Right now, the Barbie doll you either loved, hated, or were indifferent to as a child is having a moment. The film featuring the iconic doll is busting down the box office, sparking a wave of internet discourse, and, now, a man who says there were no Black Barbies during his youth has been shown receipts. 735tp

As of this story’s filing, the post has been hit with a wave of re-tweets, quotes, and replies. Those familiar with the doll’s history know (and NBC News recently reported) the first Black Barbie entered the market in 1980. Before this, Barbie had friend dolls with darker skin named Francie and Christie, which debuted in 1967 and 1968, respectively, and one says his ignorance is stunning.

Over in the re-tweets, the sentiment remains the same. Several Black women are saying this person is sad because they are finding joy in something. Another adds this is clearly a sign the man has not been to a Black woman’s house during his younger years, as apparently, the brand was ubiquitous. A ionate collector says it is okay to it when you are wrong, and she hopes he eventually does so.

Though, given his response, this does not seem likely.

Those who are cool with the Barbie doll and broader brand can check out the film in theaters now. It can be paired with the contrasting Oppenheimer for a long day at the cinema, and a star of the serious historical drama has recently indicated he is open to being in a Barbie sequel, if one should happen.

When it comes to horror, few subgenres have as much staying power as the slasher. Over the years the stories of a person with a knife and sometimes supernatural abilities targeting teenagers have been good, and bad, and, now fans are picking the best since 2020.

The question got sparked by the above post on Twitter which cites one original film, one fresh adaptation, and two legacy sequels produced in recent years. While some picked the above movies for their best, others went with more obscure work like a film from James Wan which features a wild twist, and some pretty crazy camerawork that set it apart from other movies in the same vein.

While current releases were popular picks, another person went against the grain and has chosen an film for the best of the bunch. In their view, the new work about a killer doll that has sparked a variety of memes is truly going to be a special bit.

For another, the current era also feels reminiscent of earlier times, too. Specifically, it is a bit like being back in the days of Ronald Reagan when works with Robert Englund, Doug Bradley, and others were regularly burning up cinemas with blood and bodies.

Whatever fans feel now, there will certainly be more to choose from in the future. Sequels in the Scream franchise are in development, more for Friday the 13th may come if the rights ever get sorted out, and, as many of these kinds of movies are cheap to make, audiences can expect more Halloween one day and there will always be independent folks hard at work on scares as well.

Mia Goth has become an unlikely new face of horror thanks to Ti West’s X duology which has transformed her into one of the most menacing characters in the modern genre canon.

Initially just the very tongue-in-cheek film X in which Goth played both the youngest adult movie starlet Maxine Minx and elderly kill machine Pearl, she’s now seen a sequel/prequel following the origins of the latter in an eponymous flick. The first film was very divisive among the hardcore horror fanbase, with it deemed either brilliant or self-indulgent.

Pearl’s recent release has seen a wave of new behind-the-scenes content come out, with a deeply fascinating video displaying how the make-up and prosthetics were applied to Goth during production. In an age of moviemaking obsessed with CGI enhancements, it’s a joy to see some practically done effects.

The time-lapsed video turns her from a recgonizable face to one which you’d struggle to recognise as Goth in the slightest. As horror’s new “it” girl, she better be ready for a lot more fun with make-up artists as at least two more horror projects have been greenlit with her as the lead.

Body horror director David Cronenberg’s son Brandon will see Goth as his lead in Infinity Pool, which does not currently have a confirmed release schedule. She’s far from over in the West horror trilogy either, with MaXXXine now confirmed to be in production as it wraps up the saga.

X is currently available to rent from most streaming services, while Pearl is currently in theaters.

Ti West has delivered another hair-raising, gore-filled technicolor spectacle in Pearl, the prequel to the critically acclaimed modern-day slasher, X. In association with A24, X released in March 2022, impressed at the box office, and was praised for its direction, cinematography, and Mia Goth’s dual performances. A third installment in the franchise and a sequel to X, MaXXXine, is currently in the works, but West isn’t rejecting the possibility of a fourth film.

