Now that we’re well into the Halloween season, there are a plethora of terrifying horror movies to look forward to. The A24 slasher thriller Pearl is one of the more fascinating genre offerings arriving in the next few weeks. Pearl’s brutal rise to fame already has a lot of mystery and intrigue around it, and fresh photographs from the film just add fuel to the fire. Seven fresh pictures, available only on IMDb, show Pearl living her finest life. There are some points in time at which she might be failing. At the outset, we witness Pearl (Mia Goth) and her future husband Howard (David Corenswet) enjoying a drive. On their expressions, I read an uncanny resolve. Wherever this wacky duo winds up, the horrible deed they are going to commit is anyone’s guess.
Following this comes a picture of Goth and Emma Jenkins-Purro, whose character’s purpose is presently unknown, strolling down a path near to a cornfield. It seems that Jenkins-Purro and Goth’s Pearl are pals and that Jenkins-Purro is trying to cheer up Pearl, who has seen better days. The mascara is dripping down her cheeks, a sure sign that her path to stardom has struck a snag. The next few pictures show a stark difference in Pearl’s family life, which serves as a continuation of the character’s downward spiral. In one, Pearl is comforted by her mom (Tandi Wright), and in the other, she’s thinking of feeding her dad (Matthew Sunderland) to the alligator that made its debut in X.
It appears from the trailers that Pearl’s relationship with either of her parents is unhealthy, therefore the love image from before may have been an act. Pearl’s dual nature is well captured in the final shots. Pearl’s dark side is teased by the startling images of her interacting closely with a spooky scarecrow and standing motionless with a pitchfork held high over her head. The last image is a sharp contrast to this as Pearl is shown pursuing her ambition and dancing the night away. This is the identity she craves, but if the violence of X is any clue, it won’t end well for her. After the success of X in March, filmmaker Ti West revealed with much anticipation that he had covertly developed a prequel revolving around the delighted killer known as Pearl.
Pearl’s background was only hinted at, but the themes of dashed hopes and the sadness of ageing did much to make her a sympathetic protagonist. Pearl became a legend in the horror genre owing to many factors, including her unconventional love story with her husband, her inventive murder methods, and Goth’s stellar duel performance. It appears like the best parts of X are being brought back for this prequel, with Pearl in the height of her youth and her world being driven to a satisfyingly mad extreme. It’s not merely a rehash of X because of the retro 1920s Hollywood setting and vibrant new colour scheme. These fresh photos do an excellent job of conveying the film’s tight and eerie atmosphere, and they also offer intriguing teases about the connections she forms and destroys. Horror fans know that Pearl is willing to do everything to make it big in the entertainment industry, despite the psychological damage that might result from her obsession with stardom. Pearl’s much-anticipated return to cinemas on September 16 will be the realisation of a lifelong ambition.