When the blood spills under a bright, sunny sky, you know you’ve entered the realm of a summer slasher!
Pearl is a haunting portrait of ambition gone awry, a vivid and colorful nightmare that lingers long after the credits roll. Directed by Ti West and co-written by West and the film’s main actress, Mia Goth, Pearl takes us on a twisted journey through the mind of a woman whose dreams of stardom are as vibrant as the world she inhabits. Her reality, however, is far darker and more disturbing than anyone could imagine.
Like the sharp contrast between the scent of fresh flowers and the stench of something rotting just beneath the surface, Pearl captivates by marrying the beauty of classic cinema with the brutal honesty & macabre nature of a slasher. We don’t usually think of fields of sunflowers and quaint farmhouses when we picture the slasher genre, but West and Goth have crafted a film that defies expectations. Here, the horror isn’t just in the bloodshed, though there’s plenty of that—it's in the slow unraveling of a young woman’s psyche, in the clash between her technicolor dreams and the sepia-toned reality that suffocates her.
Pearl’s story is both terrifying and tragically relatable, tapping into that universal fear of being trapped in a life that doesn’t align with our deepest desires. It’s a slasher at its core, but with a narrative that cuts deeper than the blade of any ax—a study in desperation, madness, and the gruesome consequences of entrapment and unmet expectations.
Pearl as a Slasher
Pearl’s ultimate confrontation is not with an external killer but with her own psyche. She survives the breakdown of her sanity, emerging on the other side as a hollowed-out version of the girl she once was. Her “survival” is marked by the fact that she continues to live, even after the full extent of her madness is revealed, and even after she has destroyed everyone around her. Pearl’s survival is not a triumph but a haunting, empty victory—she lives, but she is completely alone, trapped in the prison of her own mind.
Additionally, instead of the final girl defeating the killer, Pearl’s final confrontation is with the remnants of her conscience and the life she once desired. The kitchen scene with Mitzy is a twisted inversion of the classic final showdown. Rather than battling an external enemy, Pearl unravels the last threads of her sanity, confessing her sins and eliminating the final witness to her madness. Her survival here is not about escaping death, but about confronting and ultimately embracing the full extent of her monstrous transformation.
Pearl’s survival is also marked by her living with the consequences of her actions. The film ends with Pearl’s grotesque smile as she greets her husband Howard, who returns to find the carnage she has wrought. Unlike traditional final girls, who often face a bleak future but retain their humanity, Pearl has lost hers. She survives physically, but she becomes the horror, and the life she is left with is one of isolation after her dreams curdled into nightmares.
Viewers are challenged to reconsider what it means to survive in a slasher film. With Pearl, horror fans are forced to confront the unsettling possibility that the final girl can be just as vicious as the killer she usually faces.
Beginning
Dreams Doused in Darkness
In the heart of 1918 Texas, amid the dual catastrophes of the Spanish Flu pandemic and World War I, we meet Pearl, a young woman whose dreams of stardom are as vibrant as the technicolor world she inhabits. She is trapped in a life of unending chores and rigid expectations, but dreams of something far grander. However, beneath the surface of her picturesque life lies a suffocating darkness, one that will soon consume her entirely.
Visuals
The film opens on a sunny farm, where Pearl is bound to her family’s homestead. The farm, with its lush fields and tranquil surroundings, belies the oppressive atmosphere within the farmhouse. Pearl’s mother, Ruth, is a stern, domineering woman who controls every aspect of Pearl’s life. The house, filled with religious iconography and aged furniture, feels like a relic of the past—a place where dreams go to die. The interiors of the home are dimly lit, and the silent presence of Pearl’s paralyzed father looms large over Pearl’s psyche. His condition is a constant reminder of the life Pearl feels chained to—a life that is decaying, much like the man in the wheelchair who silently watches over the household.
Early in the film, Pearl rides her bicycle to the local cinema, a place that represents a rare escape from her grim reality. There, she meets The Projectionist, a charming young man who introduces her to the glamorous world of cinema beyond the innocent musicals she adores. This brief interaction plants a seed of longing in Pearl, one that will grow into a dangerous obsession.
On her way back from the movie theater, Pearl’s interaction with a scarecrow in a cornfield marks a pivotal moment. This scarecrow, a symbol of her repressed desires, becomes an object of fantasy as Pearl imagines herself as a star, far away from the confines of her rural life. The scene is unsettling in its portrayal of Pearl’s escalating detachment from reality, her dance with the scarecrow hinting at the madness that lies just beneath the surface.