Inspired by the likes of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), West’s X follows filmmakers and actors who rent out an elderly couple’s property in rural Texas to shoot an X-rated film, though soon discover that their hosts have disturbing intentions. X was shot back-to-back with its prequel, Pearl, which chronicles the origin story of Goth’s now-famous titular villain as she dreams of becoming a Hollywood sensation and will do whatever it takes to see her name in lights.

Speaking to The Wrap, West has now teased a fourth installment, all while deep-diving into the X trilogy and explaining that while each film correlates with one another, X, Pearl, and MaXXXine can also function as standalone stories. Additionally, he reveals that Pearl and MaXXXine were conceived at the same time, but while A24 jumped at the prospect of MaXXXine, West insisted that an origin story was necessary to tie up some loose ends in continuity and character.

“At the moment, I do not have plans for part four. However, I have an idea…. Let’s see how “MaXXXine” goes. There’s an intriguing spinoff that would make sense if I was insane. But I don’t have plans to. When I had the “Pearl” idea, I had the “MaXXXine” idea at the same time. And so I sold the “MaXXXine” idea to A24 and they really liked it and they were like, “We want to do that.” And I was always like, “Yeah, but we have to go back before we can go forward.

Because “MaXXXine” as a sequel to “X” is fine. “MaXXXine” as part of a trilogy about these characters is infinitely more interesting. And by “Pearl” going back and going way into a different aesthetic and showing everybody how these movies can be connected but can be standalones and be radically different, “MaXXXine” does the same thing. It does a different thing, but “Pearl” now gives you context for how “MaXXXine” could be wildly different than “X,” which it is.”

Although co-existing with X, which takes place in the late seventies/early eighties, Pearl takes us all the way back to 1918. Referencing cult classics like The Wizard of Oz and paying homage to the golden age of Hollywood, Pearl borrows its aesthetic from iconic director Douglas Sirk, who often worked with mises-en-scène and eye-popping technicolor in successful melodramas such as A Time to Love and a Time to Die and Imitation of Life.

It isn’t too late to catch Pearl in select theaters, but it won’t be long before the blood-soaked prequel makes it to streaming services. While we’ve yet to be given an official word on MaXXXine‘s release, the likelihood is early 2023.

Movies from Marvel still move millions at the box office, but occasionally, others still get to break through. Pearl in the X franchise is one. The prequel has not only received praise, it’s apparently director Martin Scorsese’s cup of cinematic-violence tea.

The 79-year-old makes his view known in a new article published by /Film today. He says the work from director and franchise creator Ti West is powered by a clear love for cinema, and adds what he does give to the public is so rare in the industry now.

“Ti West’s movies have a kind of energy that is so rare these days, powered by a pure, undiluted love for cinema. You feel it in every frame. A prequel to X made in a diametrically opposite cinematic (think 50s Scope color melodramas), Pearl makes for a wild, mesmerizing, deeply — and I mean deeply — disturbing 102 minutes. West and his muse and creative partner Mia Goth really know how to toy with their audience … before they plunge the knife into our chests and start twisting.”

Later Scorsese — no stranger to violence in his filmography — says the work enthralled him, disturbed him, unsettled him, and kept him from looking away. As well, he apparently had difficulty in dozing off after the credits rolled on the recent horror production.

“I was enthralled, then disturbed, then so unsettled that I had trouble getting to sleep. But I couldn’t stop watching.”

A third film in the franchise, titled MaXXXine, is in development. Here’s hoping Scorsese chimes in on it when it sees the light of day, or dives back into making unsettling and scary movies himself. He has previously dabbled, with work like Cape Fear and Shutter Island which, while not as explicitly scary as X or other works, certainly have their moments. Scorsese’s next movie is Killers of the Flower Moon, while West has previously been involved with things like The Sacrament, The House of The Devil, and In a Valley of Violence. He has also created a number of short films, like Prey, and M is for Miscarriage, as well.

