Caution: Spoilers Ahead For Ti West's X.
It is no secret that Ti West's X is inspired by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but unlike Tobe Hooper's 1974 classic, X doesn't have a real villain. Texas Chainsaw Massacre's line between good and bad was boldly drawn, its core group of youths portrayed as innocents subjected to the evil of Leatherface and his deranged family. The old generation was frustrated with the changing times; industry had driven their slaughterhouse into the ground and forced them to survive in gruesome ways.
Generational conflict arises in X but plays out much differently. In X, a group of young filmmakers swindles their way onto a Texas farm to shoot an adult film, but when the land's owners Pearl (Mia Goth) and Howard (Stephen Ure) catch on to the group's dirty secret, they take it upon themselves to bestow brutal punishment. It is a familiar horror setup that Ti West injects his signature slow-burn style into. The characters have room to develop, and sympathy is gained on both sides of the generational gap.
The reason why X doesn't have a real villain, in the strictest sense, is that Pearl and Howard are both portrayed as being just as human as the young filmmakers. Sympathy is immediately established with the likable rag-tag group of filmmakers who want to break through and become stars, and their eventual demises hit hard because of the time spent getting to know them. Pearl and Howard are purposefully left in obscurity for the majority of their screen time, but their backstory is tragic. Howard loves Pearl, and he wants to do anything to make her happy. He can't satisfy her because of his weak heart, and he finds a solution by taking victims prisoner for her and letting her choose who she wants.
Pearl and Howard's actions are vile, but the group of young stars in X are not fully portrayed as heroes. They lied about their intentions, and take advantage of an elderly couple while filming a taboo adult film without their knowledge. Internal conflict arises when Lorraine (Jenna Ortega) is initially hesitant about working on the film and is called a prude for it. Rising star Maxine (Mia Goth) is introduced doing cocaine and by the end of the film she doubles down on her chaotic nature, sailing off into the Texas heat fresh after murdering Pearl with a truck.
There is a weight given to Howard and Pearl's actions, and their history and motivations are clear. The couple are above other one-dimensional depictions of elderly people in recent horror films like The Visit or Hereditary, in which the only thing scary about them is that they are aged and often times unclothed. Howard wants to make his wife happy, and Pearl wants to be seen and loved, relatable emotions given to the "villains" of a throwback slasher. The prequel to X, Pearl, is proof that these characters are fully realized and are more than just the creepy old couple who live on a rural farm.