The top 5 goriest moments from MaXXXine
By Mads Lennon
![Kevin Bacon in MaXXXine, Credit: Justin Lubin/A24 Kevin Bacon in MaXXXine, Credit: Justin Lubin/A24](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6000,h_3375,x_0,y_444/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImageExchange/mmsport/304/01j2c3kdky52m8rj7w22.jpg)
With the rousing and somewhat polarizing third act of Ti West's epic, original horror trilogy now playing in theaters, we're looking back fondly at some of MaXXXine's bloodiest and goriest moments (in no particular order).
Obviously, if you haven't seen the movie yet, you'll want to turn back as there will be significant spoilers ahead.
1. Maxine punches Labat's lights out
John Labat is a constant annoyance in Maxine's life and a potential deterrent to her ascent to stardom as his presence interferes with Maxine's dream role in The Puritan II.
She finally takes matters into her own hands and punches his lights out while he's sitting in his car, using her car keys as makeshift spikes to ensure every punch does serious damage. It won't be the last time Labat gets bloodied to a pulp in his own vehicle!
2. Poor, poor Leon
Out of all of the graphic scenes featured in MaXXXine, Leon gets the most iconic and stereotypical "slasher" moment, but it's still hard to watch Maxine's father viciously stab and slash the poor guy. Leon is one of Maxine's few close friends and one of the only people she genuinely feels safe and comfortable around.
They're like platonic soulmates and I loved their few scenes together, so it was particularly sad when he became one of Ernest Miller's victims, especially since Leon's death is quite drawn out and brutal.
3. The ball crusher
There's a scene relatively early on in the movie where a knife-wielding Buster Keaton impersonator stalks Maxine into a dark alleyway. Little does he know that Maxine has dealt with far more nefarious foes than him. She pulls her gun on him, forces him to strip, and then stomps on his scrotum with her heel, and yes, the moment is chronicled in a gruesome close-up shot, not for the faint of heart.
4. The car crusher
A lot of stuff gets crushed in this movie, now that I think about it, but surprisingly the car-crushing scene isn't as gory as one might expect. After stalking Maxine and generally being annoying (sorry Kevin Bacon, I like you but Labat sucked), she and her agent, Teddy, successfully get revenge on private investigator John Labat by handcuffing him to the steering wheel of his car and then dooming him to a slow, painful death via an industrial car crusher.
While we don't see anything overly graphic, we're privy to Labat's final pleas for mercy and then a gush of blood and guts pooling on the ground beneath the car. Teddy and his security guard release the hounds (a pair of guard dogs) to clean up the gore.
5. An explosive finale
Maxine finally gets her revenge on her father in the end. After a shootout and a chase sequence, she corners Ernest with a shotgun and blows his head into smithereens right behind the Hollywood sign. It's an epic moment that has Maxine telling her father that, after everything, he gave her exactly what she needed to become a star. Divine intervention.
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