X: The Complete History of Pearl | Horror History

Pearl was born sometime around 1898, give or take a couple of years, In rural Texas. As the only child of first generation and German immigrants. She was raised on a farm with a strict Protestant upbringing. Her parents prayed before every meal and disciplined Pearl harshly when she stepped out of line. This continued well into Pearl's adulthood. Pearl's childhood was presumably quite lonely. There's no mention of siblings, cousins or friends of any kind in Pearl's life. It seems her only friend

s are the farm animals and the alligator that lives in her swamp. Pearl imagination was a refuge for her growing up. She imagined a life for herself outside the farm, and she became obsessed with that dream. There was also a darker side to Pearl. Her mother mentions terrible things that she'd seen her do in private, presumably to the farm animals. Pearl even admits to this herself. -[Pearl] First, it was only animals smaller than myself, nothing with feelings, -[Pearl] nothing that could hurt me

back. In her teenage years, Pearl met a young farmhand named Howard who came from an affluent background and chose to work on Pearl's family farm. Pearl pursued him, and they fell in love. She hoped that Howard would take her off the farm and show her a better life. They got married in the mid 1910s and even tried to start a family. But Pearl miscarried. Shortly after, Howard was drafted to fight in World War I, which would have happened in 1917 or 1918. Once again, Pearl's dreams were put on h

old and she was trapped at home with her parents. Pearl dreamed of a life outside the farm, but that dream was always just out of reach. She imagined one life, but reality handed her the same one that she'd always known. This repeated heartbreak turned into rage and combined with her constant isolation from the rest of the world, led her to do horrible, horrible things. If you want to know why Pearl did the things she did and how her own actions kept her trapped on the farm until her death in 19

79, stick around to the end of this video. ♪ Metal Music ♪ Welcome to Horror History. By this point, you may be wondering, what's with the tank top? Where's the usual Horror History shirt and tie? You need to be dress coded, sir. Well, today I am wearing this to let you know about the all new CZsWorld Metal Merch. It's that time of year for shows and festivals, so I put together a product line with everything you'll need tank tops, tees and even a hoodie to keep you warm during that last set of

the night. But the CZsWorld Metal Merch is only available for a limited time. Once it's gone, it's gone. Link in the description. Pearl is the antagonist of Ti West's 2022 film X and the villainous protagonist of the prequel, appropriately titled Pearl. In 1918, the world at large had fallen on hard times. America joined World War I in 1917, and the very real flu pandemic took the lives of over 675,000 Americans. There were no laborers around to help with farm work on account of the war, and by

this time, Pearl's father was infirm and paralyzed. All of the farm work and responsibilities to keep the family alive fell squarely on the shoulders of Pearl and her stern German mother. Pearl's life mostly consisted of tending to the animals, reading old letters from her husband, and taking care of and bathing in front of her dad. You know, normal stuff. One, a bright spot in her life was going to the picture shows. Movies were brand new in 1918, and Pearl loved them. She even named her animal

s after the silent movie stars Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford. Pearl dreamed of becoming a star herself one day and became obsessed with this idea. But to fully understand how Pearl turned from a dreamer to a killer, we've got to take a closer look at her dreams and fantasy. (Impact) ♪ Eerie Music ♪ The first time we see Pearl, she's dressed up and doing her hair in a three sided vanity mirror. She closes her eyes and gets lost in her daydreams. The lights go out and a spotlight shines bright

ly on her as she dances center stage in her own imagination. It's magical. But like all of the good things in Pearl's life, it doesn't last long. Pearl's daydream is interrupted by her mother, who scolds her for wearing her old dress, causing Pearl to storm out of the house in overalls and head to the barn to feed and perform for the animals. They are Pearl's captive audience, literally. -[Pearl] Y'all see me for who I really am... a star. The performance is ruined by a goose who wanders in and

