When the first trailer for new horror movie MaXXXine released, one topic dominated the conversation - the appearance of two locations from Alfred Hitchcock's masterful film Psycho, namely the house and the Bates Motel.
Since then fans have been theorizing what it could mean for the film, which closes writer/director Ti West's trilogy following on from X and Pearl. This time around we see Mia Goth's Maxine 'fucking' Minx pursuing her dreams of stardom in Hollywood, but her dangerous past isn't quite done with her yet...
Naturally the film's team are holding their cards close to their chests as to what exact role the Psycho locations will play in this story, but they can reveal what it was like to shoot on such legendary land. For Goth, it was one of the "coolest" days she's ever had on set not just on these films, but her entire career.
As she told GamesRadar+ and the Inside Total Film podcast, it felt very special filming there: "It was very surreal. I mean when Ti [West] was writing the script he incorporated that into the story but we weren’t entirely sure if we would actually be able to use those locations.
"So, when we finally got the green light and wound up there, it’s one of the coolest days I’ve had on set over the last ten years. It was very special. It had a particular vibe to it, a particular energy, there was just something in the air, and it had a way of informing those scenes that I hadn’t anticipated that was quite cool."
Filmmaker West agrees, adding that it also neatly ties in with a nod to the Hitchcock classic from the first film X: "I mentioned it in X, they had a conversation about Psycho. That movie loomed over X and the series in general, because it's one of the all-time great horror movies and specifically a slasher movie. I thought when she made it to Hollywood and to a backlot, where can she go, what could they see that would represent movies and horror movies in a certain way. I thought maybe we can just go there. So, I wrote it into the script, not knowing if we will be able to get permission, but thankfully the Hitchcock estate gave us the okay and we got to do it."
Continuing, West emphasizes that he was especially delighted to be given the thumbs up as it really was a once in a lifetime opportunity: "It was very surreal to get to film there. It was strange but also, it’s just a photograph. Like to look at it through the camera but not be making that movie is very weird. You know, it's like, when would that opportunity ever come up and the answer is like never other than this movie."
MaXXXine releases in theaters worldwide on July 5. For more from our interviews, here's what Goth had to tease about Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming Frankenstein movie.
And to stay up to date with what is coming soon to the big screen, check out our guide to the upcoming movies to watch out for.
