Do you need to watch the horror movie X before watching Pearl to understand it?

The people most excited to watch Pearl are fans who enjoyed Ti West’s slasher X earlier this year. Since the original’s release, the hype and popularity of the movie has skyrocketed. But since X isn’t available on any streaming platform, it’s tough to watch it. That said, if you’re thinking about joining you X friends this weekend to watch Pearl, but are worried you won’t understand it, here’s what we can share.

Whether you missed your chance to watch X when it was in theaters or weren’t interested, but now you want to jump in, we welcome you to this insanely bonkers (in the best way) franchise. Ti West’s slasher movie series won’t stop with this movie. A sequel to X, titled MaXXXine, is already under production. But, for now, let’s focus on our darling Pearl.

Do you need to watch the horror movie X before watching Pearl?

Now, in my humble opinion, the answer is a big YES. I love movies! One of my pet peeves is when someone watches a sequel to a movie they have not seen. I’m all about the experience, so if you don’t watch the original, why bother? Start from the beginning! But Pearl IS, technically, the beginning. This isn’t a sequel, it’s a prequel. So yes, I suppose this movie can be the first installment of the franchise you watch. It will all be explained to you, anyway.

However! For the true horror experience, I highly recommend watching X, first. Events that take place in the original movie will be spoiled if you watch Pearl, first, and we don’t want that, do we? X may not be streaming on any service, but it is available for rent or purchase via the VOD platform you usually check out movies from. Additionally, X is available on Blu-ray and DVD, perhaps one of your horror movie fan buddies owns it.

Pearl is in theaters on Friday, Sept. 16.