Barbarian (2022) Review
“Why don’t you just crash here?”
Barbarian is a gusty thrillride of a horror film that’s crafted perfectly together with an incredible cast, fantastic dialogue, and an eerily twisty narrative that will keep audiences at the edge of their seats till the finale; well at least – I know it did for me. Director Zach Cregger comes out swinging with his first foray into horror and proves he knows exactly what he’s doing. I’m not quite sure there’s been a stronger directorial horror debut since Ari Aster’s HEREDITARY in 2018 and, even then, I think BARBARIAN may find broader appeal simply due to the fact that it’s more “fun” at a commercial level. This is a film that’s meant to be taken in with a crowd, whether it be strangers or friends, to experience the collective shock together.
Tess Marshal (Georgina Campbell) flies to Detroit for a job interview and ends up finding a lone airbnb in the middle of an abandoned and torn-down neighborhood. To make matters worse, she finds a man named Keith Toshko (Bill Skarsgård) already inside the property – due to the fact that it got double booked. The two end up splitting the bnb and end up bonding in an unforeseen manner – though they soon realize that something, or someone, lies deep below the basement. Though the plot is extremely simple, it’s the manner in which Cregger executes every single moment of this that truly stands out. The conversations between Tess and Keith carry an oddly emotional weight behind them; as if the filmmaker truly wants the audience to get to know these characters – whether or not they find complete emotional closure. While many horror films are in a rush to get to the scares, Barbarian submerges the viewer into the world itself, as contained as it may be, and builds the dread from the ground-up. Once the initial reveal is made, the film takes a confidently bold decision to change its narrative course entirely. It’s refreshing to see a studio horror film allow newer directors to take such risks in storytelling – especially when audiences are still bombarded by dozens of generic horror titles on a yearly basis.
That said – Barbarian is also a film that may not live up to people’s expectations due to the inaccurate comparison of being hailed as 2021’s Malignant; the two are two tonally different beasts entirely. James Wan’s cult-hit is campy in nature, whether purposefully or not, yet it knowingly feeds off its own energy and keeps reaching for more until the end. Barbarian, on the other hand, starts off on a much calmer note and, once the reveal is made, tries to contain it immediately. Cregger somehow manages to pull off a slow-burn horror that feels pulpy and energetic at the same time. The suspense he implants within his audience is what drives the film forward for the first act, and as the narrative mutates, so do the expectations of what’s to come. But, for the most part, Cregger stays one step ahead.
Even down the dark corridors the film goes, both literally and figuratively, it manages to stay true to itself as a genuinely exciting and original horror film. There’s laughs to be had, especially with Justin Long who gives a career-best performance, but the film revels in its scares. From the moment Campbell opens that basement door to reveal a seemingly never-ending underground tunnel – the momentum doesn’t stop; it certainly changes course but it does not stop. And while the film becomes truly unhinged by the climax, it was easy for me to still be immersed in this bonkers little horror film that seems like the director had as much fun making as I did watching. With recent news that Barbarian far exceeded box office predictions, this simply serves as proof that audiences still want to see original movies; especially those with trailers that don’t give away the entire plot.
