Filmmaker Ti West returns with another chapter from the twisted world of X in this astonishing follow-up to the year’s most acclaimed horror film. Trapped on her family’s isolated farm, Pearl must tend to her ailing father under the bitter and overbearing watch of her devout mother. Lusting for a glamorous life like she’s seen in the movies, Pearl’s ambitions, temptations, and repressions all collide in the stunning, Technicolor-inspired origin story of X’s iconic villain.

For in-depth thoughts on Pearl, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Lionsgate Home Entertainment brings Pearl to Blu-Ray with a dazzling 1080p video presentation in its original 2.39:1 that perfectly captures the heightened Technicolor aesthetic. The image is virtually spotless with the bright, candy-colored palette popping off the screen. The film delights in splashes of bold colors within the production design and clothing, which makes for a rich image. The bright whites show no signs of blooming, and the black levels are tremendously deep and inky with no discernible digital noise. The flesh tones are natural with a striking amount of detail present in close-ups. The presentation provides a substantial amount of depth on display, especially in the expanse of corn fields. The period-perfect production design, along with the fabrics of vintage clothing, provide crystal clear textural details. This is as lovely of a presentation as any modern movie should deliver on Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a chilling DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings this story to life perfectly. Dialogue is even more important this time around, and it always comes through crisp and clear without being clipped by any competing sounds. The thrills come at a different tempo this outing, but the environmental sounds of the world keep the track engaged in the surround speakers in a really pleasing way. Ambient noises are precisely placed in the rear channels. The score of this film flows through the speakers in a delightful, well-balanced way. There are a few exaggerated moments in the film that engage the low end such as some death blows, but it is not a standout in that regard. The audio track provides the nuanced execution you would want from it. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

Coming Out Of Her Shell – The Creation Of Pearl: A nearly 12-minute behind-the-scenes piece in which the cast and creative team discuss the origins of the project, the collaboration between Mia Goth and Ti West, the deeper themes being explored, the visual aesthetic, and much more that offer a good, brief overview of the film.

Time After Time: A four-minute featurette in which the cast and crew discuss the process of transitioning the cruddy house from X to the idealized home in Pearl. There are some insights into the logistics of making all of this happen.

Trailers: There is a Teaser Trailer (1:02) and Theatrical Trailer (2:13) provided on this disc.

Final Thoughts

Pearl is the type of deeper character exploration which sequels should strive to be if they want to be effective. This considered excavation of a human psyche is balanced well with an aesthetic that honors the Golden Age of Hollywood. The craft and care put into each element of this feature shows that the creative team not only cares about, but deeply understands what they are trying to approximate. The terror may be a slightly different flavor this outing, but it works perfectly thanks to the career-defining work from Mia Goth. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a pretty excellent A/V presentation and a few fine special features. If you loved X, this is a no-brainer, but even detractors of that one might appreciate what the team has accomplished with this one. Recommended

Pearl will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 15, 2022.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.