Mia Goth's Unsettling Smile At The End Of Pearl Wasn't In The Script

There's no need to cut and run when you've got a good thing going. In the horror world, no one knows that better than Ti West. While the first two parts of his planned trilogy, "X" and "Pearl," originally started as a single film, their success paved the way for the upcoming "MaXXXine."

This is because they were split up into two theatrical releases, both of which made a profit. However, despite having "Pearl"  beginning as a joke between him and Mia Goth on the set of "X," there were elements that just sort of came together for West while he was filming the prequel.

In fact, according to West, one of these out-there ideas became the most iconic moment in the film. If you've seen a still from "Pearl" online, it's probably the film's closing shot in which the titular character grins insanely while holding the gaze of her returned husband. "That was just a random experimental idea that I was like, 'Let's try this, see what happens.'" the director told Bloody Disgusting.

"Pearl" follows Mia Goth's eponymous character as she goes on a murderous rampage after having a psychotic break. However, the most unsettling scene in the movie comes after all of the murders have already been committed. With her husband back from World War I at last, he sees her at her lowest state, but she beams at his return all the same.

After Ti West suggested the idea to Goth, he explained how it played out. "Then she did that, and after watching it for three minutes, I said, 'Cut. That's great. We're going to put that in the movie, and let's go back to work now,'" the director told Bloody Disgusting. Not only did his random notion make it into the final film, but it also became the most chilling moment in "Pearl."

"It was such a funny, random thing we did. I thought this might be an interesting idea," West said. "It's arguably one of the best, and certainly the most memorable things in the movie, but it was just a whim of an idea that I was like, 'I don't know what's going to happen,' but that's what happened, and then I thought, 'this is great,'" the director recalled. It just goes to show that all the planning in the world can go right out the window when inspiration comes knocking. As for the trilogy capper, "MaXXXine," horror hounds can expect it to be released sometime in 2024.