SCARY FLICKS WITH STAR ANNA IV

Pearl

(2022)

Directed by Ti West

Starting Mia Goth

Written collaboratively by Ti West and Mia Goth right before filming X (you can read my review of X from last year), Pearl is the origin story of the terrifying and murderous old woman in X.

Set in 1918 on a rural farmhouse in Texas, Pearl, whose husband is off at war, lives with her overbearing German immigrant mother and wheelchair bound father, whom she must take care of. She dreams of making it big in the movies and feels trapped by her current situation. After meeting a projectionist in town who shows her a stag film and encourages her to follow her dreams, Pearl begins to unravel and her behavior escalates from killing small animals to horrific murder.

What really makes this movie good is Mia Goth’s absolutely unhinged and deranged performance as young Pearl, creating a character so psychotic she makes Norman Bates look like Mr. Rogers and so violent that she makes Leather Face look like Julia Childs. There’s plenty of gore, all played out in vivid eye-popping color, making it even more unsettling. I’m not ashamed to say I covered my eyes multiple times. Goth’s rage and desperation as Pearl is visceral as she pings between the guttural sadness of a lost child in the throes of an uncontrollable tantrum to an unwavering psychopath wielding a pitchfork (or an ax), almost gleefully destroying anything and anyone that stands in her way of greatness.

The final shot of the film as the credits begin to roll is peak full face acting eeriness from Goth; Pearl, after finding her husband standing in the kitchen, surrounded by corpses and a fully laid out rotting feast on the table, says “I’m so glad you’re home.” The camera fixes on her face as her mouth stretches into a pained and demented toothy smile. Her dark, watery eyes widening into a desperate plea, searching for some reality that does not exist. Each second slowly drags into the next as every muscle in her face contorts harder and harder into this horrific grin and it’s absolutely chilling.

How many ghosts out of 5 (5 being an absolute masterpiece) do I give it?

3 out of 5 ghosts 👻👻👻

In short, it was fine. It had enough spectacular moments to make a compelling trailer, with over-the-top gruesome gore as the only thing to offer from a full viewing.