X Movie Ending Explained (In Detail)

The X movie ending crescendos to a bloody spectacle that throws up several lingering questions. Director Ti West’s 2022 slasher X follows a film crew as they arrive at a secluded Texas farm to shoot a pornographic film in the late 1970s, which idealistic fictional adult movie director RJ (Owen Campbell) believes will be “a piece of cinema.” Seemingly blinded by their ambitions to capitalize on a burgeoning home video industry, the young group of X movie characters remains largely unaware of the covetous presence next door — the old woman in X, Pearl (played by Mia Goth).

Ti West’s X movie has horror fans hyped the world over for many reasons, not least of which is because of the franchise-spawning X movie ending. Between several big character deaths and hidden clues that point to a whole canon unexplored in the movie, X‘s final scenes are quite the rollercoaster ride. The X movie ending has also spawned a prequel exploring the killer’s origins, and the sequel MaXXXine. Hindsight gives the X movie ending even more significance.

What Happens At The End Of Ti West’s X?

Maxine Kills Pearl & Escapes

The X movie ending conspires to close the narrative loop of Ti West’s film, bringing audiences back to the bloody scenes shown in the X first act. The X ending sees just two surviving members of the porn crew, with Maxine hiding under Howard (The Lord of the Rings trilogy’s Stephen Ure) and Pearl’s bed, while Lorraine is locked in the farmhouse basement. Pearl and Howard, excited from the savage murders they have just committed, have sex, allowing Maxine to quietly crawl away and find Lorraine.

However, when Mia Goth’s Maxine frees Lorraine from her basement prison, Lorraine reacts rashly, unfairly blaming her promiscuity for the horrors that have unfolded across X‘s runtime. Panicked, disoriented, and hysterical, Lorraine attempts to run from the farmhouse on foot, only to be shot by Howard. The X movie endgame then ensues, with Lorraine’s death rattle scaring Howard and inducing his heart attack that he has long since dreaded.

Enraged by the death of her husband and confidante, Pearl (also Mia Goth) attempts to shoot Maxine with Howard’s shotgun, but the force of the weapon’s blast throws her backward, breaking her hip. As Pearl lays stricken on the floor, begging for help, Maxine decides to take revenge for her slain friends, reversing over the aging Pearl’s head in RJ’s van in a particularly sickening scene before driving at break-neck speed away from the farm.

The next morning, Sherriff Dentler (James Gaylyn) and his police force arrive at the house at the end of X to retrieve the crew’s bodies, which they still believe to be intruders following Howard’s earlier call to police. However, the police soon discover RJ’s film camera and speculate what the footage is, indicating the aging Pearl and Howard’s murderous deceit will soon be rumbled. The X 2022 movie then ends with a shocking reveal that Maxine is the daughter of a conservative Christian, whose local televangelist-style speeches have been playing on Pearl and Howard’s grainy television throughout the movie.

Why Pearl Is A Killer In X

Pearl Explains How She Became A Serial Killer

Ti West’s horror movie X ends with Pearl killing RJ and his pornography crew in the movie, with Mia Goth perfectly portraying Pearl’s jealousy at the group’s hedonistic pleasure when X reaches its murderous rage-fueled crescendo. Pearl’s envy of their overtly sexual lifestyle is also why Howard barks at the group to stay away from the farmhouse itself, knowing full well that his wife will react poorly to the porn film being shot on their property.

However, the X movie ending doesn’t explain the reason Pearl killed so many times before very well, particularly given Howard’s admission midway through the film that he has cleaned up the murderous Pearl’s messes in the past (as evidenced by the car in the lake and the chained corpse in the basement, then expanded on in prequel Pearl). It is unlikely that there are many roving groups of pornographers looking to use Howard and Pearl’s farm in the 1970s, leading audiences to rightfully query what Pearl’s specific homicidal trigger on this occasion actually was.