Sounds
The soundtrack of Pearl’s life on the farm is filled with the mundane sounds of rural existence—the clatter of pots and pans, the creak of wooden floors, and the distant mooing of cows. These sounds, however, are overlaid with a growing tension. Pearl’s whispered fantasies to the scarecrow are filled with longing and desperation, the music swelling as she dances with it, reflecting her increasingly distorted view of reality.
At the cinema, the clattering of film reels and the whir of the projector provide a backdrop to Pearl’s growing obsession with the world of movies. The Projectionist’s voice is smooth, almost hypnotic, drawing Pearl further into her fantasy world. The contrast between the oppressive silence of the farmhouse and the lively sounds of the cinema underscores Pearl’s internal struggle between duty and desire.
Fragrance
Hay, Manure, & Popcorn
The scents that fill Pearl’s world are as contrasting as her dreams and reality. On the farm, the air is thick with the smell of fresh hay, manure, and the earthy scent of the fields. Inside the farmhouse, there’s the lingering scent of cooked meals mixed with the stale odor of illness and decay from her father’s infirmity.
The cinema, by contrast, is a haven of different scents—popcorn, the musty smell of old film reels, and the faint whiff of perfume worn by the few patrons who dare to venture out during the flu pandemic. These scents represent the life Pearl longs for, one of glamor and excitement, far removed from the oppressive smells of her daily existence.
Middle
The Crumbling Facade
As Pearl progresses, the bright colors of the farm start to feel more like a facade—one that cracks and crumbles as the days wear on and Pearl’s grip on reality weakens. This section of the film dives deeper into Pearl’s psyche, exploring the clash between her desperate aspirations and the suffocating life she leads. It is here that the tension, both internal and external, begins to erupt in increasingly violent and disturbing ways.
Visuals
Pearl’s relationship with The Projectionist becomes the catalyst for her descent into madness. After meeting him at the cinema, where he shows her an illicit stag film, Pearl’s fantasies grow darker and more unhinged. The Projectionist, with his carefree attitude and tales of Europe, represents everything Pearl longs for—freedom, adventure, and escape from the monotony of farm life. His car, with its dusty seats and the smell of old film reels, becomes a sanctuary for Pearl, a place where she can momentarily forget her suffocating responsibilities.
Back at the farmhouse, the atmosphere grows increasingly oppressive. Ruth discovers a pamphlet for a dance audition that Pearl has hidden, leading to a fierce confrontation in the kitchen. The kitchen, usually a place of nourishment, becomes a battlefield where the long-simmering tension between mother and daughter boils over. Ruth’s fury, born from years of disappointment and fear, erupts as she berates Pearl for her selfishness and dreams of leaving. She accuses Pearl of being a failure, her words laced with the bitterness of a life spent sacrificing for a family that has brought her nothing but grief.
The confrontation escalates into violence as Pearl, pushed to her breaking point, shoves her mother against the hearth, igniting Ruth’s dress. The flames engulf Ruth in a horrendous display. Pearl, momentarily stunned by her actions, quickly douses the flames with boiling water, but the damage is done and is worsened by her attempt to remedy the problem. Ruth is left with life-threatening burns, her body a charred reminder of the violence that now permeates the household.
Pearl drags her unconscious mother into the basement, a dark, damp place that becomes Ruth’s tomb. The visuals here are stark—Ruth’s blackened body lying on the cold, concrete floor, surrounded by the trappings of a life that Pearl is desperate to escape. The act of dragging Ruth’s body down the stairs, with the thud of each step echoing through the house, is cold and heartless.
The scene shifts back to the cinema, where Pearl, in a state of emotional turmoil, seeks comfort in the arms of The Projectionist. The cinema, once a place of dreams, now becomes a place of sin as Pearl engages in an affair with him, further distancing herself from the life she knew. The Projectionist, sensing something off in Pearl’s demeanor, remains unaware of the nightmare that has just transpired.
Sounds
The sounds in this part of the film are charged with emotion and tension. The clatter of objects during the confrontation in the kitchen contrasts sharply with the sudden roar of flames as Ruth’s dress catches fire. The crackling of the fire is mixed with Ruth’s screams and Pearl’s frantic attempts to save her. This chaos signals the irreversible change in their relationship.
The dragging of Ruth’s body down the basement stairs is accompanied by a heavy silence, broken only by the thud of her body hitting each step. This silence, heavy with dread, lingers as Pearl locks the basement door, effectively sealing her mother’s fate.
