This shot-off-the-cuff prequel to X stars Mia Goth as a younger version of her octogenarian slasher Pearl. Stuck on her parents’ farm while her husband is off fighting in WWI, Pearl yearns to break free and starts an affair with the projectionist at the local movie theater… while also experimenting with her own dark desires. X is an impressive genre exercise but PEARL is something else altogether—a slasher origin story told with the color palate of a Douglas Sirk melodrama.

Double Feature with X

“If Douglas Sirk made a slasher flick, it would be Pearl.” – Christy Lemire, FilmWeek