Feeding parents to alligators, spearing friends in the face with a pitchfork and a bathtub full of slaughtered chickens: the backstory of Pearl certainly does not make your average prequel. Since the release of Ti West’s X, it is safe to say A24 has only become more fervent in their ambition to produce as much blood, gore and terror-stricken plot lines as possible — something which has also birthed the likes of the highly-anticipated Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. But what’s so special about Pearl? Why do we care for the murderous old woman who reigned havoc upon the rural Texan property seen in X?

For one, we have Mia Goth. Having played both Maxine and Pearl in the slasher film’s original picture, Mia reprises her role as Pearl with a reimagined (and totally formidable) persona. While we watched Pearl descend into madness as she came to terms with the loss of her desirability and youth at the tail-end of X, Pearl sees a more hopeful figure — one with all the promise and talent of a star, yet clipped at the wings due to her circumstances. In a defiance-turned-dangerous approach, Pearl explores the lengths to which a woman hungry for fame will go to — and the ultimate demise that faces her at her failure.

Interspersed with A24’s signature penchant for the disturbing, Pearl already appears to be no easy feat, yet with ample twists and shocking revelations in store, we believe we can speak for everyone in saying that we aren’t ready to lose Pearl just yet.

To watch the trailer now, head below…