X and Pearl (Spooky Thoughts)
I tried to watch the horror movie X (2022).
I tried and I never finished it. It was too boring.
When I was pumping out thoughts on the Halloween universe I started to get the horror bug. So I put on Pearl (also 2022). It was also boring but I finished it. I would say, between the two, Pearl is better than X insofar as I made it to the final credits.
It’s not great. But it’s far from the worst.
I get the commentary with the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918. That makes sense coming out of the ~730-day global death dance. What I don’t get are the numbers.
Pearl takes place in 1918. X takes place in 1979, 61 years later.
In the movie Pearl, the main character comments that her sister-in-law is blonder and younger than her. She’s married with her husband off to war.
At what age is it believable for Pearl to feel like she is not as youthful as her sister-in-law Mitsy?
If Pearl was 18 in 1918 she’d be 79 in 1979.
Am I wrong to assume that her comments on not being as youthful as Mitsy would logically put her older than 18, or does being 18 make sense?
I know. I know, I know, I know. I can hear some of you saying: “Yeah but things were different more than a century ago.”
Yes. I am aware. A crap-ton of things were different in 1918. And farm livin is hard livin — also aware. Ergo, maybe 18 didn’t seem as youthful in the early 1900s as it does in the 2020s.
Let’s just assume that then. Let’s assume that her age is the same as the year: 18 in 1918, 60 in 1960, and 79 in 1979.
Still. Kinda hard to believe.
Most of X has kinda faded from my memory. I was indeed bored. But at least there’s thematic continuity: Pearl’s jealousy of more youthful figures.
And I will say I liked the symbolism of the roasted pork.
The dinner scene was straight out of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. What it does better than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, in any version or sequel, is show Pearl’s regret and twisted love.
Conceptually, not too shabby. It’s enough for me to want to see MaXXXine and maybe take another look at X.
Like spooky thoughts?
Read my first bit on Halloween here .
And my second bit on Halloween here.
Spooky in, spooky out.