The prequel established Pearl was already a killer prior to the X 2022 movie, but the justification for her final spree in X itself is best explained by her covetous nature, which comes to the fore as she watches over a sleeping Maxine. Pearl’s confidence when strutting around the farmhouse and the talk of her “glory years… before the first war” indicates a singular desire for her to return to her former, beautiful self.

In this way, it is inferred by X that Pearl kills out of jealousy and spite against her own mortality, rather than being purely triggered by sexual acts as X‘s story initially indicates. This also tracks with Mia Goth’s casting as both Maxine and Pearl, with Maxine closely resembling a young Pearl as an overt nod to her lost youth taunting her throughout Ti West’s movie.

Who Is Maxine’s Father (& What It Means)

Maxine’s Father Caused Her Childhood Trauma

As aforementioned, the X movie ending shockingly unveils Maxine’s father as the local televangelist barking at his acolytes on Howard and Pearl’s old TV set. On-screen, the Christian preacher reveals that he is Maxine’s father and subsequently prays for her to return to the family and God. This biblical tie to Maxine’s less-than-pious life is subtly repeated throughout X, with the film’s final girl often repeating “I will not accept a life I do not deserve” — a sentiment lifted from Mark 10:15 in the Bible.

Bible verses are, of course, a long-standing horror trope used in classics like The Exorcist , but the X movie uses them particularly well to hammer home its narrative themes (instead of simply adding a bit of Gothic horror flavor, as some movies and shows do). Maxine discovering her heritage affirms her own, oft-used mantra to herself, with Maxine now using her father’s prosperity gospel as her new driving force.

Maxine’s X ending is somewhat ambiguous, leaving it open to interpretation whether Maxine chooses to seek her family or not, but her most likely destination seems to be Hollywood, with Maxine speaking of “making it” in Los Angeles before the bloodshed at Howard’s farmhouse begins. No doubt the sequel MaXXXine will cull this ambiguity, but for now, Maxine’s reaction to her father post the events of X is unknown.

The Real Meaning Of X’s Ending

The Final Girl Represents Youth Overcoming The Old

While on a surface level, the X movie ending is classic slasher fare as the final girl overcomes the murderers and escapes, Ti West’s horror movie is interwoven with more symbolism than Maxine backing over Pearl’s head with a van would suggest. The symmetry of Maxine killing Pearl (both played by A Cure For Wellness‘ Mia Goth) is representative of a natural life cycle, with the new outlasting the old.

Pearl covets that which she can no longer have, youth and beauty, and, despite her best efforts, can never attain it — with Maxine rebuffing her advances before defeating her in the final act. In this way, Pearl is representative of convention, while Maxine represents change, and while the two inevitably clash, change inexorably comes out on top both in the real world and in X‘s final reckoning.

The X Movie Ending Set Up A Franchise

Pearl & Maxxxine Followed It

Ti West’s X 2022 movie sets up an entire movie franchise, with the prequel film Pearl and the X sequel MaXXXine. While the X movie ending adds a dash of finality to Pearl’s story, it completely opens up the world to Maxine, who will be the front-runner in the upcoming sequel. The story and origins of the X killer are explored in the prequel film Pearl, which came out 6 months after X. What these two films do is answer two major questions set up by the X ending. The first is why did Pearl become a killer?

Pearl is set at the same farmhouse in 1918, when Pearl is a young girl with big dreams. She lives with her overbearing and critical mother and invalid father, and while Pearl waits for her husband Howard to return from WWI she’s forced to take care of the latter.

Pearl also discovers she has a penchant for abusing and killing farm animals.

During this time, Pearl also discovers she has a penchant for abusing and killing farm animals. The X movie killer Pearl had dreams of being a chorus girl one day, and she’s given a shot when she goes to an audition, which she, unfortunately, doesn’t get. One by one, her family members are killed off, and Howard comes home to quite a surprise.

Pearl‘s gory ending rivals that of X, and also shed a lot of light on why Pearl has such uncontrollable bloodlust by the time RJ and Maxine arrive in the 1970s. The second question from the X movie ending is what will happen to Maxine now that she’s free — especially in the advent of the revelation that she’s the preacher’s daughter. Horror movie director and fan Ti West is set to answer that question with the X sequel MaXXXine.

