Pearl is creepy, weird, charming, hilarious, and terrifying, all wrapped into one. Mia Goth absolutely shines and completely steals the show.
For those who have seen Ti West’s X and were begging for Pearl’s background story, that is exactly what they will get with the follow-up prequel, Pearl. For those who have not yet seen X, we suggest waiting at this point, and checking out Pearl first, as it is the perfect lead in. This film stands completely alone, making it not necessary at all to see the first release before diving into it. Sure, there are a few jokes here and there that are thrown in for fans of X, but it doesn’t take away from the movie-going experience if you haven’t seen it yet.
Somehow Pearl makes X even better, which is already one of the best horror films of the year. In an effort to remain spoiler free, we won’t dive into that story except to say it is a campy and fun slasher flick. Pearl is similar, yet very different. The two clearly live in the same universe and it is interesting to get to see how Pearl became who she is in X.
Pearl tells the story of a young farm girl with big dreams of becoming a dancer — and strange habits. She is repressed and willing to do just about anything to get off that farm and out into the world. What follows is a detailed look at what can best be described as psychotic tendencies. As someone who watched (and adored) X, this is a very interesting look inside the early life of Pearl.
When the credits roll after Pearl, most horror buffs will be eager to hit play on X, as the two pair perfectly together.
The reason this franchise works so well is in part due to the incredible writing and direction from Ti West. This film is part comedy and part horror. It is campy, creepy, and straight up weird (in a really good way). Sure some of the dialogue is cheesy, but that is the point. When a movie like this can have the audience audibly cracking up at one moment, and then hiding behind their fingers the next, you know it pulls off what it set out to do.
Pearl is shot like a much older film, which is another reason it plays out so well. It looks cheery and fun, but it is anything but. Instead, it is dark and sinister, heightened largely by the score. While all of the actors do a wonderful job, it is Mia Goth that is the stand out here.
Of course this movie is about her, so it makes sense that she is at the forefront of it all. But just the way her demeaner can change from one scene to the next proves just how well she understands this character. She brings her to life wonderfully and audiences will hate that they kind of love her — but hopefully none of them will relate to her, at least not too much. Pearl is both terrifying and likeable, which is why she is so intriguing.
Toward the end of the movie there is a monologue which Goth absolutely crushes. That is the moment that we knew Pearl has solidified herself as one of the most iconic killers such as Freddy Kruger and Michael Myers. She has a screw, or ten, loose, but that is exactly what makes her so much fun to watch on screen.
With a third film in the franchise in the works, MaXXXine, in the works, we cannot wait to see how the Mia Goth trilogy will play out.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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About Pearl
Filmmaker Ti West returns with another chapter from the twisted world of X, in this astonishing follow-up to the year’s most acclaimed horror film. Trapped on her family’s isolated farm, Pearl must tend to her ailing father under the bitter and overbearing watch of her devout mother.
Lusting for a glamorous life like she’s seen in the movies, Pearl finds her ambitions, temptations, and repressions all colliding in this stunning, technicolor-inspired origin story of X’s iconic villain.
Pearl hits theaters on September 16th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.