Following Ti West’s lackluster horror film X, the announcement of a rapidly-released sequel seemed a poor idea destined to fail. The recent release of Pearl proved that to be utterly and entirely false. Pearl may be one of the best horror films in many years, focusing on character study and the effects of madness. Mia Goth’s performance in X was nothing special and could be called average at the very best. Thus, the announcement of her starring role in the prequel was underwhelming and didn’t leave me hopeful. However, her performance in Pearl is one of the most fantastic depictions of a descent into insanity ever put to screen.
The film inverts the classic hero’s trope of dreaming of a better future, like Luke Skywalker staring off at his twin suns. Pearl does not dream of...