Based in 1980s Los Angeles, MaXXXine follows the exploits of Mia Goth’s titular character as she tries anything (and everything) to boost her way to stardom. The teaser trailer revealed that there will be plenty of 1980s pop culture fun and flair as X did with the ’70s and Pearl its early 1918 setting. Period horror director Ti West brought his A-game with X, so much so that this singular film set up an entire franchise full of great horror Easter eggs.

How Mia Goth Interprets The X Movie Meaning

Pearl & Maxine Are Similar But At Different Stages

Mia Goth has of course given her own thoughts on the meaning of the X ending, and her interpretation of both Maxine and Pearl as characters. Speaking alongside co-star Brittany Snow, Mia Goth revealed that one of the key thematic points of the movie is tied to both characters she plays, and the fact it’s her playing both of them.

We [Mia Goth and Ti West] spoke at length about the fact that they’re very much the same woman. They carry the same essence, they’re just at different life stages and the product of different circumstances and life choices ultimately – but their spirit is the same. When they come across each other for the first time, it’s quite for Maxine, but it sparks something in Pearl.

For Mia Goth, the X movie is about the similarity between Maxine and Pearl, and how the former is in many ways repeating the same cycle of the latter. With MaXXXine completing a trilogy, the ending of the X movie will doubtless gain greater significance as part of a wider story.

Speaking to Variety, Mia Goth was very open about the third movie having significant implications for her character following from when audiences last saw Maxine at the end of 2022’s X — “It’s the biggest story of the three with the highest stakes and Maxine has gone through so much at this point. So when we find her in this new world, she’s just a force to be reckoned with, and she goes through some pretty wild adventures. “

What Ti West Has Said About X

West Retroactively Added To X Based On Pearl

Ti West has used the X movie ending to set up an entire franchise, with the prequel Pearl, and the upcoming sequel MaXXXine. The thing about the X movie is, he always planned for it to be part of a bigger franchise. In an interview with Men’s Health, the horror director opened up about the pitching process for X, and how A24 gave him the go-ahead to make a whole trilogy rather than just a standalone film.

Initially, he had the idea for the sequel MaXXXine, but realized later on that it could only work with the prequel Pearl. He reportedly sold the idea to A24 by using a Back to the Future reference, “We have to go back into the Biff Tannen timeline, and fix it, before we can go forward to make the ’80s movie that you’re imagining,” West said.

He also talked about how X and Pearl are informed by one another, and later jokes, such as Pearl saying she doesn’t like blondes in the X movie, only make more sense once the prequel has been viewed. West had this to say about the little Easter egg:

I had written the script [for Pearl] before we even filmed X. I can’t remember if the blonde thing that she says was in X prior to getting to New Zealand, because it’s all a blur. That probably was in there. And then I probably retrofitted that into Pearl.

All in all, the X movie ending perfectly sets up both the prequel and the sequel. Audiences will have to see what final girl/villain Mia Goth will be up to next in the sequel MaXXXine.

X Franchise Oscars Snub Explained

X Got No Oscar Nominations At All

The 2023 Oscars sent a clear signal when the X franchise was completely snubbed by the Academy. Ti West’s Mia Goth horror franchise garnered widespread critical acclaim, but despite this, it has received nary an accolade. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by Pearl actress Mia Goth, who took to “Jake’s Takes” to talk about the Oscar snub. While being interviewed about her film, Infinity Pool, Goth challenged the Academy’s decision to ignore the horror genre as a whole, stating that “a change is necessary.” On the snub, Goth said:

“It’s not entirely based on the quality of a project per se. There’s a lot going on there and a lot of cooks in the kitchen when it comes to nominations. Maybe I shouldn’t say that, but I think that’s true. I think a lot of people know that.”