The slasher genre has died off in recent years as horror became increasingly mainstream and safe with its violence, but A24 had no issues releasing the divisive film X.

The Ti West-directed film sees a group of young people drive out to the middle of nowhere in Texas to film an adult video, only to slowly realize a cruel cate would await them. Starring queen of the eyebrow-less Mia Goth, it saw fans completely unsure of what they’d seen, and the debate continues to rage on.

A supposedly meta-slasher film that tries to subvert the tropes by falling into the tropes, X still has horror fans talking on Reddit.

The film hinges on Goth playing both the main character and the villainous serial killer, with her putting on huge amounts of makeup and prosthetics to look as if she’s a harsh wind away from death. Thematically, it’s absolutely sound and there are big proponents of West’s vision.

What is horror if not the “virtue-less teenagers” getting their comeuppance from an anti-sex figure, which is displayed painfully obviously in X. Staying heavily on the theme of youth being wasted on the young, the sex is essentially an afterthought here to many.

West has done the homage to horror many times before, and some audiences are starting to get a bit sick of it. As articulated by one comment, why watch the homage when you can just watch the infinitely better originals they’re referencing? West’s strength throughout these films is definitely his cinematography and way of going about his themes.

X has now spawned a prequel titled Pearl, which follows the origins of the serial killer and what made her the way she is. Pearl and X are only available to rent, with them purchasable on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, and YouTube.

Mia Goth acts her age to reprise her role as Pearl from Ti West’s successful slasher flick X. Written, directed, produced and edited by West himself, X follows a cast of hopeful filmmakers who rent out a property in rural Texas from an elderly couple in order to make a ‘tasteful’ pornographic film. Mia Goth stars in a dual role as a mid-twenties wannabe pornographic actress — the promiscuous Maxine Minx — and Pearl, a working-class woman lamenting her age and expressing jealousy towards Maxine’s ‘free-spirited’ attitude and lack of constraint when it comes to sexual endeavors.

Courtesy of A24, the official synopsis for Pearl reads as follows:

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.

Shortly after its theatrical run, Ti West revealed that X was filmed back-to-back with its prequel, Pearl, and Mia Goth would be reprising her role as a younger-aged Pearl for an in-depth exploration of her youth, including her relationship with Howard. Pearl also stars David Corenswet as Howard, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, and Emma Jenkins-Purro.

A24, the independent studio behind Hereditary, Midsommar and the slasher Bodies Bodies Bodies, are producing and distributing West’s prequel with Jacob Jaffke, Harrison Kreiss and Kevin Turen serving as producers and Goth, Dennis Cummings, Sam Levinson, Ashley Levinson, Karina Manashil, Scott Mescudi and Peter Phok executive producing.

Speaking to Fangoria, West shared details about Mia Goth’s role as the central villain in both X and Pearl, considering Goth to be a key component in the correspondence.

In of what I wanted to do with the movie, Mia just came in right from the jump and was like, ‘I can kill this.’ I just believed her; I just believed that she totally got these characters. So that’s how Pearl came about. I decided that I wanted to make a film set in 1918 that’s all about that character, and we have already made and finished it. And Mia’s just tremendous in that, too.

Plus, I love that with the character of Pearl that Mia was able to create a villain character that wasn’t going to be a normal villain, and I love how she gave this character some humanity to her which is what that movie [Pearl] hangs on.

West has also stated that while X was heavily influenced by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise and the works of Mario Bava, exploring how the rise of independent filmmaking affected society, Pearl will be a melodrama-meets-Technicolor style of Mary Poppins made as a “demented Disney movie” and based on the works of Douglas Sirk.

Pearl is coming to theaters on Sep. 16.

