A24’s X was a homage to ’70s exploitation horror, but from the looks of teasing Pearl, the prequel will be a very different movie from X.
Ti West’s latest horror movie X gets a prequel titled pearland from the looks of the latter’s teaser, it’s going to be a very different movie compared to X. The short tease, which was presented after the credits of X, previews the prequel. Set in 1918, the film will take place almost 60 years before the events of Xfeaturing Pearl as a young woman during World War I. The prequel will dive into the moments that ultimately led to Pearl becoming a killer.
In X, Mia Goth portrays both Maxine and Pearl, symbolizing youth and beauty, but also aging and mortality. In the prequel, Mia Goth (A cure of well-being) will play a young Pearl, who takes refuge with her family in the same cabin that she and Howard use to carry out murders in X. Set in 1979, X serves as an homage to the exploitation horror of the 1970s. pearl will likely serve as an homage to early cinematic horror in the late 1910s and early 1920s.
Horror movies, and movies in general, are a reaction to the times. During the 1970s, problems ranging from the energy crisis to soaring crime rates reached an all-time high. Notably, the 1970s were marked by general social uncertainty and unrest. Almost everything in Ti West’s X is a nod to the 1970s, from its exploitative content to the sheer camerawork and general gritty of the film. In the late 1910s and early 1920s, silent horror films of early German Expressionism focused on World War I themes such as terror and paranoia. Since pearl is set at the height of the war, these infamous WWI themes will likely be a big part of the film.
When describing the prequel, Ti West referenced pearl like “melodrama meets Mary Poppins Technicolor style…made like a crazy Disney movie” (via www.knotfest.com). Since the dawn of time, movies have been used as a way to escape reality. Especially during World War I and World War II, silly, non-serious films were made for this escape, even if it was only for a few hours. Although Disney’s first film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfswasn’t released until 1937, so West could compare pearl to a Disney movie is rather intriguing. Of course, killing in Disney films is tame, and the likely gore-filled bloodbath that pearl will sweat will not be so tame. By what exactly West means by comparing pearl to a Disney movie is up for interpretation, but either way, a look at Pearl’s rise from ordinary girl to full-fledged killer will be fascinating.
The trailer for pearl didn’t give too much, but if there’s one thing about X, while it’s a blood-filled movie, it’s also a sad story about aging. If Ti West is pearl is something like its predecessor, it will have a lot more heart than gore. The film will discuss who Pearl was as a typical person before becoming a murderer.
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