steals the spotlight. This is the first time that we see another, darker side to Pearl. Her disdain is written all over her face. She stabs the goose with her pitchfork and feeds it to her alligator. Despite the fact that her mother knows about her violent tendencies, She never tries to intervene until it's too late. Since she's isolated from the rest of the world, she never faces any repercussions and never learns to deal with her problems in a healthy way. This problem would fester and only ge

t worse the longer that she was stuck at the farm. Pearl rides her bike into town to buy her father's morphine at the low, low price of two bits. How much is two bits, you ask? Famously, it's the price of a shave and a haircut. -[Judge Doom] Shave at a haircut. -[Roger Rabbit] Two bits! While today, 100 bits is the equivalent of $1.40 on Twitch, back then, Two bits was a slang term for 25 cents. Pearl buys the medicine and uses the spare change to get into the picture house across the streets. T

hat's the movie theater. She sees a war movie where a soldier gets his face melted off, not the type of thing you'd expect to see in a silent movie. And Pearl is sipping her father's morphine throughout the show, so it seems likely that this movie is at least partly a product of her imagination. On top of that, this movie and the next one feature sound. And movies, weren't screened with sound until 1923. This could be an oversight, but it could be an indication that Pearl is projecting a bit. Se

e what I did there? Projecting? The next thing she sees is Palace Follies, a movie featuring chorus line of dancing girls enamored. She takes the program and heads to a back alley to look it over, where she first meets the projectionist, who flirts with her and gives her a cigarette. He even cuts out a frame of the film reel and gives it to her as a souvenir. They chat and the projectionist tells her to take pride in caring for her dad, but advises her not to forget to live her own life, too. He

says all the things that Pearl has been dying to hear, and he leaves her an open invitation to knock on his door anytime. As she rides her bike home with images of the Palace Follies girls dancing in her head, a gust of wind carries her souvenir film splice into a cornfield. So she goes searching for it and stumbles upon the perfect outlet for her loneliness: a scarecrow. -[Pearl] May I have this dance? And they dance. Pearl's dangerously active imagination is showcased as she gets lost in roma

nce. She kisses the scarecrow and pictures the projectionist's face on it. Her darker side slips out. -[Pearl] I'm married! Then she humps it and steals its hat. Scarecrow, if you're watching this, I know you probably like that hat, but some people you sleep with just steal your clothes. Just be thankful she didn't steal your Blackhawks hoodie. Back home, her mother scolds her for being late and for wearing a dirty hat. She once again bathes in front of her dad, this time strangling him a bit ju

st to see if he'll react, which, of course, he cannot. Then it's dinner time. After a stern prayer, Pearl's mom interrogates her over the $0.08 that she spent on the movie. To give you an idea of how much they were hurting financially, that's the equivalent of a dollar 72 in 2023. Pearl lies and says that she spent it on candy. So her mom takes away her dinner and explains that she won't allow Pearl to wander around in foolish fantasies and hide from her responsibilities any longer. Pearl goes u

p to her room and prays. -[Pearl] Please, Lord, make me the biggest star the world has ever known so that I -[Pearl] may get far, far away from this place. Amen. Pearl's desperation for stardom was turning into her only escape, which was bad news for anyone who tried to get in her way. (Impact) ♪ Synth Music ♪ The next morning, Pearl's cow milking is interrupted when she gets a visit from her well to do sister, Mitsy, who arrives in a fancy car wearing fox fur in a nice dress. Mitsy's mother giv

es Pearl's family a roasted pig which Pearl's mother refuses out of stubborn pride and leaves it On the front porch. Pearl and Mitsy talk a bit. Mitsy is the closest thing Pearl has to a friend. They relate to one another, but maybe not quite to the degree that Mitsy expects. -[Mitsy] All this isolation has been enough to make one mad, hasn't it? -[Pearl] It really has. While X and Pearl were set during the 1918 flu pandemic, they were released in 2022 during the COVID pandemic. And this scene h

ighlights a parallel between each time period, showing how the rich and poor were both isolated. But what that means for each of them is very different. Then Mitsy drops a bombshell on Pearl. There's a dance audition coming up at her church for a Christmas chorus line that'll tour the south. Pearl views this as her big break and agrees to meet Mitsy. There she steals her mother's dress once again and daydreams of dancing on the big screen. Later that night she sneaks out to the picture house whe

re Cleopatra, starring Theda Bara is listed on the marquee. We'll get back to that name in a little bit. Pearl knocks on the projectionist door. They share a drink and he shows her a different kind of movie. A stag film. According to director Ti West, this is a real stag film from the 1910s called A Free Ride and it's believed to be the first ever. These types of films were illegal at the time, so they could only be screened in private. But Pearl is still fascinated by whatever she sees on the b

ig screen and because she sees herself as a star, she eventually imagines herself in that role which would come into play later in her story. The projectionist asks Pearl why she doesn't just leave her situation and Pearl says that she can't while her parents are still alive. And that's when the light bulb goes off. -[Pearl] If only they would just die. The following morning, Pearl gets right to work. She takes her dad out to the pier to take a closer look at the alligator, which, by the way, is

named just like Theda Bara from Cleopatra. This moment with her father and the alligator marks a turn for Pearl. She knows what she wants and she recognizes that life on the farm is keeping her from achieving her dreams. And for the first time she's doing something about it. She pushes her dad to the edge of the pier and says her goodbyes. -[Pearl] It'd be easier for me if I didn't feel like I was abandoning you. -[Pearl] You understand that? I love you, Daddy. -[Pearl] But this is no way to li

ve. Once again, her mother interrupts Pearl's fun and probably Theda's lunch. -[Pearl] Why do you hate me, Mama? -[Pearl's Mom] I only want what's best. -[Pearl] hen do I get what I want? Whatever screws were loose in Pearl's head before are rattling around freely now. She becomes incensed and a little aimless she steals an alligator egg from Theda's nest and brings it to the barn. She melts down in front of Charlie and Mary, and in a fit of rage, she squeezes the egg and imagines her husband r

eturning home from the war and exploding. At dinner, Pearl's mom confronts her with the Palace Follies program and Pearl informs her that she's going to a dance audition the next day, explaining that she needs to try out or she's gonna regret it for the rest of her life. This is when Pearl learns that her mother knows about some of the horrible things she does when she thinks nobody is watching, her mother says the thing that Pearl does not want to hear. -[Pearl's Mom] You are not well, Pearl! I

t’s only a matter of time before you hurt someone else! The wording implies that she's hurt someone before, but we don't know exactly who she's talking about. It could be an animal, her husband, or maybe she's the reason that her dad is paralyzed. Or maybe she's not referring to a physical hurt, but given her history, I somehow doubt that's the case. As far as we know, Pearl has only killed animals up to this point. Whatever the case, she's on the ropes here and her mother doesn't instill a lot

of confidence. -[Pearl's Mom] But when you fail, and you will fail, I want you to remember what it feels -[Pearl's Mom] like, because that's how I feel every time I look at you. This causes Pearl to snap. She slaps her mother and the fight commences until eventually Pearl shoves her into a fireplace and drags her burnt body into the basement as her father looks on in horror. Pearl's violent outbursts are motivated by her desire to escape her situation. So to cope with this, she turns to a differ

ent kind of escape and heads to the movies. That night, she sleeps with the projectionist and dreams of dancing on the big screen and her mother's burnt face. The next morning, the morning of the audition, he gives her a ride home. And so begins the most awkward morning after of his short life, where he's invited past the maggot infested pig that is still sitting on the front porch to meet her horrified father, who is still sitting at the dinner table. Pearl drags the projectionist upstairs, whe