Unbeknownst at the time to the horror aficionados who ranted and raved about it, Ti West’s slasher flick X, produced by scare-central distributor A24, filmed an at-the-time confidential project alongside the main feature. In the months since its critically acclaimed release, X has received its prequel title: Pearl. A24 and Ti West have been tight-lipped about the much-anticipated prequel for a long time, but the silence has finally been broken.

Another well-kept secret was that Mia Goth, who portrays Maxine Minx in Ti West’s innovative slasher, stars in a dual role as the film’s main antagonist, Pearl. Achieved solely with prosthetics and makeup, Goth was aged fifty years and given the chance to flex her acting muscles, proving her impressive range as an elderly woman suffering from heartache and psychosis in sharp contrast with a twenty-something porn star.

A24 have shared the official poster for Pearl, featuring Mia Goth as a younger version of the character in Victorian-esque clothing. Ti West directed the prequel and co-wrote its screenplay with Mia Goth, working closely with the lead actress to capture Pearl’s personality as a much younger — but just as homicidal — working-class woman. Check out the poster below, which is stylized with the familiar neon effect seen in West’s X poster.

Currently in post-production, A24 have also announced that an official trailer for Pearl will drop tomorrow. Mia Goth is ed by David Corenswet as Howard, and Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, and Emma Jenkins-Purro in undisclosed roles.

Courtesy of Bloody Disgusting, West vaguely described the project thusly:

“Part of the idea of this movie that’s cool to me is that there is a bigger thing to it all. What I can tell you about Pearl, because we’ve already made it and it’s done, is it is very much a story about Pearl. So you will learn more about her. It is stylistically very different from X. You do not need one without the other, but they enrich each other in a specific way. In the way that X is affected, let’s say by 1970s horror independent filmmaking and Americana cinema, Pearl is influenced by a very different era of filmmaking. If we do the third one, it will be affected by a different type of cinema.”

The official synopsis for Pearl has been revealed and reads as follows:

“Set during WWI in 1918 and explores the origins of Pearl, the villainous character from X. The events take place prior to the previous film, and explore how the cabin, where the ‘massacre of X’ takes place, was once used as a boarding house during the war.”

Hopefully, the trailer for Pearl will give us a concrete release date, but since the film is in post-production, it can be expected to release later this year.

A24, the independent production company responsible for Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019), has collaborated with visionary horror director Ti West (The House of the Devil, The InnKeepers) on the latest modern slasher: X. West has been known to dabble in the supernatural and found footage facets of the boundless horror genre, but taking on the expectations that arise with the slasher genre — especially when following in the footsteps of cult-classics like Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th — is an entirely different challenge. Slashers are arguably the most popular and prominent of the horror subgenres, therefore placing extreme peer pressure on Ti West to deliver a memorable reinvention. West likely knew this — even before conceiving the concept — and valiantly defied all odds.

Firstly, addressing the underlying themes that pulse in the veins of X‘s central narrative, West handles these brilliantly. Pearl — a vengeful old woman — clearly grew up in a conservative, Christian household, where it was frowned upon to engage in sexual activities before marriage. Due to these restrictions, Pearl missed out on the thrilling pursuit of multiple sexual partners during her promiscuous teenage years (and beyond). She got married to Howard (Stephen Ure) who hasn’t aged gracefully at all and can no longer pleasure her, lest his weak heart give out. Pearl grows increasingly jealous of Maxine, who has committed herself to her boyfriend Wayne (Martin Henderson), but still performs sexual acts with co-star Jackson (Scott Mescudi) for a pornographic film. Mia Goth, who portrays a dual-role as both Pearl and Maxine, conveys the obvious contrast between free spirited Maxine and Pearl’s envy beautifully.

Throughout the film, Pearl laments her age, expresses jealousy of Maxine’s youth and covets the sex-positive lifestyle, slowly becoming obsessed with reliving her youth and having a do-over to make up for lost time. Oppositely, Maxine belittles Pearl, showing minimal empathy for her circumstances, which Maxine firmly believes to be entirely avoidable, had Pearl escaped her Christian upbringing. Pearl and Maxine alone breed such tension that X could have revolved solely around them and still excelled. Mia Goth unquestionably steals the show, then, but the ing isn’t to be overlooked.

