After a long hiatus from making feature films, writer/director Ti West (The Sacrament, In a Valley of Violence) returns with a supremely entertaining horror flick titled X.

In X, a small crew of filmmakers and porn stars shack up in the country to make a new adult film.  The guerrilla approach to their new movie requires them to lay low and fool the homeowner they’re renting a cabin from as they shoot at night.  But after some tempers flare up behind-the-scenes as well as some unusual behaviour by the homeowner’s spiritless wife, the porno production goes awry with gnarly results.

While the film can be uncomfortable with its shifty characters and no-holds-barred gruesome effects, X is a very enjoyable movie (if that’s what you’re looking for).  West’s dialogue is very clever (notably the different banter between the actors and the film crew), which allows the tense situations to sound fresh despite feeling somewhat familiar.  As the story expands and various characters are killed off unexpectedly, X still maintains its sense of fun, sexiness, and ambition all the way through (especially when a forgotten relationship is discovered between the antagonists);  leading up to one of the biggest cheer-worthy final deliveries I’ve heard in a movie in quite some time.

X is now available to stream at the digital TIFF Bell Lightbox.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie