Barbarian
Every year it seems, a seemingly inconspicuous horror film takes the horror community by storm. In 2019, it was Ready or Not. 2020 had The Invisible Man. 2021, Malignant. This year, we have Barbarian. I’ll be the first to admit that I thought this was going to be a run-of-the-mill, uninspired horror film released by a major studio but Barbarian proves to be the antithesis of that statement. Directed by Zach Cregger, the film follows Tess (Georgina Campbell) as she arrives at an AirBnB only to find out that it’s been double-booked by Keith (Bill Skarsgard) who appears off-putting and might have some unsettling surprises in store. Like the marketing of the film itself, that is as far as the synopsis will go as most of the appeal lies in the unknown.
Perception. That’s the keyword of Barbarian and it starts with the aforementioned marketing. It’s safe to assume that most of the audience comes in with a certain assumption of how this film is going to pan out. Cregger is aware of that for the entirety of the film and toys with that idea in all senses of the word. The film is always one step ahead of the audience and never fails to make you know that. At times it even feels as if Cregger himself is winking or nudging at the audience with his almost-meta execution of discussing preconceived notions, Barbarian’s overarching theme. Everything is not what it seems. How we judge people through the clothes they’re wearing or the condition they’re in, what factors affect the way we look at a house and its inhabitants, and more importantly within the context of the film, how different the world and certain situations are perceived between a man and a woman.
Tess (Georgina Campbell) in full final girl mode at the tensive peak of the film.
Barbarian explores this theme through its cinematography, writing, and structure. The camera work in this is captivating, constantly changing throughout the film and keeping the audience on its toes. The fluidity and unpredictability of the camera’s nature go in hand-in-hand with the briskly paced plot that never fails to miss a beat in building tension. Although the tension of the film is not lost with its pacing, the potential to have explored secondary themes was. It seems that Cregger wanted to explore themes concerning wealth disparity but maintains relatively surface level with it aside from a few nods of its existence within the film. As if the pace wasn’t already rather fast, it becomes a detriment within the film’s climax with a finale that leaves the audience wanting more.
Shallow secondary themes and accelerated pace aside, what the film does right, it does so with flying colors. The unpredictability of the plot and the unexpectedness of the horror elements found in Barbarian lead to a more than satisfying movie-watching experience. The term “roller-coaster ride” is used so broadly and stereotypically to describe films nowadays but for Barbarian, it couldn’t fit more. Georgina Campbell as our lead does a great job at allowing the audience to step into her shoes and empathize with her and screen partner Bill Skarsgard plays into his mysterious, unnerving role quite well. Unsurprisingly so given his role as Pennywise in the film It. The sound design enhances the tension in the film but it isn’t always thanks to Anna Drubich’s chilling, unique score but rather too, Zach Cregger’s deliberate choice to let silence instill fear into the audience.
Incalculable, unhinged, and downright terrifying, Barbarian is a fresh and unique take on the somewhat rising-in-popularity AirBnB horror subgenre and a welcome addition to the horror genre in general. Although it stumbles in its pacing, half-baked themes, and missed potential plot developments, its strengths easily tip over the scale and its commitment to itself and the horror genre can’t help but be commended.
Verdict: This demented and unexpected thrill ride is a Nick Pick that will subvert any expectations you have coming into it.