Will there be a fourth X film after MaXXXine?

2024 has been a vintage year for horror, with serial-killer flicks like Longlegs, Strange Darling, In a Violent Nature and MaXXXine all making waves at the box office. The latter, which is available to stream this Halloween, is the third film in director Ti West's buzzy X horror trilogy.

Scream queen Mia Goth reprises her role as adult star Maxine Minx in this blood-splattered movie. Its release follows 2022's 70s-set slasher X, and 2023's Pearl, the unsettling prequel that told the origin story of X's villain.

But is it the end of the road for the franchise, or will there be a fourth film to come? Here's everything we know so far.

Will there be a fourth X film after MaXXXine?

In an exclusive interview with Yahoo UK, West left the door open to making a fourth film, but said he was "very proud" of the franchise so far and was "cautious to mess it up". He described the ending of MaXXXine as a fitting conclusion to "all three movies thematically".

He added: "So if we were to do anything more with these movies I would just want to find a different way into it, because I think that we went about as far as we could with with these three stories, but never say never."

In a separate chat with the Hollywood Reporter, West admitted that he needed a break and was "pretty tired" after making three films consecutively. He said: "Let me get this movie out into the world and get a little bit of distance from it, and then we'll go from there."

Meanwhile, Goth told Digital Spy that "it would be hard to say no to Ti" if he wanted to make another film. She added: "I've been working with Ti for the past five years and yes he's my collaborator, but he's also my friend. Never say never."

How can I watch MaXXXine?

Looking for a new horror film to watch this Halloween? MaXXXine is available to buy and rent now on Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Sky Store, and will slash its way onto US streaming service Max on Friday, 18 October.

Alternatively, you can pick up a copy on DVD or Blu-Ray from Monday, 21 October.

X and Pearl are also available to watch from home if you need to catch up on West's gory franchise so far.

Is there a trailer for MaXXXine?

The neon-drenched official trailer for MaXXXine was released in April. Soundtracked by Animotion's track Obsession, the clip transports us to the seedy world of 1980s Hollywood – complete with a serial killer on the loose.

Intriguingly, it also includes a glimpse of the iconic Bates Motel from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho on the Universal studio lot.

Watch: Official trailer for MaXXXine

A second trailer landed online in June, giving us a further look at West and Goth's twisted take on Tinseltown. Hit the play button below...

Watch: MaXXXine Official Trailer 2

Is MaXXXine worth watching?

MaXXXine has received largely positive reviews from critics. The Guardian called it a "horribly watchable" flick that mixes "pulp, gore, filth and fear", while The Independent described the slasher as "nasty, funny, and cogent about the era it's set in".

IndieWire said the trilogy-topper was "gruesome and vital", and hailed Goth's "most well-rounded performance yet". However, the Telegraph claimed the film lacks substance, despite its "impeccable" style, and instead offers up "a jumble sale's worth of homages".

Read the full verdicts below:

• The Guardian: A horribly watchable Hollywood tale of sex, death, fear and gore (3-minute read)

• The Independent: Mia Goth stuns in this cocaine-fuelled Hollywood slasher (3-minute read)

• IndieWire: Ti West and Mia Goth Crush It in the Defining Film of Brat Girl Summer (5-minute read)

• The Telegraph: Oodles of style but little substance in this homage to 80s horror (3-minute read)

What happens in MaXXXine?

MaXXXine takes place in Hollywood in 1985, six years after the events of X, in which porn star Maxine Minx was the only survivor of a massacre on the set of an adult film.

She is now on the road to mainstream stardom, having landing a role in a schlocky horror movie called The Puritan II.

Meanwhile, a mysterious serial killer known as the Night Stalker is targeting young actresses in Tinseltown. Minx knows three of the victims and, according to the official synopsis, "a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past".

The serial killer is based on the real-life 'Night Stalker' Richard Ramirez, who murdered at least 13 people in California between 1984 and 1985.

Goth teased that MaXXXine is "the best film of the trilogy". She told Variety: "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."

Who stars in MaXXXine?

As mentioned above, Goth reprises her role as Maxine Minx, an adult film star with dreams of breaking into Hollywood. The British actor previously starred in both X and its prequel, Pearl, which was set in 1918 and explored the origin story of the elderly killer behind X's massacre.

Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito plays Minx's agent, while The Crown's Elizabeth Debicki portrays the director of The Puritan II. Emily in Paris' Lily Collins is one of Minx's co-stars on the film-within-a-film.

Kevin Bacon plays a private detective hired to find Maxine, while Michelle Monaghan and Bobby Canavale are LAPD officers hunting the Night Stalker.

The cast also includes two musicians in Halsey and Moses Sumney, both of whom have prior acting experience. Sumney recently appeared in HBO series The Idol while Halsey will soon be seen in crime thriller Americana alongside Sydney Sweeney.

MaXXXine is available to buy and rent now