re she kisses him and talks of running away together forever. The mood is further ruined by Pearl's mom moaning like a banshee in the basement, which the projectionist insists they investigate. So she tells him that it's just the dog locked up in the cellar. This works for the time being, but Pearl is not a great liar because later, while introducing him to all of her animals in the barn, Aka her best audience, she instinctively tells him that she doesn't have a dog when he asks about it. This i

s when the projectionist understandably makes up an excuse to get the hell out of Dodge. When Pearl recognizes that he's lying she turns on him real quick. -[Pearl] You're lying. -[Projectionist] I'm not. -[Pearl] Yes, you are. -[Pearl] I know, cause I feel things very deeply. This is one of our first clues as to what might actually be going on with Pearl. It's pretty clear that she suffers from some kind of mental illness, and possibly more than one. But this line might indicate that Pearl has

borderline personality disorder. Now, I'm not a psychologist, and even psychologists have trouble diagnosing BPD at times, but she does demonstrate symptoms like extreme anger, extreme emotional swings, from extreme closeness to extreme dislike. Basically, everything is extreme. Pair that with a distorted self image, impulsive behavior, and issues around abandonment, and it's likely that this diagnosis would apply to Pearl. -[Pearl] Why are you leaving me? What did you say? Why did you change? -

[Projectionist] You're scaring me, Pearl. That's not to say that people with borderline personality disorder are murderers, but in Pearl's case, she definitely is, as the projectionist would soon find out. When a pitchfork goes through his chest, she screams at him, stating that nothing and nobody is going to keep her on the farm, and finishes by sending the pitchfork right through his face with a stump. After heading back inside to say her goodbyes and tie up any loose ends before her life as a

church dancer begins, she bids her mother farewell and gives her a taste of her own medicine. -[Pearl] I want you to remember what it feels like, -[Pearl] cause that's how I felt every time you looked at me. However, she takes a much different tone with her father, cleaning him up and thanking him for everything before smothering him with a pillow. She rolls the projectionist and his car into the swamp, Norman Bates style, and heads off to her big audition. With everything riding on her success

. (Impact) ♪ Synth Music ♪ At this point, with her bags packed and her family killed, pearl has bet everything on the dance audition. There is no plan B. She even lets this slip in front of Mitsy. -[Pearl] It has to be me. -[Mitsy] I don't think you meant to say that out loud, Pearl. -[Mitsy] Well, if it's not me, then I hope it's you. Right? -[Pearl] It has to be me. While Pearl is focused and deadly serious, almost like an athlete in a pregame ritual, Mitsy is nervous and begs Pearl to switch

places with her. She obliges and Mitsy thanks her, telling her that she's a good friend. -[Pearl] Am I? -[Mitsy] Of course you are. -[Pearl] Sister in laws have to stick together, right? This demonstrates again that Pearl feels things deeply, gets super attached, and is hyper aware of how people see her. She ultimately just wants to be loved and appreciated, something she never got from her mom. Pearl finally gets her moment to shine. She enters the church and takes center stage, for real this

time. Once again, we first see things as they actually are. Pearl's not a bad dancer, but she's not professionally trained either. Then we see things how Pearl imagines them. There are backup dancers, explosions, fireworks and a huge round of applause. Then it all disappears. -[Judge] Thank you, but it's gonna be a no. -[Judge] We're looking for something different today. -[Judge] More All-American, younger and blonde. -[Judge] Someone with X factor. Pearls can't believe it. She explains that it

's the best dancing she's ever done and it can't be so. In her delusion, she sees the judge delivering the bad news as her burnt up mother in a moment of I told you so. After an unhinged fit of weeping and wailing, uncontrollably, Mitsy finds her outside and takes her home, where she accepts defeat. -[PEARL] Mama was right, I’m never getting off this farm. She wonders aloud if there's something really wrong with her, stating that there's something missing in her that the rest of the world has. M

itsy, naively trying to be a good friend, finds out that Pearl never told Howard about this insecurity and suggests that Pearl pretend that she's Howard. As she explains everything. Mitsy would comes to regret this decision because what follows is a nearly seven minute long confession and maybe the clearest insight that we have into what is actually going on in Pearl's head. She confesses that she's angry at Howard, that she cheated on him, that she tried to use him as a way to get off the farm,

