Who lives, who dies; we'll just have to see the movie and find out for ourselves.
Here's the official 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.