In particular, Jenna Ortega — the up-and-coming “Scream Queen” of the modern age — stands out with her blood-curdling shrieks of sheer terror, only matched by triple-threats Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow and Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi) who bring levity, contradiction and literal ion to the table that feeds the beast of misfortune that hunts them down.

Stephen Ure, completely underrated as Howard, makes his presence known on-screen without the needless dramatics. He lurks in an undercurrent — rarely seen but ever-present and inconspicuously deadly — occasionally unearthing the most unsettling, life-threatening aspects of seclusion in an undisclosed location. Ure has such believable, authentic on-screen chemistry with Goth, despite the staggering age difference, that it can only be a testament to their individual talent. They both represent an impending doom, comparable to the alligators they so often tell cautionary tales about, always skulking beneath the murky surface and awaiting the prime moment to strike.

At first glance, X appears to rely on the overused horror tropes involving a band of teens meeting a familiar fate at the hands of the same old serial killers. If we look beyond its exoskeleton, deep within its bones, X revolutionizes modern slashers with the innovative inner-workings of a meticulously thought-out, carefully hand-crafted masterpiece that earns a coveted spot in the cult-classic clique. Ti West orchestrates the build-up of foreshadowing, making a sweet-sounding melody out of hand-picked shots, a foreboding score and nail-bitting close-calls, only to confirm our worst suspicions in the most poetically grotesque and disturbing way possible. All the crew are in perfect harmony, and it shows in every perfectly-polished scene.

Countless “what the f**k” moments, which initially appear to alter the present tone and seem horrendously misplaced and disruptive, somehow fit precisely where they belong and keep the film’s sinister undertones at the forefront. West manages to constantly remind viewers that this frail and infirm old woman, who has suffered life-long deprivation and rejection, should never — not at any moment — deserve sympathy. However, the storytelling is so effortlessly gripping and poignant that Pearl still gains the sympathy vote regardless.

X questions the morals of the viewer just as much as Pearl herself.

It sets up confusion by making Pearl likeable, expecting audiences to understand her current state, then strips away all redeemable qualities. X abandons the stereotype that serial killers need to be middle-aged persons driven by the need for revenge, and it sets Pearl apart from the others as a desperate and severely underestimated elder who may be fully cognizant or not, but West delights in leaving the audiences guessing as to her motives, which aren’t always explicitly evident.

Unsurprisingly, West’s latest features a healthy dose of gore. Not as off-putting as James Wan’s Saw, but not so uninspired as John Carpenter’s Halloween. West delivers the thrill of the macabre without removing its purpose within the metaphysical story. Rather than a demonic spirit or mass-murderer with impossible superhuman strength, X proposes an arguably normal — and to some extent misunderstood — but extremely real and plainly wronged woman who may have deep-seated psychological disturbances that exacerbate her warped views. Pearl is extraordinarily ordinary, and that believability and realism only makes her more threatening.

In all other departments, it goes without saying that West’s slasher ticks all the boxes. Goth’s transformation into Pearl makes her unrecognizable as a 20-something-year-old, allowing her to truly embody the role. As for the visual effects, X never misses a beat when it comes to authenticity; every gunshot, environmental model and bloody crime scene looks flawless, making the overall experience all the more immersive.

Arguably, the opening act is the weakest. Even then, its only flaw barely impacts overall quality. X takes its time to introduce the characters, give them individual personalities — sometimes relatable ones — and set the central conflict in motion by allowing two worlds to collide in Maxine and Pearl. We see these polar opposites interact and forget that Mia Goth is essentially talking to herself in a dimly-lit kitchen. All at once, audiences get a glimpse of backstory and the best of both worlds in Maxine’s careless attitude against Pearl’s graceless advances. From then on, X finds its footing, and it runs, never losing the momentum and producing a blood-soaked spectacle that relies more on outstanding characterization and comprehensive world-building than sensory overload. As the saying goes — the devil is in the details — and West adheres to that principle throughout.

