After what feels like an age, the long-awaited prequel to Ti West's ultraviolent X, Pearl has arrived here in UK homes.
But the wait was most definitely worth it. Pearl is a tour de force character piece, with the phenomenally charismatic Mia Goth a genuine force of nature as the titular lead.
As her husband (Alistair Sewell) is away fighting in The Great War, mentally unbalanced Pearl has to stay on the isolated family farm in rural Texas, with her parents.
With the farmhands gone to the war, Pearl has to take her care of her severely-disabled, wheelchair-bound father (Matthew Sunderland) while also helping to keep the farm running with depleting livestock and finances.
All under the harsh gaze and strict rules of her domineering mother, Ruth (Tandi Wright).
The closest Pearl has to a real friend is her sister-in-law, Mitsy (Emma Jenkins-Purro), but even she only knows the 'surface Pearl', the hardworking farmgirl, rather than the 'real Pearl'.
Pearl lives in a fantasy world, dreaming of a life as a dancer on the silver screen, her escape from being trapped by circumstance on the farm.
Her life starts to change when she befriends the charming, Bohemian projectionist (David Corenswet), who runs the cinema in the nearby town.
She shares with him the news that Mitsy has told her about an upcoming audition for a travelling dance troupe, and he encourages her to pursue her dreams.
Naturally, Pearl's mother is having none of this, not only will she not allow Pearl to abandon her essential chores at home, but Ruth knows the 'real Pearl' and believes it is best for her daughter to stay where she is.
Matters escalate and rapidly get out of hand as Pearl's barely-suppressed rage surfaces, farm implements are employed incorrectly and people start to die in a gruesome fashion.
As the prequel to X, Pearl is a contained study of a rapidly crumbling psyche, delivered with unparalleled gusto by the wholly convincing - and totally unnerving - Mia Goth.
Mia co-wrote the film with director Ti West, and it shows how deeply she understands the main character, and why nobody else could have played her.
More than just a prequel though, Pearl is the origin story of a messed-up serial killer that perfectly foreshadows the horrors that would go down decades later (in X), while working perfectly well on their own to create a fully-rounded slasher.
Slipping between fantasy and reality, Pearl is a blend of Psycho and The Wizard of Oz, complete with a couple of deranged dance numbers, some hypnotically disturbing monologues, and the most terrifying rictus smile since The Man Who Laughs.
Pearl is one of those films that gets under your skin and scratches away at your brain, a movie that will stay with you for a long time. While the main plot is minimal, the story and character at the heart of Pearl have a lasting quality that makes for great cinema.
The concluding part of the X trilogy, MaXXXine follows the sole survivor (Mia Goth) of the events in X as she tries to make a name for herself in the adult film industry of 1980's Los Angeles. It is expected to be released early next year.
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