Pearl parents guide: How graphic is the violence and gore?

On Aug. 16, Netflix added the second film in Ti West's X trilogy, Pearl, to its library. Are you looking forward to watching it? If so, don't start the movie just yet. Not until you read our parents guide. Most horror films are really graphic when it comes to violence and gore. Is that the case for Pearl? Keep on reading to find out!

Pearl is a psychological horror flick helmed by Ti West from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mia Goth. It serves as a prequel to X, the first film in the trilogy. Taking place on a secluded Texas farm in 1918, we follow a young, aspiring actress named Pearl, who has dreams of leaving her oppressive life on the farm behind to become a movie star. However, she's unable to fully pursue her dreams due to her strict mother and her responsibility of having to take care of her sick father.

Pearl refuses to give up on her dreams, though. She's adamant about making it big, and she's willing to take down anyone who gets in the way. Yes, we're talking about committing murder.

What is Pearl rated?

Pearl is rated R, meaning it may be inappropriate for ages under 17. It was given this maturity rating for some strong violence, gore, strong sexual content, and graphic nudity. It's definitely not a movie you should watch with young kids around, which shouldn't be surprising because most horror films aren't meant for younger audiences.

When it comes to the violence and gore, Pearl doesn't hold back one bit. I wouldn't say it's as gory or violent as X since that movie is a slasher, but it's still not for the faint of heart. Remember when we said Pearl is willing to commit murder if someone gets in her way of achieving her dreams? Well, she pretty much goes on a killing spree in this film. She also has no problem harming/killing animals. The most gore and violence we see is towards the end of the movie.

There's a scene showing a character being severely burned by a pot of boiling water. There's another scene of a character being smothered to death with a pillowcase. Then, there's a scene of one character fatally stabbing another character to death with a pitchfork. Blood is shown all over the clothing and mouth of the character who has been stabbed. Another scene shows one character repeatedly slashing another character with an axe until they die. A huge pool of blood is then shown around the character who is killed.

But a scene in the movie that could be really hard to watch for some viewers is the scene of a character's body being cut up. Blood and guts are shown spurting out as the character is being dismembered. A bloody, dismembered head is even shown.

Now, let's talk about sexual content and nudity. The nudity that we see in this film is of a woman's buttocks, upper chest area, private area, as well as a male's buttocks. When it comes to sexual content, there's a scene showing a character kissing and humping a scarecrow while moaning. Then, there's another scene showing two characters passionately making out. One other scene shows characters in the act of having sex, but we don't actually see any penetration.

Overall, Pearl is not for people who are sensitive to graphic content. Those types of people might want to skip out on this horror flick. But if you're a horror buff, you shouldn't have an issue watching this movie to its end.