Eliot Rockett deserves special praise for commanding the camera with poise and precision. Rockett executes West’s pointed vision, generating breathtaking and three-dimensional shots that blur the line between a fictional fable and an ill-fated, anecdotal expedition. Likewise, Tyler Bates and Chelsea Wolfe round off the creative ensemble and seal the deal with a killer score that evokes sadness when it wants to and arouses fear when it needs to.

X welcomes the new generation of slashers, paying homage to classics but refashioning the old tropes with the flair and finesse of a technologically advanced and remarkably cultivated 21st century. Ti West outdid himself with this one, improving on past practices and changing the game for potential competitors. As West has already confirmed, a prequel is on its way. If it turns out to be even half as good as X, West could have a franchise legacy in his crystal ball.

Almost a week after its theatrical debut, Ti West‘s X has swept moviegoers off their feet and everyone is raving about the latest modernized slasher — even infamous horror novelist Stephen King. X follows a group of young filmmakers who rent a property in rural Texas from an old married couple, hoping to use the location to make a pornographic film. When the old couple catches them in the act, it becomes a disgustingly gory and refreshingly zany free-for-all.

West made his directorial debut with 2001 short The Wicked, kick-starting his filmmaking career. He would later become known for his work in horror films, including The Roost (2005), The House of the Devil (2009), The Innkeepers (2011), and The Sacrament (2013). In 2020, West ed the latest horror-themed project titled X, produced by independent company A24, which distributed standout psychological horrors Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019).

Now, less than a week after its worldwide release, X has earned rave reviews from audiences, critics and horror legends. Taking to Twitter to praise Ti West’s latest creation, Stephen King gave the unconventional slasher his good graces, providing extremely positive for potential viewers on the fence about shelling out for a theater ticket. He wrote, “X is an extremely good horror movie. Scary, smart, knowing. Oh. And entertaining.”

Ti West’s innovative slasher has warranted a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been named a “horror classic” by credited critics. X stars Mia Goth (The Survivalist), Jenna Ortega (Scream), Martin Henderson (Virgin River), Brittany Snow (Hairspray), Owen Campbell (As You Are), Stephen Ure (The Hobbit), and Scott Mescudi (Don’t Look Up). For those among us who are struggling to decide whether X is worth the watch, recommendations don’t come much better than King’s.

X is currently showing in theaters everywhere.

Horror fans are in for a new wild ride as A24 has released the trailer for its latest horror movie extravaganza, X.

The horror movie follows a group of young filmmakers with plans to shoot an adult film at a private farmhouse in deep Texas. However, things quickly take a turn for the worse when an older couple, who are hosting the group of young adults at their home, suddenly reveal a recipe for darker intentions.

In the trailer, several scenes cut in-and-out between clips of the apparent adult film with the ongoing troubles happening in the farmhouse at night. Just by the looks of the trailer itself, horror fans will gladly succumb to the ‘70s aesthetic, a retro use of camera shots, and a plethora of bloody terror. From the inclusion of vintage ‘70s-era porn to the delightful fear found in A24’s contemporary horror, there is plenty here for fans to enjoy.

Written and directed by Ti West, director of The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers, the film also stars Mia Goth, Kid Cudi, Jenna Ortega, and Brittany Snow, many of which are very familiar names in the realm of modern cinematic horror. In addition to the main cast, other cast include Owen Campbell, Martin Henderson, and Stephen Ure.

Known for its production of independent horror films, such as Hereditary and The VVITCH, A24 is notoriously recognized as a production studio that elevates the careers of young filmmakers.

X is scheduled to be released in theaters on March 18, 2022.