Hello and welcome to another weekend of the Banana Meter! For those not aware of how this works, let me explain it to you. First, our critics check out a film. Then, they rate it on our scale of 0-100%, we gather the percentage from all of your critics and that’s how we get our rating on the Banana Meter.
What is the Banana Meter scale, you ask?
When a film hits above 85% or higher from our critics, it means it hit Bonafide Bananas status.
When a film hits between 55-84% or higher from our critics, it means it hit Ripe status.
When the film hits under 55%, it means it hit Sour Status.
Our next film to hit the Banana Meter is X
Here is what our Ripe Banana Critics are saying about the film:
Matt Neglia
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
X is a fun throwback to video nasties & 70’s B-level horror films. Ti West brings a high level of confidence & creativity to the film’s themes on generational morals & aging all the while relishing in the film’s engaging tone, rocking soundtrack & brutally gruesome kills. It took a while to get going but it steadily escalates in tension as it progresses culminating in a brutally chaotic third act.
Cara McWilliam-Rich
Banana Meter Rating: 75%
Working as an homage to both horror and seventies filmmaking, X is a great throwback to the slasher movies of old.
Nick Lapolla
Banana Meter Rating: 90%
Ti West is back with a new and creative horror film, that holds nothing back in the gore and violence department but is one of the freshest horror films in years.
Larry Chillson Jr.
Banana Meter Rating: 70%
‘X’ is admirable in the deeper exploration of sexual freedom and aging mortality, though it falls flat in character and script work. With stellar performances and top-tier direction, and editing, this throwback horror is a film I appreciated greatly but found myself wishing I actually enjoyed experiencing a bit more.
Josh Lempert
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
Ti West’s X Is a gnarly homage to old-school horror and a challenging take on morality and sex. Gruesome kills and frankly disgusting imagery contrasted with the undeniable hotness of this film make it a near-perfect tornado of taboo that constantly challenges your senses and impulses. Killer soundtrack and some great visual references to classic horror. Not going to be everyone’s bag, but for fans of the genre, this should be quite fun! Haven’t stopped thinking about this one since I left the theater and it this point, I’m already itching for a rewatch.
Hector Gonzalez
Banana Meter Rating: 90%
Director Ti West teams up with A24 and a talented crew to deliver X, a film that is “dying to show you a good time”, and successfully does as stated with gore, splatter, humor, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre-esque rapture of the grindhouse/exploitation nature.
Frederick Nuti
Banana Meter Rating: 90%
This movie is super horny and honestly the best way to describe the movie. A bloody gore fest of a slasher that will get horror fans exactly what they want.
Edward Douglas
Banana Meter Rating: 85%
Twisting horror archetypes into something unique but still quite gory and terrifying, Ti West continues to solidify his place as an auteur in the genre realm.
Anthony Papetti
Banana Meter Rating: 97%
Ti West delivers another brilliant wild ride. A bloody and sexy exploration of depravity and what happens to us when we repress our desires. The slasher genre is alive and well!
Andrew Korpan
Banana Meter Rating: 83%
Don’t you usually skip this part of the movie? Jokes aside, I liked X the more I was removed from the screening. An absolute bonkers gorefest.
Adriano Caporusso
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
An absolute blast that’s both a fun 70’s raunchy time and a fucked-up, creepy slasher.
Brian Eggert
Banana Meter Rating: 85%
After seeing countless slashers in recent years, many of which try to reproduce the glories of their betters with remakes, sequels, or today’s all-too-common requel, X feels like something fresh and alive. West draws from the classics, sure, but it’s evident he feels inspired by them rather than dependent on them.
Alejandro D Orengo Colon
Banana Meter Rating: 60%
A film that explores what happens when we repress our deepest desires, and how far we will go to unleash them. The ideas presented of ageism, of religious repression, of sexual liberation, of desire and destruction of harmful stereotypes, are present in the film. I just wonder if this was the best way to approach all these ideas.
Scott Davis
Banana Meter Rating: 85%
#XMovie – Ti West’s bloody, funny, insightful, gory and surprisingly touching, it’s 2022’s best horror thus far – and may not be beaten.
Ryan Cam
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
From a technical standpoint, this movie is well made. Mia Goth and Jenna Ortega are the standouts. The last 30 minutes almost killed the movie for me. A mixed bag for certain.
Kat Hughes
Banana Meter Rating: 85%
Exquisitely enjoyable thanks to some dynamic plot and stylistic decisions, with X Ti West, puts the sexy and serious back into a long-abused sub-genre.
Nick van Dinther
Banana Meter Rating: 75%
An admirable entry into the horror genre, boasting some great performances and some good ol’ southern-fried murder.
Kevin Levine
Banana Meter Rating: 90%
Ti West’s X is a love letter and throwback to old school video nasties while also drawing inspiration from some of the most iconic horror films of all-time. Despite a slow first half of the film, the back half is a brutal, yet beautiful, display of [hopefully] intentionally comedic death scenes! I could go on and on!
Jared Charles
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
X is about the influence of auteur filmmaking in the shadow of the French New Wave. So, yes, while it is lightly engaged with the inner workings of the porn industry, it is also a film about trying to make something outside of the traditional Classical Hollywood Cinema (CHC) construct. Coincidently, the area just outside of CHC system is where both horror and smut exist.
Brayan de Jesus Rivera
Banana Meter Rating: 80%
A fun and unique slasher film that manages to take inspiration from classics of the genre, while feeling completely new. Mia Goth stole the show.
Jack Walters
Banana Meter Rating: 70%
X owes a lot to films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Friday the 13th, but it never feels as though its copying or replicating those classics. Instead, it develops a thrilling story of its own with interesting characters, thrilling kills, and haunting tension that builds up from the very first frame. There may be a few stilts in the pacing and story development, but the film manages to mostly overcome these by focusing on its refreshing characters and offering surprising twists at every turn.
Peggy Marie
Banana Meter Rating: 55%
X is a trip. I’ve come up with a new term for it: Pornhorroremdy as it’s truly a dark comedy, mixed with the weirdest horror I’ve seen, yet all the while shooting a porn movie. The cast is a blast – the film isn’t as much so. But it’s definitely different.
Jordan Woodson
Banana Meter Rating: 89%
“X” is an Xcellent slasher flick that showcases a great throwback to films like “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and “Friday the 13th.” TI West has crafted the best horror film of the year so far.
John Maffeo
Banana Meter Rating: 75%
A squirmy slasher with an emphasis on the woes of mortality. Familiar horror setup that transforms into a gnarly slaughterhouse of unpredictability.
What is X’s Banana Meter Rating?
Ripe Banana 