that she didn't like being pregnant with Howard's baby, and that she's glad that the pregnancy didn't pan out. She envies his perfect life and laments how her prayers are never answered. She also expresses jealousy for the pretty girls in the movie. -[Pearl] I want what they have so badly. -[Pearl] To be perfect. -[Pearl] To be loved from as many people as possible. -[Pearl] To make up for all my time spent suffering. Sometimes I wake in the middle of the -[Pearl] night and the fear washes over

me. -[Pearl] Because what if this is it? What if this is right where I belong? Failure. This is part of what gives Pearl depth as a villain. She's honest and she wants to be loved, just as all people do To some extent. She's full of normal human emotions like self pity, envy, regret and fear. But cranked up to eleven in terms of how fervently she feels them. Seemingly without realizing it, she moves on from things she shouldn't have said to things she really shouldn't have said. -[Pearl] I'm so

scared that when you finally come home you'll see me and be -[Pearl] frightened like everyone else is. -[Pearl] I know what I've done. -[Pearl] Bad things. -[Pearl] Terrible, awful, murderous things. She reveals everything, claiming that killing is easier than you'd think, then begs for forgiveness, promising to make things right and make a life for them on the farm. -[Pearl] It'd be enough. Just you and me here on this farm. -[Pearl] All I really want is to be loved. -[Pearl] I'm having such a

hard time without it lately. It's the first time that Pearl has ever expressed interest in staying on the farm, apparently giving up on her dreams. And judging by how her story plays out. She must have meant it, but her proclivity towards fame and beauty would stick with her over the years. Finally, for the first time in minutes, she looks up at her poor sister in law, who is absolutely shell shocked. Mitsy makes up an excuse to leave, just like the projectionist did a few hours earlier, and Pe

arl recognizes this immediately and asks Mitsy if she's frightened of her. Mitsy assures her that all is well, but Pearl doesn't buy it. But instead of calling Mitsy you on the lie, she takes it one step further. She congratulates her on getting the part in the dance troupe. Mitsy at first denies that she got the part, but Pearl insists that she doesn't need to lie until she relents and tells Pearl that she got the part. It's a little unclear if she actually did get the part, or if she is once a

gain trying to tell Pearl what she wants to hear in order to escape the situation. Whatever the case, one thing is clear pearl believes it and she doesn't like it, leading things to take a dark turn. – [Pearl] You always get everything you want. Pearl tries to assure Mitsy that she loves Howard and can fix things. She begs her not to tell anybody what she's done, to which Mitsy agrees, but not convincingly enough, Pearl chases her down and murders her with an axe. This one is different, though.

This time she's not motivated by someone getting in the way of her stardom or anger or rejection, but rather out of self preservation. She wants to keep what she's got with Howard, and Mitsy knows too much, thanks to their little role play exercise. -[Pearl] It's not about what I want anymore, Mitsy. -[Pearl] It's about making the best of what I have. Pearl returns to the basement and does her best to patch things up with her dead mother. She lays down and combs her hair, using her powerful imag

ination to daydream of a life where her mom loved her and sang her lullabies. She's falling into a state of complete disassociation from reality in order to continue thriving in her fantasy. She chops up Mitsy and feeds her to Theta, the luckiest gator on earth, probably, then sets the table for a lovely maggot infested porched pig dinner with her parents' corpses. Her complete mental breakdown could not have come at a better time for her husband, who had just been discharged from the war and wa

s on his way home to discover this horrific scene. When he arrives, Pearl does her best to play it cool, but fails miserably. -[Pearl] Howard, -[Pearl] I'm so happy you're home. Pearl smiles at her husband and smiles and smiles and she cries a little and keeps smiling. Her loneliness after Howard went to fight in the war was the main catalyst that drove her over the edge, and his unexpected return essentially broke her brain. We don't know for sure what happened next, but we do know that, for wh

atever reason, Howard stuck around for another 61 years! (Impact) ♪ Mysterious Music ♪ After Howard returns from the horrors of war only to discover that his wife has made a horrifying scene of their own home, he presumably helps her hide the evidence. And given that they lived in the countryside, it's unlikely that anyone would have come investigating. It's possible that he just enjoyed working on the farm and felt it was a sin for a man to divorce his wife, even if she had murdered her parents

