Barbarian succeeds in bringing terror to tourism!
Lean and mean, the horror film is one hell of a creepy story which I am sure has crossed every person’s mind who has ever rented an Airbnb before. What if some weirdo has double booked it with me? Certainly, writer/director Zach Cregger (formerly of the sketch comedy group The Whitest Kids U’ Know) is up to the task of bringing out the frights, too, as Tess (Georgina Campbell, in a wonderfully engaged performance) finds that her Airbnb has been double booked with Keith (Bill Skarsgård), who disarms her with his charming manners and overall politeness in discovery of the error.
But, lurking about in this spooky house in a rather horrible area of Detroit, is a restlessness which is expertly captured with most every frame of this horror film. Barbarian is as much a visceral experience as it is a solid story as this house of secrets reveal themselves to its guests.
From the deftly handled opening - in which we climb into the car with Tess while she pulls up on a dark and stormy night - to the carefully crafted shadows which are explored in almost every corridor, Barbarian brings the chilling goods in a bold way as cinematographer Zach Kuperstein doubles down on the atmospheric chills in this house of mirrors as strangers are introduced, share some good times, and then find themselves in a multi-layered horror narrative which goes delightfully off the rails thanks to a what’s-coming-next swagger.
Complete with some exploitation chills and spills, Barbarian wants us to root for Tess, who is here for a job interview - even if she is in the roughest of neighborhoods in Detroit. She’s a great modern protagonist, too, who knows EXACTLY what she should and shouldn’t do in sharing a house with a complete stranger. And, other than staring in the neighborhood when she finally sees it in the morning, she does what she should when it comes to making friends with Keith. 
And what is left to say of Skarsgård? The actor is quite the commodity these days when it comes to horror and here, throughout Barbarian, there are plenty of reasons why. His performance is offbeat, fun, and definitely layered as Keith promises one thing to Tess, but fails to convince us of his altruism. I mean suspicions have to be cast somewhere, right?
Co-starring Justin Long and featuring one hell of a deliciously evil basement, the film channels the horror highs of past films and gives us plenty more to sink our teeth into as Tess discovers that this house is is more of a dungeon - with a bed, a bucket, and a camera in the basement, plus a bloody handprint on the wall. What the hell is going on here?!
GET THE HELL OUT!
Filled with secrets, Barbarian is a twisting and nervy horror film that Horror Hounds from Hell are certainly going to dig thanks to its contemplative attitude toward horror, its on-point cinematography, and a wicked spirit that prove this nail-biter has the wherewithal to go the distance.
Barbian is now streaming on Max.
MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 102 mins
Director: Zach Cregger
Writer: Zach Cregger
Cast: Georgina Campbell; Bill Skarsgård; Justin Long
Genre: Horror
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "Why is it always the girls who get their hearts ripped out in these things?"
Distributor: 20th Century Studios
Official Site:
Release Date: September 9, 2022
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: A woman staying at an Airbnb discovers that the house she has rented is not what it seems.
