Directed by Ti West, the horror thriller ‘X‘ follows the cast and crew members of a pornographic movie whose stay at an elderly couple’s farmhouse turns into a grisly affair after they attract the ire of their hosts. The movie portrays the sleazy side of the Texas adult film business, bookmarking the industry through striking locales, the most prominent of which is the strip club Bayou Burlesque. It is an eye-popping establishment that sets the grindhouse and exploitative tone of the movie right from the get-go, offering a unique aesthetic that also speaks to the heightened aspect of the drama!
Bayou Burlesque is a Fictional Strip Club With Severed Ties to Reality
One of the overriding elements of ‘X’ is how it blends the world of pornography and horror through its storytelling. To that end, the Bayou Burlesque strip club offers a glimpse into the lives of the movie’s central characters and where they hail from. In many ways, it emphasizes how they might be viewed as an outcast within an otherwise prudish society where sexuality is better off repressed. Although it is created by Ti West, the fictional strip club brings to light the thematic underpinnings of the film, introducing the characters in a manner that avoids exposition. As Maxine and Bobby-Lynne head for the van after exiting Bayou Burlesque, the viewers get a straightforward idea about their profession and the confidence with which they carry themselves.’
Interestingly, the state of Texas is graced with numerous bayous, with its capital city, Houston, also nicknamed Bayou City. Thus, the name Bayou Burlesque could be a reference to the local geographic conditions. Additionally, the front poster on the building wall depicts a semi-naked woman getting her bikini bottoms ripped off by an alligator, foreshadowing certain aspects of the narrative, particularly the fate of Bobby-Lynne when she comes across Pearl in the middle of the night. However, in the latter scene, the brutality exhibited by the alligator is much more fatal than the one depicted on the poster wall, which is simply a playful tease. Texas is also home to many alligators, which is reflected again in the artwork on the strip club’s front wall.
The Bayou Burlesque Club remains a fleeting footnote after the opening scene as most of the narrative shifts to Pearl and Howard’s farmhouse. Regardless, it highlights several critical aspects that director Ti West wanted to capture, specifically the relationship between the sex industry and horror movies. “Horror movies and porn movies were films that were made outside of the system, that didn’t have to go through the Hollywood machine, yet found a commercial value,” he explained. While the fictional strip club may not appear for long, it still leaves a lasting impact for its colorful appearance and a quick foray into the workplace environment inhabited by Maxine and Bobby-Lynne. Still, it is an establishment devoid of any connection to real strip clubs and does not exist in reality.
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