Listen, “Barbarian” is insane, and I mean that as a compliment.
We’re talking “Malignant” levels of crazy, except personally I actually think it’s a better movie.
Here’s the thing: I actually don’t want to tell you all that much about it because trust me,
the less you know about it, the better, more so than usual.
So we’re going to keep this review very vague as far as the plot details go,
but this horror movie… it’s a wild adventure.
Don’t worry though, even if you’ve already seen the trailer - you haven’t really spoiled yourself,
it's a good trailer - all you get from it is a basic premise:
a young woman arrives at her AirBnB, late at night, only to
find out that it has been double-booked and there is a young man staying there.
She still decides to stay the night, even though she’s clearly very uncomfortable with this idea,
and now she’s at this house, in a neighbourhood that looks questionable,
to say the least, staying with a complete stranger.
And if you thought this is the end of her problems - oh no, it’s only the beginning.
And that’s all you need to know about the story!
Is it worth a trip to the theatre? Absolutely.
“Barbarian” should be seen in theatre,
with other people, knowing as little information about it as possible.
Don’t look anything else up about it,
don’t even look up if there are more than three people in the cast.
Obviously, there are three names on the poster, and from watching
the trailer you know our lead is Georgina Campbell, who is a really good protagonist.
She makes just the right amount of mistakes for the story to happen,
but none of them are completely unreasonable and you can understand her actions in this situation.
She’s also simply a likeable character, so you will not have a hard time rooting for her.
The stranger she’s staying with is played by Pennywise himself,
Bill Skarsgård, who walks that line between nice and awkward really well.
His character just seems a little bit off, and along with our heroine
you’re sitting there trying to guess if he’s actually suspicious and potentially
a little creepy or if he’s simply just as uncomfortable with the situation as she is.
"I thought you wouldn't want any if you didn't see me open it.
So, I waited."
And Justin Long is in this movie, which is all I’m going to say about that.
His name is on the poster, so it’s not a secret, and he is really good in this,
but just don’t worry about it, let the movie tell you the story.
“Barbarian” was a surprise for me every step of the way.
To be honest, the trailer didn’t really interest me all that much - I even considered
skipping the movie because it didn’t seem very special, but I’m so glad I didn’t.
Surprise number 1: it’s legitimately scary.
The filmmakers do an amazing job building up the tension, playing with your expectations,
and setting up the scares to be as effective as possible.
Now, I am not a movie screamer - it’s very rare for a horror film
to actually make me jump or audibly express myself, but “Barbarian” got me a few times.
Yes, I screamed at my screening. Fun times.
Surprise number 2: it’s funnier than I expected.
You may not be able to tell this from the premise or the trailer, but the
movie is very self-aware, and very genre-aware.
It pushes certain things just far enough for them to be ridiculous in an entertaining way,
the writing is smart enough to keep you at the edge of your seat even though you
may have been laughing a minute ago, and certain elements and characters are simply
funny… until they’re not, because it’s a horror movie. Once again, fun times.
Surprise number 3: the whole story.
“Barbarian” is impressively original and smartly written, despite the fact that, once again,
it may seem a little bit run-of-the-mill based on the premise and the trailer.
The plot takes plenty of turns you won’t see coming, and the
way the story is told maintains the tension particularly well.
Every time I thought I knew where it was going “Barbarian” threw something unexpected at me.
It’s truly one of the most original and unpredictable horror films I’ve seen in
the past couple of years, and it’s also not afraid to get nasty because
if you’re making an R-rated horror film, you might as well go for it.
Here’s the only negative I have to address:
the third act and particularly the climax of the film kind of go off the rails.
I would not go as far as saying it ruins the experience though - I think it still works
because the movie is as crazy as it is, and it commits to everything it’s doing,
so you could say it goes off the rails in a fun way.
But some of these things are still ridiculous, even though it's part of the movie’s charm.
This is where the “Malignant” comparison is coming from,
even though as far as the plot goes they’re completely different films.
If you’re a horror fan and you want a movie that’s entertaining not in spite of but because
of its wild twists and because it’s not afraid to cross the line - “Barbarian” is the movie for you.
Where “Malignant” went so overboard that it took me out of the movie, “Barbarian”
maintains its balance of ridiculousness, entertainment, and horror very well.
And don’t think it’s all plot twists and gross-out scares - when it comes
to the visuals, the movie has plenty to offer as far as clues
and deliberate cinematography choices go, for those who are paying attention.
Plus, as a bonus, long-time horror fans will also enjoy
seeing some echoes of famous horror classics in this one.
I can’t tell you which ones because, once again,
spoilers, but this is yet another fun element to appreciate in this movie.
I know this has been a very vague review, but spoiling a film like this or even hinting
at the direction in which its going would just be unfair to all of you.
When you see it, I want you to have the experience I did.
I want you to watch all of the puzzle pieces fall into place,
to see how the score and the cinematography make this movie even more engaging and effective.
“Barbarian” is a wild ride, and it should be experienced as such.
Does it require some suspension of disbelief? Yes.
Is it completely air-tight when it comes to the plot? No.
But at the end of the day it just works and so much about it is very unexpected.
Between its twists and turns, its expertly executed tension,
its balance of brutality and humour, and its willingness to take things a step
further and subvert expectations, even if it means risking going too far, “Barbarian”
is a great time at the movies for horror fans, and a great way to kick off the spooky season!
You might never want to stay at an AirBnB again after this, but you know, better safe than sorry.
Go see it in theatres, bring your friends because people’s reactions
to all of this are part of the fun, and have a wonderfully scary time watching it.
I cannot believe I’m giving “Barbarian”, the movie I thought looked alright from the trailer,
the movie I considered skipping, an 8 out of 10.
It’s just too much fun to ignore,
and at the moment it is easily one of the best horror movies of the year.
"I don't know, I mean... Why don't you... why don't you come inside?"