In the scenes with The Projectionist, the sounds are softer but filled with an underlying tension. The gentle hum of the projector, the rustle of clothing, and the soft conversations between Pearl and The Projectionist all carry a sense of foreboding. The contrast between these sounds and the earlier violence at the farmhouse underscores Pearl’s fractured state of mind.
Fragrance
Decay, Charred Fabric, Sweat, & Musk
The kitchen, once filled with the comforting smells of home-cooked meals, is now tainted by the scent of burnt flesh and charred fabric. The stench of Ruth’s burning body lingers in the air, mixing with the familiar smells of the farmhouse and turning them into something grotesque.
In the basement, the cold, damp air is heavy with the scent of decay. The smell of the basement’s musty earthiness is haunting. It combines with the faint, lingering odor of Ruth’s burnt skin.
At the cinema, the familiar scent of popcorn and film reels is now tinged with the musky scent of The Projectionist and the lingering odor of sweat and desperation from Pearl’s emotional turmoil. The mix of these scents reflects the collision of Pearl’s fantasies with the dark reality she is now living and cannot possibly undo.
End
Final Curtain Call
The climax of Pearl brings all the tension and terror to a head, as Pearl’s tenuous grip on reality snaps completely. What began as a desire to escape her oppressive life ends in a series of brutal, calculated murders that solidify her transformation into a full-fledged monster.
Visuals
The morning after the violent confrontation with her mother, Pearl returns to the farmhouse with The Projectionist, who drives her home in preparation for the audition she believes will be her escape. There is an overwhelming passion and possibility that Pearl sees in him. However, the sight that greets them upon arrival is anything but hopeful—a maggot-infested pig, left on the porch as a gift by Mitsy’s mother, has been left to rot, its stench permeating the air. This grotesque image is the first sign to The Projectionist that something is terribly wrong.
Inside the house, the atmosphere is thick with dread. The Projectionist begins to notice inconsistencies in Pearl’s stories, small cracks in the façade she’s been trying to maintain. As his unease grows, he decides to leave, but Pearl, now fully unhinged, cannot bear the thought of another abandonment. The moment he tries to drive away, she snaps, grabbing a pitchfork and stabbing him to death in a fit of rage. The bright daylight contrasts sharply with the brutality of the murder, the vivid colors of the farm only serving to heighten the unease.
Pearl disposes of The Projectionist’s body with chilling efficiency, pushing his car, with his corpse inside, into a nearby pond. The calm surface of the water belies the gruesome act, the ripples slowly fading as the car sinks beneath the surface. The alligator she affectionately calls Theda makes quick work of his remains, a final, macabre touch to Pearl’s cold-blooded actions.
Returning to the farmhouse, Pearl checks on her mother, who lies semi-conscious on the basement stairs, still clinging to life. Pearl’s interaction with Ruth is devoid of any compassion; instead, she chastises her mother, blaming her for the life she’s led. With a cold finality, Pearl kicks Ruth’s body down the stairs, leaving her to die in the dark, cold basement.
Next, Pearl turns her attention to her father. Dressed in one of her mother’s elegant gowns, Pearl bathes and dresses her father, who remains paralyzed and helpless, in a suit. The scene is grotesquely tender—Pearl, in her delusion, believes she is performing an act of mercy. She smothers her father to death, justifying it as a release from the life she herself can no longer endure.
Pearl arrives at the church for the much-anticipated audition, where she hopes to finally escape the farm and the horrors she has unleashed. The scene is charged with tension as Pearl gives a dance performance that she believes will secure her future. However, when she is rejected for not fitting the judges’ vision—because she is not blonde or simply not what they are looking for—Pearl is devastated. The camera lingers on her distraught expression, capturing the exact moment her remaining sanity crumbles.
Mitsy, who has accompanied Pearl to the audition, tries to console her, but Pearl is beyond consolation. The rejection triggers a deep-seated rage, and when Mitsy later reveals, under pressure, that she was selected for the troupe, Pearl’s jealousy turns lethal. Although Mitsy claims she wasn’t selected, Pearl forces her to admit that she was.
Back at the farmhouse, in the now hauntingly familiar kitchen, Pearl delivers a chilling monologue to Mitsy. She confesses all her crimes—the murder of The Projectionist, the smothering of her father, and the attack on her mother—revealing the depth of her madness. Pearl’s confession leaves us petrified yet strangely filled with pity. She admits to her feelings of alienation, her desperate need for love, and her inability to fit into the world around her. She speaks of Howard, Mitsy’s brother and the husband she once saw as a way out, with a mix of love and resentment. She laments the life she has been forced to lead. Ironically, she shares this similarity with her mother.