, His sister and some movie projectionist that she'd slept with. Hopefully, for Howard's sake, she spared him those last details. Or maybe he stayed with her out of fear of becoming her next target or even being blamed for the murders. Later on Pearl reflects on this time, which may offer a much simpler reason for Howard's compliance. -[Pearl] There wasn't anything you wouldn't do for me back then. -[Pearl] That's the power of beauty. ♪ I did it all for the Nookie! ♪ Anyway, the flu pandemic cam

e to an end, then the Roaring 20s happened, followed by the Great Depression. Pearl never mentions children, and we know that she hated being pregnant, so there's no reason to believe that she and Howard would have started a family. We know that Pearl was left alone on the farm yet again when Howard volunteered to fight in World War II. By the time he came home from that war, pearl was almost 50 years old. We don't know exactly what happened in the 30 years after the war, but we know that Pearl

succeeded in saving what she had with Howard. Either way, the easiest assumption is that Pearl remained on the farm with Howard until we see her again in 1979. Pearl couldn't hide her dark side from Howard, so maybe Howard protected Pearl like her mother did by keeping her isolated on the farm, where the world wouldn't see her dark side. However, it would be safe to assume that Mitsy was not her last victim in the younger half of her life, because 60 years is a long time not to run into a missio

nary or a Girl Scout or a census taker. And Howard still seems to want to shelter her, even in their elder years. At some point, Howard came down with a heart condition and eventually grew too old to do farm work. So in the 1970s, they started renting out a guest house for a little extra income. Howard confesses to Jackson Hole that a Bohemian renter died for trying to entice Pearl. Was the other renter actually trying to entice Pearl? Probably not, but we see this poor Bohemian hanging naked fr

om the basement ceiling later on, so we do know that he was probably murdered. Did Pearl kill him for rejecting her? Did Howard kill him out of jealousy? Whatever it was, there's a messed up dynamic happening on this farm, and things get messed up when a film crew from Houston rents out the guest house. Howard likely would have never let them stay if they knew that they were there to shoot an adult's film, Considering Pearl's history of delusions of stardom, pearl watches as the crew pulls up. T

heir leader, Wayne, even does the shaven haircut thing when he knocks on their front door. Little does he know Pearl and Howard are both over 80 years old. At this point, they can remember when things actually cost two bits. Pearl seems fixated as she stares longingly at Maxine, the young star of the adult movie, through an upstairs window. This could be because Maxine looks a lot like Pearl did when she was younger. In fact, they look exactly alike. Because Mia Goth plays both Pearl and Maxine.

It's not a subtle choice. It's history repeating itself. Both young women are consumed with their obsession to become famous starlets. Pearl and Howard seem to have an arrangement. Howard talks to the renters and Pearl keeps to herself. Religion remains a big part of their lives. Their TV is constantly tuned into a channel featuring sermons from a fire and brimstone preacher who warns of sex fiends lurking where they least expect it. So when Howard finally meets this group of young, underdresse

d guests, he doesn't like it, especially because he knows that it might set Pearl off. So he warns the crew to stay away from her. -[Howard] My wife is next door, so I would appreciate a little discretion. They assumed he was just being old fashioned and protecting his wife from the indecency. But what they don't understand is that Howard is actually protecting them from his wife. But Pearl's curiosity is too strong and she spies on her much younger doppelgänger skinny dipping in Theta's old swa

