One of the most highly anticipated horror films this year is Ti West’s MaXXXine. The film serves as a sequel to both X and Pearl in the unexpected A24 horror franchise that took the genre world by storm in 2022. Its twisted Hollywood influences and Mia Goth’s transcendent performances have only further solidified the trilogy’s place in pop culture. The next sequel slashes into theaters this summer with its latest image letting everyone know that Maxine has finally become a star.

The image, first shared by USA Today, sees Maxine living her best life dancing in what appears to be a moody nightclub fit for the 80s setting of the film. It’s unclear if this is her real life or a scene in a movie the character is shooting. Regardless, West’s signature vintage style and atmosphere is alive and well here. While the last two films took place on a remote Texas farm far away from the masses, MaXXXine is diving head first into the high life of Hollywood and the VHS boom that came out of the 80s. Horror fans are going to a place Pearl only ever dreamed of going. With X being focused on the early grindhouse era of the 70s and Pearl being a demented take on the golden age cinema and The Wizard of Oz, it’s going to be exciting to see how MaXXXine separates itself from its two acclaimed predecessors.

What Is ‘MaXXXine’ About?

Taking place a few years after the horrific events of X, MaXXXine revisits our titular final girl at the height of her adult film star career. Maxine’s about to get her big break starring in a horror picture like Jamie Lee Curtis before her. However, that gets complicated when she ends up at the center of another killing spree. This time a mysterious real-life killer, “The Night Stalker,” is turning Hollywood blood-red. After her run-in with Pearl, which she’s still haunted by, Maxine’s dream might just become another tragic nightmare. Along with Goth, the third entry in the X trilogy stars Halsey, Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Debicki, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Monaghan, Lily Collins, and Giancarlo Esposito.

MaXXXine will be spreading the “American Dream” in theaters on July 5, 2024. While it was originally conceived as the end of the X trilogy, West has teased that there still may be more stories to tell in this blood-soaked universe. While horror fans anxiously wait for the return of this celebrated franchise, you can view the latest image from MaXXXine above.

via Collider