Halloween is just over a week away, and a good way to get into the spirit of the spooky season is to watch a creepy film or two. Horror isn’t for everyone, but within that genre there are so many different types to film to suit everyone’s tastes – it’s not all posessed dolls or killer clowns.
If you’re a fan of a classic horror but with a modern twist, there’s one film that should be added to your watchlist immediately. Pearl, directed by Ti West, was only released in 2022 – but with nods to films like Psycho and The Wizard of Oz, watching it feels like stepping back in time. ‘Genuinely creepy’ and ‘horribly gripping’, it boasts a score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising the performance of lead actor Mia Goth.
The UK-born actress takes on the role of titular character Pearl, a lonely girl living on an isolated Texas farm. Life isn’t easy for Pearl – it’s 1918, the Spanish flu is still very much a real threat, and her husband Howard is away fighting in the war, leaving Pearl at home with her controlling mother and sick father.
Despite her bleak existence, Pearl has a dream – she wants to become a star, whatever it takes. Whether it’s dancing alone in her room or giving her farm animals a show, she’s so passionate about performing that when the opportunity arises to audition for a dance troup, she can’t pass it by.
She sees it as her ticket to get out of the farm, away from her family and the life she detests so much. But as you can imagine, it’s not an easy road to fame, and the pressure of rejection and loneliness and fear of a stagnant, unremarkable life drives Pearl to do some pretty unspeakable things.
As viewers, we can really feel Pearl’s frustration and isolation, especially when it comes to her relationships with other people. At home she’s misunderstood and seen as a disappointment to her mother – flawlessly portrayed by Tandi Wright – who thinks her dream of becoming a dancer is a waste of time.
When she strikes up a relationship with a projectionist at the cinema in her home town, played by Superman’s David Corenswet, it becomes clear that she’s just aching for company and for someone to understand her. With her husband gone, she is desperate to make him stay – no matter what it takes.
Pearl is part of a trilogy of slasher films. The first film, X, also came out in 2022, whilst the third part MaXXXine was released last year. They all feature Mia Goth, with Pearl serving as the prequel for X, as it’s set about 60 years prior to it.
Mia’s performance as the creepy, unsettling yet hopelessly sad farm girl is unforgettable. It’s very much a horror film, but with themes of repression, loneliness and love, making it a must-watch this Halloween. Film critic Christina Newland from The I hailed it as ‘demented’ but ‘charming’, writing: “As the lead, Mia Goth is a strange creature: deceptively childlike one moment and sinister in the next. Frankly, God bless her for existing in the otherwise bland landscape of samey starlets.”
Thom Ernst from Original Cin was also full of praise for the director Ti West, saying: “A genuinely creepy horror. West chooses methodic movements rather than jump scares to terrify the audience. And he never loses the movie’s underlying sense of humour that is as clever as it is demented.”
You can rent Pearl on Prime for £3.49, or you can watch it on Film4 this Saturday October 25 at 11.10pm.