Mitsy, stunned by Pearl’s confessions, tries to leave, assuring Pearl that she will keep everything secret. But Pearl, sensing her own vulnerability, cannot let Mitsy go. The moment Mitsy steps outside, Pearl follows her with an ax. The ensuing chase down the driveway is frantic and sinister, with Mitsy running for her life, only to be brutally cut down by Pearl in a savage attack. The bright colors of the farm are once again at odds with the terror unfolding, making the scene all the more disturbing.
Pearl dismembers Mitsy’s body and feeds the remains to Theda, completing her descent into madness. In a final act of twisted penance, Pearl goes down to the basement and lies beside her dead mother, telling her she loves her. The basement, dark and dank, becomes Pearl’s final refuge as she comes to a grim realization—her mother was right. There is nothing left for Pearl but to "make the best of what she has."
The next morning, Howard, returns from the war to a scene of unimaginable shock. The farmhouse, once his home, is now a charnel house. He finds a rotting pig, an eerily still home, and a disturbing scene that shows signs of conflict. The corpses of Pearl’s parents are sitting at the dining room table. Howard can’t believe his eyes. The stench of death is overwhelming, the once lively home now a silent tomb.
Pearl greets Howard with a protracted, pained smile, her face frozen in an uncanny expression of joy. This final image of Pearl, with her grotesque smile, is the perfect culmination of her descent into madness—a stark reminder of the horror that lies beneath the surface of even the most beautiful and seemingly innocent dreams.
Sounds
The soundscape of the final act is a masterful blend of tension. The sickening crunch of the pitchfork as it strikes The Projectionist, the splash of the car sinking into the pond, and the distant hum of the farm’s machinery all serve to heighten the sense of dread.
Pearl’s monologue in the kitchen is delivered in a soft, almost hypnotic tone, her words dripping with madness. The silence that follows each confession is heavy, as if the very air in the room is holding its breath. Mitsy’s footsteps as she tries to leave, the creak of the door, and the sudden, sharp sound of the ax cutting through the air are all underscored by the film’s haunting score.
Howard’s return is marked by a sudden, eerie quiet. The once familiar sounds of the farm are now absent, replaced by the soft buzzing of flies and the occasional creak of the floorboards as he steps inside. Pearl’s final greeting, delivered with that unnerving smile, is accompanied by the faint sound of her labored breathing, the only indication that she is still alive after everything she has done.
Fragrance
Rotten Pig, Blood, Gentle Perfume, & Gunpowder
The smells in the final act are brutal and deeply unsettling. The stench of the rotting pig on the porch, combined with the smell of blood and decay from the bodies in the farmhouse, creates an assault on the senses that closely mirrors the atrocity unfolding on screen.
In the scenes with The Projectionist, there’s a mix of his cologne—light and slightly musky—blending with the smell of old film reels. These scents, once intriguing and exciting to Pearl, turn sour in her mind as she realizes he cannot offer her the escape she so desperately craves. After his murder, the smell of the bloody pitchfork—sharp, metallic, and unmistakable—lingers in the air, mingling with the sweat and fear that now permeates Pearl’s world. The scent of the red dress, fresh from the wardrobe, contrasts sharply with the stench of death that begins to follow Pearl, as if even her most coveted dreams are now tainted.
The kitchen, once a place of warmth, is now filled with the scent of burnt flesh from Ruth’s body, the sharp odor of the pitchfork’s blood, and the faint smell of the soft perfume that Mitsy wore, now mingled with the stench of her fear and sweat. Then there’s the basement where Ruth ends up. It’s cold and damp, with the heavy smell of earth and the lingering scent of death from Pearl’s mother’s body. This is where Pearl chooses to make her final stand, lying next to the mother she both hated and loved, in a twisted attempt to find some semblance of peace.
As Howard steps into the house, the smell of gunpowder and sweat from his long journey home mixes with the overpowering stench of death that now fills the air. The final scent is that of rot, both from the pig and the bodies, a fitting end to Pearl’s tragic and barbaric story.
Dreams Don’t Come True?
Pearl is a slasher that breaks the mold, a tale of madness with the elegance of old Hollywood that delivers the gut punches of the genre’s best. Ti West’s direction and Mia Goth’s unforgettable performance bring to life a character study that’s as brutal as it is beautiful, as tragic as it is terrifying. It’s a film that captivates and disturbs in equal measure, like a fragrance that draws you in with its sweetness before revealing a darker note.
Pearl’s story is a reminder that not all dreams are meant to come true, and sometimes, the pursuit of those dreams can lead to the most horrifying of outcomes.
