by Austen Terry, Contributing Writer
What the hell did I just watch? That is the best question I can ask after seeing this week’s new horror movie, Barbarian. While others were excited about football or D23 announcements, the horror fan in me was moderately excited for this film. As with other films, I stumbled upon it after seeing a spot on TikTok and a poster on Twitter, and I was officially sold on seeing it after seeing the trailer before The Black Phone. The only thing that sold me quickly was Bill Skarsgård genuinely being a creep in the trailer. As someone who loves his iconic portrayal of Pennywise, I was instantly down for whatever this movie was bringing to the table because of Skarsgård alone. Little did I know that the trailer was like reading a post-it note for what this movie was about. I was left flabbergasted because I was not expecting the movie I got, but that is all in a good way. This movie clearly walked up to the line said, “huh what’s that?” and kept walking, which makes it that much better.
Barbarian tells the story of Tess (Georgina Campbell), who has traveled to Detroit to interview for a job working with a documentary film crew. Tess has rented an Airbnb during her stay, and upon arriving at the home, she finds out that it has been rented to Keith (Skarsgård) as well. Wanting to make the best out of a bad situation, Keith suggests they both stay in the house for the night and work everything out in the morning. This is where the trailer sort of sets Keith up as being the main antagonist who lures renters to a home only to torture and kill them. If that’s what you were expecting going into this movie (like I was), then toss those expectations out the window. The next morning both Keith and Tess go about their business in Detroit and return home to find the house is not what it seems to be, and that is where the film takes its turn. The owner of the home, AJ (Justin Long), who is a major douchebag, does come from L.A. to Detroit trying to get some money together for legal issues when he also discovers something is wrong with his house.
I pretty much have to stop there to keep from spoiling it, but this film definitely is not what the trailer set it out to be. Skarsgård is charming and sweet as he tries to make the best out of everything, and you are immediately sold that something is not right with him. Long is on the top of his game as a mostly comedic actor coming into a role like this — you immediately can’t wait and hope he doesn’t survive the movie, and that he goes down bloody and painful. Campbell is a light in this very dark movie were you a hoping she survives.
With what this movie is, you know it’s going to be filled to the top with blood and gore, and it doesn’t disappoint at all in that area. As someone who never has had a problem with blood and gore, Barbarian almost made me vomit, and essentially I just stopped eating my popcorn.
The most shocking thing about Barbarian isn’t the twist you find out about later in the film, or how gruesome and dark it can be, but who directed and wrote it. This is the second time a comedic person from a sketch comedy show has come out with a really good horror film that shows their brilliance and genius. Zach Cregger of The Whitest Kids U’Know fame, who also directed the forgotten 2009 sex comedy movie Miss March, is the writer and director of Barbarian. When I realized that today, I was floored mainly because it was not something I could see coming from Cregger. It inspired me to find some interviews with him about the making of this movie. Cregger brings us a compelling story that takes you through the wringer and brings the best out of his actors. It makes you wonder who he pitched this story to at 20th Century Studios, and whether all he said was, “Trust me, this will be a great horror film.”
The cinematography is phenomenal as well. There are times in the house where you feel claustrophobic and trapped, just as the characters are. Seeing the neighborhood around this house for the first time really shows how desolate the neighborhood really is. You have this one pristine house surrounded by houses that look like a bomb went off nearby. As the story unfolds, the use of different lenses on the camera change how you are feeling. The city of Detroit feels like a character itself, especially with the neighborhood. The further you get away from the house, the better things look and feel, almost making it unsettling more when they go back to the house.
Barbarian is dark and gruesome, and you can trace that all to both Cregger and his actors — bringing in Skarsgård, Campbell, and Long into these roles was brilliant, to say the least. Now the film isn’t without its issues — there are unanswered questions that you want to be answered, and it’s probably not going to place high on my 2022 list. It is, however, one I will probably revisit. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of marketing or buzz around this movie, so if you are a horror fan and you are looking for something interesting that will mess with you, then I recommend checking this one out. It’s a great afternoon matinee film to check out during this spooky season. But I will warn you, this movie is rated R and is very dark and gruesome. It saw the line and walked miles past it.
Score: 7/10
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