Page 9 - Tandi Wright News Today

Hot on the heels of X, released earlier this year, comes its prequel – a smart, sharp affair that proves there’s still plenty of blood in the veins of this rather novel franchise.

We review the surprise sequel to Ti West's X, Pearl, starring Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Emma Jenkins-Purro, and more.

Taken together, “X” and “Pearl” make for a compelling double-feature showcasing blood-spattered homages to different eras of film.

Mia Goth will be back as the titular character in upcoming sequel MaXXXine

Ti West recently announced that the secret horror series he began with X in early 2022 would become a trilogy, with a third movie called MaXXXine in the works. That leaves the new prequel, Pearl, set in 1918, as an outlier in the franchise — and one with a problem star and co-writer Mia Goth doesn’t fully solve. In theaters Sept. 16.

While Mia Goth's performance in 'Pearl' is awards season calibre, the overall product prides style above substance.

Pearl is less a prequel to X and more a variation on a theme, with Mia Goth giving an award-worthy performance in this dark horror tale.

Plus: Korean SUV-driving cyborgs from 1380, post-colonial African horror, and a creepy Danish tale of misplaced trust. New movies!

Ti West brings his signature smart, disturbing style to "Pearl," the "X" prequel he filmed in secret. Mia Goth stars and its downright fun horror.

Ti West’s shot-in-secret prequel to this year’s X, Pearl, is a whip-smart origin story, with more Goth and more gore. Co-written by West and his star Mia Goth, the film rewinds to 1918,