Graphic by Gabby Gagnon ‘24.
By Jada Jackson ’26
Staff Writer
Content warning: This article discusses murder.
The independent entertainment company A24 has been at the forefront of modern female-led slasher films from “Bodies Bodies Bodies” to “X” and now “Pearl.” Film director Ti West’s newest female-led slasher film “Pearl” starring Mia Goth hit theaters on Sept. 16, just six months after “X,” which the film prequels. The film, set in 1918, is chock-full of colorful symbolism, unsettling monologues and scenes that resemble those of classic slasher films like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974), “Children of the Corn” (1984) and “Scream” (1996) while still bringing something new to the popular genre.
Despite being a prequel, “Pearl” is able to stand on its own within the slasher genre while paying a beautiful homage to the classics. Symbolism is at the heart of all great slasher films, and A24 is no stranger to engaging it. A24 films often use color to show a transformation and to establish a character’s identity. Older horror films often use color as well, especially red to symbolize that the worst is near and to show the manifestation of repressed rage. West doesn’t try to give movie-goers something too different but plays on nostalgia and maintains what makes a slasher film good while still orienting it for modern audiences through costuming, reimagined cliches and allusions.
The titular character, Pearl, is portrayed in promotional media adorned in a red outfit, but for the majority of the movie she wears blue denim overalls with a pale blue button-up shirt underneath, with two white bows pulling her hair back. As the movie progresses, the audience learns just how dark this farmer’s daughter is, and with that discovery comes a different color palette for Pearl. After killing both her lover and her mother, Pearl dons a bright red dress — the only blue remaining in her outfit being a pale blue bow on the back of her head. She is also visibly happier. She is no longer the reserved girl she was raised to be, but is on her road to stardom — at least she thinks she is. The film itself is about transformation, from blue to red, from farm girl with a dream of being a star to an almost star, then ultimately to failure and murder. She wears red to give her an “X-factor,” which she is later told she lacks. She isn’t as special as she thought.
Slasher films are also filled with cliches. Typical clichés include “the final girl” — the strong, independent girlboss who somehow makes it out alive and alone — and the slut — the girl who is usually blonde and is killed, more often than not, while having sex. Cars are mysteriously unable to turn on when the killer is chasing someone. Corn fields are one of the most dangerous places to go. “Pearl” uses this last cliche, although instead of death taking place in the field, the seeds of Pearl’s infidelities are planted there. Pearl humps and dances with a scarecrow who she imagines as a man other than her husband, who is away fighting in the war. The music bolsters this trope and plays the scene up with loud, suspenseful music, which ends with a crow flapping it’s wings aggressively in Pearl’s face meant to jumpscare the audience.
Another cliche that “Pearl” cashes in on is a character running and mysteriously tripping on nothing, allowing the sauntering murderer to catch up to them and kill them. Pearl’s sister-in-law Mitsy becomes her last victim of the movie when she catches up and is able to hack Mitsy with an ax. Instances like this may point to why Pearl states “killing is easier than you think.”
“Pearl” uses yet another cliche, where Pearl has a phase of killing animals before moving onto people. This cliche isn’t completely made up by the genre but is influenced by real-life serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy who, according to A&E Networks, often started out harming animals before escalating to harming people. Pearl confesses to this in a nine-minute monologue, explaining the darkness within her that the audience has already been shown.
The monologue really reminds the audience that this is a modern take on a classic genre, rather than a film during which the slasher reveals their motives after being caught, like in “Scream.” Pearl delivers the unsettling monologue willingly. She unloads all of her misdeeds and, in between the tears and ruined makeup, she sounds remorseful for what she has done and accepts that her mess of a life is her fault.
Like in “Pearl,” Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom From Want” painting was parodied in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Rather than an all-American family coming together for dinner, it depicts a murderous family sitting down to eat with their captive. In one of the final scenes of the film, West also uses Rockwell’s painting as an inspiration. Pearl sits at the table still in her red dress, with her now-dead parents and a maggot-infested pig at the table center. Pearl’s deluded mind allows her to pray over her food as her mom had done just scenes before. The scene reminds viewers that this group was once a family, destroyed, like the pig, from the inside out. In this scene, Pearl is free from want. She has accepted her life for what it is and is no longer chasing the spotlight.
“Pearl” is more than another slasher film inspired by the originals — it’s a beautiful addition to the genre. Like all slasher films, the slasher often is driven by real motives. Pearl is driven by her want to be a star. In modern day, being an influencer, YouTuber, TikToker or celebrity are very real aspirations. The only thing that sets Pearl apart from the average dreamer is that she would actually kill for it.