MaXXXine takes place in 1985. Following the events in X, Maxine Minx (as she now calls herself) has made a career in adult films. However, she recognizes the clock is ticking on her career as a porn star. She’s determined to break into “legitimate” film work, so she auditions for a co-starring role in Puritan II, the sequel to a successful period slasher film. Maxine nails the audition and gets the role. Left unsaid is the distinct possibility that Maxine’s porn career may have had a part in her getting the role in Puritan II. Any publicity is good publicity in Hollywood.

 Maxine gets the part and has to give up her second gig working at a Hollywood Boulevard peep show, where strange men ogle her from behind a window. Her “retirement” turns out better than the fates of two of her friends and co-workers, whose bodies are found in a cemetery with pentagrams carved on their faces. The cops investigating the case (Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan) theorize the killings are the work of the Night Stalker (a real-life serial killer in Los Angeles at the time). Meanwhile, on the movie set, Maxine attracts the attention of Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki), the director of Puritan II. Bender takes Maxine under her wing, giving her pointers about Hollywood and acting. Maxine also attracts the considerably less savory attention of Labat (Kevin Bacon), a sleazy private eye whose employer is eager to meet her.

 Those expecting graphic violence will be disappointed by MaXXXine. Several characters meet violent deaths, most notably one who gets stabbed in the eye and wanders around for several seconds before expiring. But the violence is scattered, and much of it, like the killings of the two sex workers, isn’t shown. Instead, MaXXXine works best as a mood piece and is an homage to yesteryear. Director Ti West perfectly captures the garish night lighting and energy of Hollywood Boulevard in the movie’s best sequence. This sequence reminded me of one of my guilty pleasure B-movies from that era, Angel, in which a teenage prostitute is stalked by a serial killer. Director West also takes care to stage scenes in recognizable settings, such as a chase on Universal’s back lot and a meeting between Maxine and Labat at the Bates Motel set from Psycho. The final showdown takes place at the foot of the iconic Hollywood sign.

 Two intriguing storylines eventually emerge in MaXXXine, which I wish had been more fully developed. The first is the “mother hen” relationship between Bender and Maxine, in which the cynical director lets the actress know how things work in Hollywood. Mia Goth isn’t short (at 5’ 9”) but Elizabeth Debicki (at 6’ 2”) seems to tower over her, and the director stages several shots to recognize the height and power differential between the two. MaXXXine also has an intriguing mystery (which I didn’t figure out) as to the identity and motive of the sex worker killer. The grand finale recalls moments from films like Charlton Heston’s The Omega Man. Unfortunately, the director doesn’t take full advantage of the set-up. Instead, the scene turns into the standard shootout we’ve seen many times.

MaXXXine is a treat for cinema buffs, with many Easter eggs scattered throughout. One character resembles Buster Keaton, and, after Maxine cuts Labat’s nose in a fight, the detective becomes a doppelgänger for Jack Nicholson’s character in Chinatown. And for those who have an excellent memory for the first two films in this trilogy, Maxine’s stroll down Hollywood Boulevard includes stamping out a cigarette on silent film actress Theda Bara’s star (the alligator that figures into the plot of X and Pearl is named Theda). MaXXXine rewards film buffs who enjoy that sort of minutiae.

 I would place MaXXXine in the middle of Ti West’s trilogy (the ending leaves open the possibility of a fourth film). The director uses his larger budget to afford actors like Elizabeth Debicki, Kevin Bacon, and Giancarlo Esposito (who plays Maxine’s agent). Bacon and Esposito have lots of fun delivering hammy performances. The movie has one scene that was genuinely unsettling for me when Maxine has to sit while her face is encased by goop to form a facial fold for the special effects. That sequence creeped me out. Overall, however, MaXXXine is more hit-and-miss, with the hits more prevalent than the misses for genre fans. The movie isn’t mainstream entertainment, but it’s a worthy follow-up to X.