X Trilogy Franchise Timeline
1918. 1979. 1985. Three performances chasing the same impossible promise.
Ti West's X trilogy links Pearl and Maxine across different eras of American entertainment, using each film to examine ambition, image, aging, and the price of being seen.
Release order begins with the slasher and then reveals its history. Chronological order starts with Pearl before following Maxine from the Texas farm to 1980s Hollywood.
The quick answer
Chronological order
Release order
First time watching? Release order is the safest default. Chronology is shown only when it materially changes the route.
The complete timeline
X
A film crew rents a rural guesthouse and discovers the danger surrounding its elderly hosts.
Read entry
Pearl
A farm-bound young woman pursues stardom while resentment and isolation consume her.
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MaXXXine
Maxine pursues a Hollywood breakthrough while a killer stalks the city around her.
Read entryTwo women reflected across three eras
Pearl is a prequel set in 1918 and follows the elderly antagonist from X as a young woman. X shifts to 1979 and introduces Maxine Minx. MaXXXine continues Maxine's story in 1985, making the trilogy chronological even though the first two films were released in the opposite order.
X Trilogy Frequently Asked Questions
What movies are included in the X trilogy?
The trilogy includes three films: X (2022), Pearl (2022), and MaXXXine (2024). All three were written and directed by Ti West and star Mia Goth.
Should I watch the X trilogy in release or chronological order?
Either works. Release order, X, Pearl, MaXXXine, is how the mystery was designed to unfold, since X raises questions that Pearl and MaXXXine later answer. Chronological order, Pearl, X, MaXXXine, follows the story’s actual timeline from 1918 to 1985. Director Ti West has said each film was built to work as a standalone entry, so neither order is required to follow the story.
How are Pearl and X connected?
Pearl is the elderly antagonist of X, and Pearl is a prequel telling her origin story roughly sixty years earlier. West filmed Pearl in secret immediately after X wrapped production, so audiences did not know it existed until after X was already released.
Is MaXXXine a direct sequel to X?
Yes. MaXXXine picks up several years after X, following Maxine Minx, the first film’s survivor, as she pursues a career in 1980s Hollywood. It completes the trilogy as Maxine’s story, distinct from Pearl’s.
Does the same performer play Pearl and Maxine?
Yes. Mia Goth plays both roles, Pearl in X and Pearl, and Maxine in X and MaXXXine, a dual performance that is central to how the trilogy visually and thematically connects its two eras.