Horror Movie Review: Pearl (2022)

Pearl is a slasher film that was directed by Ti West, Releasing in 2022. Starring and co-written by Mia Goth, it serves as a prequel to the horror film X (2022). Goth reprises her role as the character Pearl with the film set on the same Texas homestead seen in X but in the year 1918.

Pearl is a young woman living with her German immigrant parents on their Texas homestead while her husband, Howard, is serving in World War I. Pearl’s father is paralyzed and her cruel mother, Ruth, insists that she help care for both him and the farm. Pearl longs for a more exciting life and is captivated by the films she sees at the local cinema. She aspires to become a chorus girl, much to Ruth’s disapproval. However, Pearl also shows signs of being a disturbed individual, such as killing farm animals and physically abusing her father.

At the movie theatre, Pearl meets a young projectionist who takes a liking to her. Ruth counts that eight cents are missing from an errand Pearl did, she is berated about being careless and has her supper withheld. Later, Pearl’s sister-in-law, Mitsy, tells her of an audition being held to acquire new dancers for a traveling troupe, which Pearl envisions as a way out of her circumstance. She later sneaks out of the house at night and visits the projectionist who encourages Pearl to pursue her dreams. Pearl comments that she cannot abandon her family, and that she wishes they would die.

When Ruth finds a program Pearl took from the movie theatre, the two get into a fight over dinner. Pearl shoves her mother against the kitchen hearth, igniting her dress and resulting in Ruth suffering life-threatening burns. Pearl drags Ruth into the basement and leaves her father seated in the kitchen. She flees to the movie theatre, where she has sex with the projectionist.

In the morning, the projectionist drives Pearl back to the farm so she can prepare for the audition. When he attempts to leave, Pearl flies into a fit of rage at his abandonment of her, and stabs him to death with a pitchfork. Then, she pushes his car with his corpse in it into a pond, where an alligator she has nicknamed Theda eats his remains. Pearl dresses herself in one of Ruth’s lavish gowns, and dresses up her father before smothering him to death.

Pearl arrives at the church where the audition is being held…….

When I reviewed X (2022) a few months ago, I gave it a 6.5/10. Basically, I thought it was decent but nothing to go crazy over, an average horror film. The trailer for Pearl really grabbed my attention, I was very interested indeed. I am delighted to say that I was right to be excited. This is the type of film that makes the one that succeeds better because of the context that it delivers. The deep dive into Pearl’s origins is far more fascinating than it has any right to be. Just knowing that this young woman becomes the one we see in X (2022), it’s a shame how inferior it is to Pearl.

There’s just so much to love about this movie. The visual style is a feast, I absolutely adore the colour palette throughout, very Wes Anderson. The tension filled time period is another highlight with the World War and influenza running rampant. Then, there’s Mia Goth delivering the best performance I have seen since Tony Collette in Hereditary. Seriously, she is phenomenal in this. If performances in horror movies would ever get their deserved recognition at award ceremonies like the Oscars, she would be right up there. The subtlety of her slowly deteriorating psyche is a joy to witness as everything in her life unravels. There are some amazing, tension filled moments throughout.

One of the things I enjoyed most about Pearl is its simplicity. It reminded me of Joker (2019) in that like The Joker, Pearl is a tragic individual with a story you can somewhat sympathise with. She’s clearly mentally ill and she’s dealing with a lot at the same time. I enjoy the idea that someone can have a single bad day that pushes them that little bit too far over the edge.

The gore is minimal but it all looks really great and is brutal in nature. The delicious colouring used really makes those reds pop. Additionally, I really liked the vibe of the film with it feeling like a homage to the Wizard of Oz or other similar media from that period. Also, delving a bit deeper there’s some interesting commentary on the ways in which people suffered during times of war, especially women who stayed behind.

Overall, I loved Pearl. What more is there to say? Go watch it.