Barbarian (2022) - Movie Review: Well, That Caught Us Off Guard....

Barbarian is a horror movie written and directed by Zach Cregger, starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård and Justin Long.

A really good horror flick that aims to surprise. It completely catches the spectator off guard, and we loved it.

Premise

Tess travels to Detroit for a job interview, and arrives at her Airbnb late at night only to find that it has been double-booked and a stranger is already staying there. She ways her options, and decides to accept the stranger’s invite to stay in the house for the night. The two strike up a friendly conversation, and everything seems to be going smoothly, until….

Movie Review

With ‘Barbarian’ we have a movie that seeks to break the classic horror movie structures, and tells the story in a way that is impossible to predict how it will evolve. It succeeds at this, and also succeeds as a horror movie in the classic sense (yes, there is room for dichotomy).

The formula is not new (breaking the narrative into distinct and seemingly separate parts has already been used in cinema, and by great directors. As a good example we have what Hitchcock did in the movie Psycho). And thusly, it is not that the formula is novel, it is simply that Zach Cregger has made it work so well in ‘Barbarian’, we can’t but admire his work in this piece. It still has horror gimmicks such as creaking doors, and strange horrifying creatures, but it gives us much more than just easy thrills, it makes us want to guess the “whats” and the “hows”, to then be startled by the turn of events.

The movie’s narrative is pieced together as an abstract cubist painting would, where it makes sense as a whole, and each part is in by itself is an entertaining little number, but best when in the context of the entirety of the film.

The story is amusing and has been updated to be contemporary in so many ways, but as reiterated above it is its ability to surprise the audience with its non-linear, yet abruptly sectioned, structure.

The script is laden with irony (Justin Long delivers his part wonderfully) to the extent that you will even giggle some throughout the film. There is a touch of dark comedy in this piece (think Tusk) but it is too a genuine horror movie. It even has social commentary and all.

It manages to drag the viewer through the initial somewhat slow tempo section, to then surprise us with a tadaaa! Moment, and a twee bit later yet another tadaaa!. And that is thanks to the excellent direction.

With a great performance by Georgina Campbell, she is plays her role so well and measured without unnecessary theatrics, we like her style.

Our Opinion

It plays the viewer, with its surprising and abrupt sectioning, making it an entertaining movie that almost qualifies to be classified as magnificent. This film is clever, well directed, ironic and, a terrifically intelligent debut of Zach Cregger in the horror genre.

Where to Watch ‘Barbarian’

Hulu

Movie Trailer

Direction

Zach Cregger

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Zachary Michael “Zach” Cregger (born March 1, 1981) is an American comedian, actor, satirist, writer, and director. He is known mostly for his current project, the New York City-based comedy troupe Whitest Kids U’ Know, and also starred in the film Miss March, which he directed and wrote with Trevor Moore. Cregger has recently joined the cast of the upcoming NBC sitcom Friends with Benefits, which will begin airing in early 2011.

Cast