Ali Cook’s The Pearl Comb arrives at a moment when genre filmmaking feels increasingly bloated, reminding audiences that horror, intelligent horror, still has the capacity to be intimate, layered, and unexpectedly humane. As the British short film continues its remarkable festival run with 60 awards and counting, what stands out most is not its ambition but the startling control behind it. Cook doesn’t simply experiment with genre, he bends it to his will. Fantasy, horror, drama, mystery, and social commentary all coexist without competing, each scene maintaining an unwavering grip on mood. Even the lightly comedic beats harmonize with the atmosphere rather than puncturing it, a rarity in contemporary genre work.

This tonal precision is perhaps the film’s greatest triumph. While many di

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