This scene in the horror film X is terrifying. It’s an exceptionally well crafted scene and I think this shot in particular encapsulates why it’s so good.

Let’s give you some context. This is Maxine played by Mia Goth and she’s gone for a swim in this murky lake. But uh oh, an alligator is on her tail, no pun intended. We watch as Maxine, oblivious to the alligator’s presence, nonchalantly make her way to the dock. Things are nail bitingly slow and we watch as the gator slowly beings to catch up with her. After she arrives at the dock, she pauses and takes a breathe, the gator gets even closer and just before it’s too late she finally lifts herself to safety. This scene is packed with suspense and I love this shot in particular.

We see this shot three times, once when the alligator is introduced into the scene. Once with them both in the middle, and once when Maxine has reached the dock. Because this shot is taken from exactly the same position, it functions perfectly as to establish the distance between not only Maxine and the alligator, but also the dock. I think the inclusion of the dock is fundamental to why this shot works so well.

The dock represents not only Maxine’s destination, but also her safety. We know that if she gets up onto the dock, she’s safe. Therefore, all in one shot, we can see our protagonist, Maxine, the danger they face, the gator, and their salvation, the dock.

We were we to cut out the dock by zooming in the shot a bit, so we could only see Maxine and the gator, I don’t think the scene would be anywhere near as effective. Watching the scene now completely changes how we feel about it. Without the presence of the dock, we can’t see her route to safety. She looks trapped in a big expanse of water and escape is futile. Even through we’d seen the dock earlier in the scene, without the visual reminder, it might as well be a mile away for all we know.

Secondly, this bird’s eye view gives us a clear understanding of the relative speeds between Maxine and the alligator. You find yourself trying to do the mental maths to figure out if she’s swimming fast enough to get to the dock before the gator gets to her. And, the best thing is, you’re not sure. The shot and the action is so perfectly pitched that you can’t tell if she’s going to make it our not. But at the same time, it’s not a done deal for the gator either. One of the reasons this scene is so suspenseful is because it is so finely balanced. It really could go either way. And when this shot cuts away to a close up of Maxine. You are begging that it cuts back to the overhead shot so you can see the gator again.

This shot impressed me so much when I first saw it. And for such a simple scene, the amount of suspense that director Ti West builds is phenomenal. And that is why I think this lake scene from the movie X is a magnificent movie moment, thanks for watching. Check out other magnificent movie moments here.