MaXXXine's "For Kevin" Dedication Explained

Summary MaXXXine, the final chapter in Ti West's X series, features a touching dedication to producer Kevin Turen, who died unexpectedly during post-production.

The film stars Mia Goth and an ensemble cast, and acts as a direct sequel to X.

Turen was a key contributor to the X trilogy and had a long collaboration history with Sam Levinson, working on popular projects like Euphoria and The Idol.

The final chapter in Ti West's X series, MaXXXine, contains a touching dedication that references a key member of the franchise who never appeared on screen. The acclaimed slasher-horror trilogy stars Mia Goth in multiple roles, but MaXXXine features an ensemble cast absolutely loaded with veteran Hollywood stars including Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Monaghan, Giancarlo Esposito, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kevin Bacon. However, the "For Kevin" dedication in MaXXXine does not refer to the aforementioned A-lister.

MaXXXine acts as a direct sequel to X, and stars Mia Goth once again as Maxine Minx. Set in Los Angeles in the 1980s during the Night Stalker's reign of terror, MaXXXine follows Maxine as she gets her first acting job in a real Hollywood horror film. The entire time, she's being stalked by a killer and the private investigator he hired to find her (Bacon). MaXXXine's ending reveals that the killer was in fact her father all along, a religious fanatic with a twisted vision of how to correct the country's fall during the "Satanic Panic" of the time.

Related MaXXXine Review: Mia Goth Cements Her Stardom In Nearly Perfect Conclusion To A24's Slasher Trilogy There are complicated layers that Goth needs to bring to the surface, and she delivers a layered character who is equal parts victim and survivor.

MaXXXine Is Dedicated To Producer Kevin Turen

Turen was heavily involved in the entire X trilogy

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The "For Kevin" dedication in MaXXXine is for one of the movie's producers, Kevin Turen. The film and TV producer was one of the key consistent contributors to the X trilogy, alongside director Ti West and Mia Goth herself. Born in New York City in 1979, Turen studied at Columbia University before he pursued a career in Hollywood. Turen's first job as a producer came in 2005's Wassup Rockers, and he produced a number of other projects before his most notable early success, 2012's Golden Globe-nominated financial thriller Arbitrage.

Turen was also a long-time collaborator with famous TV and movie producer Sam Levinson, and worked directly on some of his most famous projects. Turen first worked with him as a producer on Levinson's 2018 film Assassination Nation, and established Little Lamb Productions with Levinson and his wife, Ashley. As a result, Turen was a producer on Euphoria and The Idol, two of HBO's more popular series in the last decade. He also collaborated with them to produce the movie Malcolm & Marie starring Euphoria's Zendaya.

Turen worked on Malcolm & Marie, which was the first Hollywood feature to be entirely written, produced, and filmed during the COVID lockdowns of 2020.

Kevin Turen Died During MaXXXine's Post-Production

His tragic death was unexpected

Turen's death was not the result of anything long-term, and happened suddenly and unexpectedly. Per the LA Times, the Los Angeles County medical examiner attributed Turen's death to a cardiac event that occurred as the result of several underlying heart conditions. Turen actually suffered the cardiac event while driving, and his 10-year-old son Jack, who was in the car with him, pulled them to the side of the road. Turen was taken to a hospital, where he died at the age of 45.

The incident occurred on November 12th, 2023, just as MaXXXine was in the post-production phase. That gave the film's creators plenty of time to incorporate a touching tribute to the veteran producer, who had worked closely on all three films in Ti West's X trilogy. The future of the X trilogy is not yet settled, but Kevin Turen's influence will undoubtedly be felt by those who worked with him if the slasher-horror franchise does in fact continue.

Source: LA Times