"Pearl" Review

Six months after the release of “X”, director Ti West, and production company A24, decided to double dip in the “X” universe with “Pearl”. The film serves as a prequel to “X” and expands the story of the titular character of Pearl. “Pearl” continues the hot streak that the horror genre has been on throughout 2022. It was released on Sept. 16, 2022, starring Mia Goth.

Mia Goth is absolutely incredible in the role of Pearl again here. She is once again the center of attention throughout the film, and she truly shines. She is genuinely Academy Award-worthy here, delivering arguably the best horror performance since Toni Collette’s in the 2018 film, “Hereditary”. Goth is essentially on the screen for the entire 102 minute runtime, and she is captivating the entire time. She accomplishes the tough task of making the audience empathize with and possibly root for Pearl while she performs heinous acts. Her performance hits a crescendo during the third act while delivering a nearly seven-minute monologue. The camera does not cut from Goth, and no score is present during this monologue. It’s simply Goth and her acting ability front and center, and it’s brilliant.

If “X” was a throwback to ‘70s horror and slasher films, “Pearl” is a throwback to early twentieth-century filmmaking as a whole. “Pearl” is chalked full of beautiful homages to classic filmmaking techniques. These techniques include everything from wipe transitions (having a frame glide across the screen, replacing the previous one) and title cards with moving effects added, to extreme wide shots and highly saturated color pallets.

The dedication to these classic filmmaking techniques coupled with the brilliant set design and costuming make “Pearl'' feel very unique in a somewhat repetitive genre such as horror. It’s a visually striking film, filled with surprisingly bright colors. The daytime horror present in “Pearl” feels akin to films such as “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and A24’s other popular horror film, “Midsommar”.

What makes “Pearl” stand out from the rest of today’s horror films is the heavy focus on Pearl as a character; “Pearl” is more of a character study than a traditional slasher. West takes his time building up Pearl and her idiosyncrasies while ratcheting up the tension throughout the film. Pearl feels like a ticking time bomb, leaving the audience anticipating for her detonation. This, of course, is done through West and Goth’s brilliant character work in the screenplay coupled with Goth’s performance.

For better or worse, horror audiences go to horror movies to see people get killed; it’s just the simple fact of the matter. “Pearl” is sure to satisfy even the most seasoned horror fan with some incredibly gory scenes. However, West shows a lot of restraint throughout “Pearl”. There aren’t as many kills as “X”; however, there doesn’t need to be. West knows this and decided to make this a fairly quiet character study until the madness takes over in the third act.

There aren’t many flaws throughout “Pearl”. Given that the film is a prequel to “X”, it is quite easy to predict where Pearl will end up by the end of it. It’s a problem that you simply cannot avoid while making a prequel to an already existing film. That being said, Pearl’s story and Goth’s performance are too captivating to truly care about the fact that you know where her character is going to be at the end of the film.

The only other minor negative would be that the third act did feel a bit too long compared to the first two acts. “Pearl” felt like it was wrapping up at one moment then continued a bit longer than needed. A slightly tighter edit may have perfected the pacing in the third act as a whole.

Overall, “Pearl” is another homerun for Ti West and Mia Goth. The film accomplished the tough task of creating a horror prequel that actually felt both necessary and rewarding. It simultaneously improved the viewing experience of “X” while providing a captivating story that doesn’t answer questions that were unnecessary. For those wondering, “X” and “Pearl” can honestly be watched in any order; however, I think it would make a more effective double feature if you watch “Pearl” first. “Pearl” is another great horror film to watch this Halloween season.

8/10