mp where a new gator, possibly Theda's grandchild, has taken up residence. It's unclear whether Pearl is interested in Maxine's beauty or the possibility of seeing her torn apart by the alligator, but I'm guessing it's both. Maxine unknowingly escapes and Pearl continues to follow her. Eventually, they see each other and Pearl waves sheepishly from the porch. Maxine wanders into the house and does a little snooping. If Pearl ever was the happy homemaker she said she wanted to be, she's not anymo

re. The place is a mess. Pearl doesn't seem to mind Maxine snooping because she offers her a beverage in the creepiest way possible. – [PEARL] Lemonade? Maxine accepts the offer and the two sit at the table and share a wonderful conversation. (Pearl and Maxine sit in silence) Okay, it's not so much a conversation as much as it is Pearl staring at Maxine in deafening silence. Understandably creeped out, She chugs her lemonade and does something we know that Pearl can't stand makes up an excuse to

leave. Pearl walks her to the door, but not before taking a trip down memory lane as she sees herself in Maxine's face. -[Pearl] Such a special face. -[Pearl] Beautiful. Howard arrives home and breaks up the party. So Pearl tells Maxine to leave and keep their encounter a secret. She knows she's not supposed to be interacting with the guests. Just like after seeing the pretty girls in the movies, so many years ago, Pearl once again attempts to recapture her youthful beauty by combing her hair a

nd putting on makeup. At some point, although this doesn't happen on screen, Pearl must have communicated to Howard that she wanted Maxine, who they later refer to as the One, and this most likely happened that afternoon. When they discuss this later on, however, he still isn't clear on which girl Pearl has her eye on, and it's not clear if he wanted her to start killing or if he was actually trying to prevent it. Luckily, this isn't an analysis of Howard, but it's worth noting. That evening, sh

e sneaks out and attempts to live vicariously as she watches Maxine film her scene through the cabin window, just as her delusions about her own self image ran wild in 1918, she sees these relations happen and believes that she can have the same effect. That evening, she dresses up and tries to seduce Howard, which he has to turn down because of his bad heart. Once again, Pearl can't get what she wants, while those younger and prettier get everything that she's ever wanted. It's the dance tryout

all over again. Later that night, she wakes up unable to contain her geriatric horniness, and ends up scaring the crap out of the heartbroken Camera guy on his way out of the farm. He gets out of the van to check on her as if she were a loose patient wandering the halls of a nursing home. Also, everyone's favorite song, which is totally not overused in movies and TV is playing on the radio. ♪ Don't Fear the Reaper ♪ Little does he know, Pearl is the same desperate, attention starved woman that

she's always been. And when he goes to help, she tries to kiss him. -[Pearl] Look at me like you looked at her. -[RJ] What? -[Pearl] I can show you what I'm capable of. The camera guy politely declines, and Pearl, predictably, does not handle the rejection well. She stabs him in the neck, 23 times, to be exact, I guess kind of making good on her promise of showing him what she's capable of. After the murder, Pearl takes a moment to dance in her own little dream world, just like she was doing wh

en we first met her, and also like the first time we met her. She is unable to stop after just one victim. (Impact) ♪ Stinger ♪ As Howard searches the grounds for her, Pearl stalks Wayne. As he searches the barn for his missing cameraman, he notices Pearl's movement around the barn's perimeter, leading him to peek through a hole in the wall. And when he does, Pearl stabs him in the eye with her weapon of choice a pitchfork. Later, Pearl walks into the barn, casting a devilish silhouette to finis

h the job with a pretty weak pitchfork stab. Not bad for an octogenarian, I guess. From there, she makes her way into Maxine's bedroom and climbs into bed with her for a little skin to skin spooning sesh with strawberry syrup. Eventually, maxine wakes up, realizes that this is not her boyfriend, and runs out of the room, startling Bobby-Lynne, the blonde co-star of the adult film. As Pearl heads down to the pier, Bobby-Lynne follows her, fearing that the old woman might be having an episode. Who

