A group of actors set out to make an adult film in rural Texas under the noses of their reclusive hosts — an elderly couple with a farm and boarding house for rent. But when the couple catches their young guests in the act, the cast finds themselves in a desperate fight for their lives in this tantalizing slasher from writer-director Ti West.

For in-depth thoughts on X, please see my colleague Cassie Brown’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

X comes to Blu-Ray in a detailed 1080p presentation in its 1.90:1 original aspect ratio that truly wows in high definition. The clarity throughout is outstanding with subtle flourishes in the period production design coming through perfectly. Color saturation is great with the warm color palette mimicking the humid environment that they are all immersed in on this farm. Skin tones are natural to the lighting conditions, although a lot of exposed skin is covered in all manner of cuts or much worse as the story goes along. The gnarly makeup effects leave an impression in high definition. There is an intentional hazy quality to much of the film which evokes the style of the time. True black levels are pretty deep and do not fall victim to any noticeable digital noise or errors of the sort. This is especially helpful considering the finale of the film takes place largely in darkness. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has delivered a stellar high definition presentation here.

Audio Quality

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is extremely engaging, and it never fails to deliver something truly pleasing. The soundscape on display here is very rich with the natural environment conjuring noises emanating from numerous directions. This film is not meant to be a full-throttle action film, but there are moments where certain acts of violence pack a bigger punch that one might expect. Whenever the killer utilizes a weapon on some poor unfortunate soul, the track really digs deep. Dialogue comes through crystal clear with none of the information feeling lost to the music in the film or the sound effects. Speaking of music, there are some needle drops used that maintain a perfect fidelity. The movie uses environmental sounds to great effect, and the track retains strong detail even in the more chaotic developments. There are numerous moments that make good use of the low end. The track is an unexpected powerhouse from start to finish.

Special Features

The X Factor: A nearly 12-minute behind-the-scenes piece in which the cast and creative team discuss mixing the high-brow with low-brow, the intentions behind the film, upping the gore quotient, performers “playing against type”, the makeup in the film, and much more that offers a good, brief overview of the film.

The Farmer’s Daughters: A five-minute look at the in-movie porno being shot which features all the intentionally cheesy plot development portions.

Pearl Makeup Timelapse: A minute-and-a-half timelapse of the makeup application on Mia Goth with a voiceover of her talking about the experience.

Final Thoughts

X is a bloody fun throwback to the devious slasher flicks of yore, but filtered through an elevated lens that mostly matches its artistic ambition. Ti West takes a simple premise and keeps you on the edge of your seat with delicious carnage and unsettling plot lines that are sure to alienate certain mainstream audiences. The movie might not be quite as revolutionary as it thinks it is, but we so rarely get fun like this these days that we can overlook a bit of self-indulgence. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a top-notch A/V presentation and a few decent supplemental features. If you are a horror fan, this is an easy recommendation to add to your collection. Recommended

X is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.