‘MaXXXine’ gives Mia Goth’s wannabe star the sendoff that she deserves

(CNN) — In keeping with the current cinematic age, even a slasher/porn-centric franchise gets a “universe” these days, as “MaXXXine” caps off an unlikely trilogy from writer-director Ti West and star Mia Goth. Stepping up in class in terms of casting, the film works best as an ode to the movies and grime of 1980s Hollywood, and a bit less as a mystery built around its driven starlet-in-waiting.

That would be Goth’s Maxine Minx, an adult-film actor who survived a rural massacre during a remote shoot in “X,” the roots of which were explored in the prequel “Pearl.” Maxine is now in L.A. and trying to make a go of it in legit movies (“Acting is acting,” she says confidently during her audition), even if said movie is a horror film that’s provoking protests and charges of satanism outside the studio.

While chasing that big break, repeating her mantra, “I will not accept a life I do not deserve,” Maxine also learns that somebody appears to be after her, having set a private detective (Kevin Bacon, boiling over the top) on her tail, dredging up memories of her past. That at least provides connective tissue to “X,” and motivations that might go beyond the title character being really, really unlucky in that way “final girls” often are.

The danger also comes at a time of high alert in the city, since it’s 1985, and the Night Stalker killer remains at large. Not that Maxine’s porn pals seem particularly on edge as they scrape and claw, trying to meet people with the clout to advance their careers.

In addition to Bacon, the supporting cast includes Halsey, Giancarlo Esposito, “The Crown’s” Elizabeth Debicki, and Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan as a pair of detectives eager to glean what Maxine knows about the crime spree surrounding her – which merely triggers her skepticism and can-do attitude, applying the same ruthless pursuit of stardom to her self-defense.

Goth again turns her alter ego into a force of nature, but the film’s simplest pleasures come in its evocation of the time, with songs like “Bette Davis Eyes” and the hit from “St. Elmo’s Fire,” as well as Angelyne billboards and nods to movies like “Dressed to Kill.”

Although the theatrical box office has enjoyed welcome signs of life this summer, horror has stayed a reliable staple since the pandemic began, thanks in part to the discount-bin quality of films like “X” and “Pearl,” relative to aspiring blockbusters, as long as they deliver the requisite thrills.

West mixes some wit in with the gore here, even if the payoff, alas, doesn’t rise to the level of the buildup. By then, though, “MaXXXine” has delivered enough nostalgia regarding its genre to merit a walk down its alleys, and not incidentally, the showcase and sendoff that Goth’s character deserves.

“MaXXXine” premieres July 5 in US theaters. It’s rated R.

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