would have thought that these dirty film types would be so solicitous about the welfare of a crazy old woman? Pearl slaps BBobby-Lynne for her trouble, letting her old jealous tendencies dictate her behavior. -[Pearl] Why should you get to have it all? What have you ever done except be a whore? Pearl shoves Bobby-Lynne into the swamp, where she quickly becomes gator food. So much for being a good Samaritan. Pearl finally meets up with Howard. He asks her if that was the one. -[Pearl] You know I

don't like blondes. Guess she still hasn't forgotten about being snubbed from the church dance group 61 years prior. They continue looking for Maxine in the room where she was sleeping. Howard tells Pearl that he's got the sound girl Lorraine trapped in the basement. But Pearl is disappointed because she wants Maxine. She sees her as special because of their similarities. Pearl asks him to tell her that she's special. Although they've spent many decades together, she still feels the need to be

told that she's loved and admired after all of these years. She's like the world's oldest pick-me-girl. So Howard makes love to Pearl, heart be damned, and not realizing that Maxine is listening to all of this from under the bed, scarred for life. We can't be sure if Pearl or Howard successfully finished the job, and I don't want to know. But we do know that they eventually followed the fleeing Maxine back to their main house, where she was attempting to free Lorraine from the basement. Lorraine

tries to make her escape out the front door, but Pearl and Howard are ready for her. Howard blasts her with a shotgun right there on the front porch and immediately begins planning the cover up. -[Howard] If nobody shows up by tomorrow, we'll take the body and we'll dump her in -[Howard] the pond with the others. Pearl watches as Howard moves Lorraine's body back inside the house. But when Lorraine twitches ever so slightly, it scares him so badly that he has a heart attack. Pearl runs to his a

id, begging Maxine for help. But Maxine responds by pulling a gun on her, which, as we've come to expect, sends her adoration towards the younger girl, all the way to the other end of the spectrum into blind fury. -[Pearl] Deviant little whore. -[Pearl] Poor thing. -[Pearl] You’ll end up just like me. At this moment, Pearl truly sounds like her mother. And worse yet, Maxine looks and sounds exactly like Pearl did in her youth. -[Maxine] I'm a star. -[Maxine] The whole world is gonna know my nam

e. Unfortunately for Maxine, she was not counting on her gun being empty. And this gives Pearl the chance to pick up the shotgun and fire back against her. The blast sends Pearl flying backwards through the screen door and causes her to break her hip. All she can do is beg for help. As Maxine brushes past and leaves her for dead, Pearl's dying words reflect a life of regret, of prayers unanswered and dreams unfulfilled. -[Pearl] You're not innocent. -[Pearl] You're not special. -[Pearl] It'll al

l be taken from you, just like it was from me. Even in her dying moments, Pearl didn't get what she wanted. She wanted to be loved. She wanted to be a star, to be seen and be appreciated. Instead, she frightened people and at the end she was physically repulsive to the crowd she so desperately wanted to be a part of. While we have no way of knowing exactly what happened on the farm between World War I and 1979, we do know that at least one unlucky Bohemian was murdered in that time. And Howard w

as very aware of what might happen if Pearl got to interact with the adults film crew. Someone as mentally disturbed as Pearl doesn't just get better over time without treatment. One thing we do know is that Pearl's life was ultimately a tragedy. In her final moments, before her skull got flattened under the tires of a truck she watched Maxine prepare to leave the farm for good. Pearl yearned to leave so desperately in her youth, but she never got the chance. Both Pearl and X were made by A24. I

f you want to learn more history from other A24 films, check out my analysis of The VVitch from Robert Eggers The VVitch by clicking the video on the left. Don't forget to pick up these CZsWorld Metal Merch with the link in the description. And remember to subscribe to CZsWorld for new horrors every week. Ring the Deathbell for notifications and I'll see you in the next video. Assuming we both survive.