With The Home of the Satan, Ti West confirmed that he has a knack for setting movies in a long time previous and making them appear to be they got here straight out of that period.
This was as soon as once more the case with X, a subversive horror movie set in late Nineteen Seventies Texas, the place a crew of porn creators lease a constructing on a distant farm to movie their subsequent characteristic.
When the trailer for X was launched, many assumed the movie would merely be one other Texas Chainsaw Bloodbath rip-off, nevertheless, as those that have seen X will largely agree, West’s movie is a enjoyable and subversive horror romp with a strong mixture of humor, gore and fairly unique narrative twists.
The movie additionally had an enormous shock in retailer for many who stayed till the top credit had completed, as X had a trailer for West’s subsequent movie Pearl, which promised to delve additional into the world X had established.
And that is in all probability the place I ought to warn you to cease studying when you’ve got but to observe X, as I can’t talk about Pearl with out spoiling X to some extent.
Nonetheless right here? Let’s proceed.
Very similar to Mia Goth had portrayed each porn star Maxine and the equally homicidal and attractive aged Pearl in X, West revealed that that they had in reality additionally shot a second movie whereas filming X.
With the eponymous title Pearl, the movie facilities across the origins of the character who would change into the antagonist of X, and the place X subverted horror tropes, Pearl is a crazy Technicolor fantasy that tells the story of how a delusional and disturbed nation woman with goals of being a star turns right into a serial killer as she lets her darkish aspect take over as her goals are extinguished one after the other.
Filmed in a way that seeks to emulate the fashion of previous Hollywood grandeur, the visuals are vibrant and daring, which in flip makes the gore pop that rather more as Pearl regularly goes additional and additional off the rails.
The underlying tone of of the movie is unsettling, however the viewer can be invited to really feel sympathy for Pearl, which can look like a tall order contemplating how a lot pleasure she finds in killing, however the character is nonetheless compelling in her inherent disappointment. That is in no small half due to Goth being allowed to run wild along with her portrayal of Pearl, as she makes it simple for audiences to spend money on the character.
Delivering a shocking efficiency as Pearl, it’s clear that Goth and West have tapped into one thing fairly particular with what they’ve created with X and Pearl, and the monologue in the direction of the top of the movie stands out specifically with its concurrently tragic and disturbing insights into Pearl’s thoughts.
Having introduced a 3rd movie will proceed the narrative began in X, it is going to be thrilling to see if Goth and West can proceed the momentum from Pearl, because the origin story stands out as a few of not solely one of the best horror of 2022, but in addition a few of the greatest and most unique output of any movie style this yr.
Whereas X was actually pleasant, it’s the equally daring and tender Pearl that really elevates this eerie little narrative universe to one thing distinctive, and hopefully Maxxxine will ship a spectacular crescendo to cement Goth and West’s trilogy as a very memorable entry to annals of horror film historical past.
8 out of 10 stars
* * * * *
Produced by Jacob Jaffke, Ti West,
Kevin Turen, Harrison Kreiss
Directed by Ti West
Written by Ti West and Mia Goth
Primarily based on Characters by Ti West
Starring Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright,
Matthew Sunderland, Emma Jenkins-Purro
