Martin Scorsese Praises A24’s Amazing Horror Film Pearl

Ti West’s horror franchise is a major hit to fans who enjoy gut-wrenching slasher films. Martin Scorsese praised Mia Goth and West’s collaboration in Pearl, a prequel to the film X (2022).

Pearl was released to theaters on September 16, earning $3,124,600 at the box office. The slasher flick has the third-highest box office, behind The Woman King and Barbarian.

Pearl is a prequel film, which follows Pearl’s backstory, before the gory events of X. Despite her conservative upbringing, Pearl desires more than anything to rebel against her parents and become a star. Thus, her mind spirals into madness leading her to a violent killing spree. 

The horror film stars Mia Goth (Emma) returning to the franchise as Pearl, Alistair Sewell (The Power of the Dog) as Howard her love-struck boyfriend, and Matthew Sunderland (The Nightingale) as Pearl’s strict father. The anticipated motion picture was produced by rapper Kid Cudi and Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson.

Many fans have raved over Mia Goth’s surreal and disturbing performance as the main protagonist, Pearl.

mia goth went into the A24 building and sat down with the president of A24 and said i wanna make history and that’s what pearl is

— mari (@marisohoe) September 19, 2022

Mia Goth has a 6 minute monologue in #PearlMovie that will absolutely blow your mind!

This was an Oscar worthy performance no doubt and the way Mia portrays Pearl’s shifting personality while still making the audience feel a sense of empathy for her struggles is brilliant! pic.twitter.com/0uARcQjePz

— B29 Media | Brandon M (@B29Media) September 15, 2022

But fans aren’t the only ones loving the slasher flick.

Notable director Martin Scorsese (The Irishman) praises Ti-West’s Pearl. He states that Ti West and Mia Goth created a disturbing and enthralling film. He describes the film as “wild, mesmerizing,” and “disturbing.” Although the flick horrified him, he “couldn’t stop watching.”

While Scorsese is known for his reputable films, he went viral in 2019 after his criticism of superhero films. According to The Guardian, the film veteran claimed he had tried seeing the appeal of Marvel movies. However, despite his attempts, he declares that MCU films are “not cinema.”

He proclaims these types of films aren’t “the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”

His commentary was proven controversial as Marvel fans went up with arms defending the MCU. Although Scorsese is not a fan of the superhero genre, he explains he has other preferences when it comes to movie watching.

“What am I looking for? I’m looking for people with a need to express something,” Scorsese reveals. 

Ti West has made several horror movies such as The House of the Devil (2009) and a Western thriller called In a Valley of Violence (2016). Martin Scorsese describes West’s filmography as an “undiluted love” for cinema, which is a rarity.

Kid Cudi reportedly took to Twitter to tweet his excitement at the legendary director’s praise. He penned “This blows my mind. Martin Scorsese loves a movie I produced. Wow. Mad Solar, we here now.”

This blows my mind. Martin Scorsese loves a movie I produced. Wow. Mad Solar, we here now. https://t.co/6cG4ENFP7V

— The Chosen One (@KiDCuDi) September 20, 2022

Mia Goth executive produced and co-wrote Pearl with director Ti West. Goth and West wrote Pearl over Facetime, in hopes of developing a richer backstory for the younger version of Pearl from X. 

While trailers expose Pearl as violent and gruesome, there is a dichotomy in Pearl’s character. Mia Goth describes Pearl as “a dreamer, and she is such an emotional person, somebody who wears her heart on her sleeve and is quite sensitive. To be able to have a character like that to sink your teeth into was so rich.”

In addition, the trailer also reveals hints of Pearl’s naivety. In the film, she explains “All I want is to be loved by as many people as possible.” She declares “I want to be special, dancing up on the screen like the pretty girls in the pictures.”

Pearl’s in-depth characterization is a testament to the writing of the film. There’s no doubt the film’s phenomenal script and cinematography are what led to its success and Scorsese’s well-deserved praise.

If you think that’s the end of Ti West’s horror franchise, you’ll be surprised to hear that his upcoming film, MaXXXine, is being released in theaters soon. West is one of the few directors to release multiple films of the same franchise in one year, creating an exciting trilogy.

If MaXXXine is even half as good as X and Pearl we might have the best trilogy of horror movies since The Evil Dead pic.twitter.com/Gd5eAeMvq7

— Ryan DiBenedetto (@DiBenedettoRyan) September 19, 2022

Here at Glitter, we are excited to see what comes next for the horror trilogy in the final installment of the franchise, MaXXXine. Pearl is available now in theaters near you. Fans can watch the teaser for the upcoming film MaXXXine down below.