Director Martin Scorcese himself sang praises (via Variety) over Ti West’s Pearl, saying that the film was a “wild, mesmerizing, and deeply disturbing” ride. Despite this shoutout, the X franchise didn’t get any recognition from the 2023 Oscars, and it’s quite a shame considering how impactful the X movie ending was.

How The X Ending Leads Into Maxxxine

Maxine Moved On To Become A Real Actress

The X movie explained in its conclusion that Maxine was the daughter of the televangelist preacher seen on television throughout the movie, which seems to set the stage for the upcoming sequel Maxxxine. The third entry into the franchise will be a continuation of Maxine’s story after the events of X and will see her in Los Angeles in the 1980s as she continues to search for fame and success.

It is likely her father will play a role in the story, as the idea of a disapproving father searching out his runaway daughter in the LA pornography scene of the era is a familiar story. Kevin Bacon is also playing a private detective in the sequel who could have been hired by Maxine’s father to find her.

The fact that the police also find the film at the end of X could mean that Maxine is wanted by the police as they will likely recognize her as the only body missing from the farmhouse massacre. The pornography industry at the time was also known for taking advantage of young girls looking to become stars and plenty of sad stories surrounding that world at the time.

It is possible that Maxine will once again find herself in danger. However, with the similarities in her story and Pearl’s story, it is also possible the X sequel will explore the bloody methods Maxine is willing to use in order to make her dreams come true.

How X’s Ending Compares To Pearl & Maxxxine?

The Endings Share A Few Things In Common

The three movies in the franchise have similar stories of women pushed into corners and fighting their way out. In X, it was set up as a slasher, with Maxine set up as the Final Girl. The movie shows Maxine wanting to be a movie star, but she is stuck on only making adult films. Despite this, she works hard, and when Pearl and Howard start killing the film crew, they attempt to kill Maxine’s dreams. Maxine has to fight back to find success in life. She has to kill Pearl to find her way in the world.

This contrasts well with Pearl. While Pearl was the villain in X, she is more like Maxine than the younger girl would ever want to admit. Just like Maxine, Pearl wants to be a movie star. However, thanks to her place in society, the era in which she grew up, her husband’s deployment in the war, and more, she has no way out of town. She decides to make her own drama in the town, and she starts killing. These actions differ from Maxine’s, but the two women have the same goals and dreams.

This leads to Maxxxine, which took similar approaches to both Pearl and X. In the third movie, Maxine finds her own father trying to hold her down and keep her from achieving her dreams. In this case, her father starts killing the people around her, which once again threatens to end her dreams, just like Pearl tried to do in X. This also is similar to Pearl, as it is the past forcing a young woman to conform, making it a great attempt to combine the themes in both earlier movies into one package.

How The X Movie Ending Was Received

X was the first movie to introduce the world to Pearl, Maxine, and their world. It was also a shocking success, a throwback slasher horror movie with an elderly couple killing youngsters before the tables finally turned. Critics loved the film, awarding it with a Certifed Fresh 94% rating, while audiences mostly loved it as well, rating it at a 76% fresh score. One audience reviewer wrote about the ending:

“While the film’s pacing may feel slow at times, it effectively builds tension and suspense, leading to a satisfyingly bloody and chaotic climax. The ending is both surprising and thought-provoking, leaving a lasting impression on the viewer.”

As for the professional critics, Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote about the ending, “The story takes a number of surprising twists and turns, all while exploring themes of sexuality, judgment and, of course, religion. Even with all of the stylized tricks and splatter moments and gruesome violence, we believe these are real people in a real situation that goes really, terribly, horribly, entertainingly horrific.”

When it comes to fans’ specific thoughts on the X ending, there was a Reddit thread that called it the “best horror movie ending I’ve seen in a long time.” The OP said it was like watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ending but reversing the final resolution with the Final Girl coming out stronger after dispatching the slasher killer. While some commenters claimed to hate it, others called this ending, mixed with Pearl’s prequel, to both be “meticulously crafted” horror movies.