If you haven’t been online recently, you may have missed that Barbarian has come up as one of the very rare horror films that is getting quite a bit of acclaim and positive word-of-mouth, even from folks outside the horror fandom. It’s especially noted as a film worth experiencing knowing very little going in. And now having seen it, I have to agree, it’s great, you should see it, and try to keep yourself unspoiled, if you can. But…since I have a review to write…Barbarian follows a young woman named Tess (Georgina Campbell) who takes board in a quaint home in a sketchy Detroit neighborhood via Airbnb. However, it appears to be double booked since she finds Keith (Bill Skarsgård) also staying. Unfortunately, for them, the home carries another secret.
That’s about all I’ll give away since that is about all the trailer gives away as well. The film comes from writer/director, Zach Cregger, who some may know as one of the members of the comedy troupe, The Whitest Kids U’ Know. The last feature that he was a major creative behind was the 2009 sex comedy Miss March. Barbarian is definitely better than Miss March. His transition to horror is a surprising one, not just in the total switch of the mode we’re already familiar with from him, but also in just how effective and natural the transition is.
This is a horror film that feels like a horror film from someone who lives and breathes the genre. There’s moments that feel drawn from folks like Wes Craven, Stuart Gordon, Tobe Hooper, Alfred Hitchcock, and even a whole sequence in the middle that feels like an extended homage to the opening scene of 1983’s Angst. But of course, similarly to Jordan Peele, you can’t expect the film to go without it’s fair share of humor, and the film is funny, both in its sheer audaciousness, and also in its sly, satirical commentary on gender dynamics (which ultimately fall to the background the further it goes on).
Speaking of Jordan Peele, it’s easy – given the hype – to compare this to the likes of something like a Get Out, or another bonkers horror film that took audiences completely off-guard, Malignant. Barbarian is neither as instantly iconic as Get Out, nor as full on bananas as Malignant, but it does come pretty close on both counts. Once the big reveals happen, and it’s made clear what kind of movie we’re in for, it remains pretty consistent, and arguably even typical of this kind of movie. It’s not the kind of movie that keeps pulling the rug out from under you up until the very end, it’s really only until the third act.
While that might seem like a critique, I don’t mean it that way. The delight of the film comes from the buildup. I’m astonished by how well structured the film is, building up certain scenarios, resetting itself, building up again, resetting, and introducing new elements pretty late in the game, but not to the point where it feels unearned. Cregger proves to be a capable suspense filmmaker as well. His work with cinematographer, Zach Kuperstein, make the most out of low-light rooms and wide-angle close-ups. The music from Anna Drubich is creepy and propulsive. The makeup, effects, and production design are also really top notch.
I’ll end things here, so I don’t accidentally give too much away. Barbarian is absolutely worth your time, it’s a terrific horror film that pulls you in for one hell of a ride. One that’s effortlessly involving and riveting that it can be easy to miss just how well done so many elements are here. The performances are strong across the board. Campbell is a great lead that’s easy to root for, Skarsgård does a wonderful job at keeping you guessing as to whether he’s worth your trust or not, and Justin Long is great as a total sleazeball. I’m really surprised by what Zach Cregger was able to pull off here, and if he intends on diving deeper into the horror genre, then I can’t wait to see where he goes from here. Mainstream horror rarely gets an opportunity to get really nasty, weird, and twisted, so whenever something comes out that hits all those notes, I will definitely be on that. If that sounds like a good time to you, then definitely run don’t walk to your nearest theater to see this. It’s easily one of, if not the, best horror films to come out this year.
Barbarian is now out in theaters.