Barbarian, the new horror film from writer and director Zach Cregger, starts off with a premise that is already deeply uncomfortable: a woman, traveling alone, finds a man staying at the Airbnb that she rented. With nowhere else to go, she accepts the invitation to enter, without being entirely sure how that will turn out.
That alone would be enough for the start of a chilling horror premise, butBarbariantakes its story much further. The chance encounter in the movie’s opening minutes is just a jumping-off point for a story that roots its terror in examining how differently men and women perceive the world around them.
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After making the decision to share the rented space with Keith (Bill Skarsgård), Tess (Georgina Campbell) ends up discovering a hidden door in the basement of the house.Unlike other horror movie characters, though, Tess already knows this is bad news, and resists entering for as long as she can. Once she finds herself deeper in the house’s hidden areas, she discovers some truly dark secrets hidden below.
That setup may make it seem likeBarbarianis heading toward some fairly boilerplate horror stuff, but by the end of the first act, the film makes an abrupt left turn, practically resetting itself in a way that doesn’t seem entirely connected to the story so far. However, Cregger’s script is not to be underestimated, as the connection between a character played by Justin Long and everything the audience has seen so far suddenly becomes clear. It’s not even the only surprise shift in narrative thatBarbarianhas in store, but to talk too much aboutthe movie’s narrative twistsis to undermine them.
From the outset,Barbarian’s atmosphere is made to feel unsettling in every possible way. This persistent feeling of dread is elevated by Anna Drubich’s impressively creepy synth score. The deep, atonal droning interspersed with higher, more piercing notes underscores the frightening situations playing out on the screen, evokingthe feeling of John Carpenter’s work in the recording booth. However, Drubich’s music has a far more sinister underpinning, almost mimicking the effects of infrasound, the barely audible frequency that can cause discomfort and fear.
That’s not the only aspect of the film that calls back to Carpenter’s work. Cregger, who has only directed one other feature film (2009’s raunchy road comedyMiss March), glides the camera through spaces with real intent, particularly in a late sequence following one character from their home as they run errands (which sounds mundane but has a real creepy vibe lurking just below the surface). It’s not quite a point-of-view shot but it really drops the audience right into the moment. Likewise, his use of darkness within the house’s hidden areascontrasted with the relative safety of daylightis impressive, and something not seen enough in the horror genre.
Much of what makesBarbarianwork is in its script, which takes what might have been a straightforward premise and manages to find a twisting path through it, offering up a new perspective on the “don’t go in there” horror trope. There is also a decent amount of humor built into the story, which isn’t surprising considering Zach Cregger’s roots in the sketch group The Whitest Kids U Know. However,Barbarianwalks that fine line between horror and comedyvery well. It’s only in the third act thatBarbarianloses its edge, falling into a typical horror trap that doesn’t entirely live up to everything that came before it. Still, the ending is satisfying in a way that’s been promised throughout the entire narrative.
While the plot of the movie takes a dive into B horror by the final act, there are some very strong themes resonating throughout the narrative. This is the real strength of Cregger’s script, as eventhe smallest issues that women have to deal within navigating the world become crucial to the story. Tess explicitly states at the beginning that had the roles been reversed, and it was Keith showing up at the door instead of her, she would not have let him in. Tess is also keenly aware of her surroundings, evaluating each situation to determine the level of danger. She does this in a way that suggests that she has had to do it her whole life. By contrast, the men in the movie are far less concerned with any sort of danger, jumping into situations head first with no regard for how it might affect them (leading to what might be one of the funniest reactions to a creepy basement dungeon ever put to film).
All of that ambition starts to weighBarbariandown, however, when it also tries to incorporate urban decay and class struggles into its story.Using Detroit as the settingfor the story allows Cregger to utilize some of the more striking imagery of a formerly populated suburb to great effect, but it’s in trying to tie the idea of more privileged people buying up properties that were once family homes in order to profit off of them whereBarbarianfalls short. There’s really only one moment where the movie’s themes come together when another woman is clearly worried about Tess staying in a certain neighborhood and tries to convince her to go elsewhere. It’s not that this kind of issue can’t work as a theme in horror, it’s just that with everythingBarbarianis already saying about gender differences, it feels like a bit of an afterthought.
Barbarianis a strong outing for Zach Cregger, and shows a promising start for the writer/director in the horror genre (if he chooses to stay in that realm for future projects). It mostly manages to balance its themes and its scares in satisfying ways, all while delivering some impressively unsettling visuals and a dark, sordid narrative. Despite some of its limitations,Barbarianis the kind of horror movie made for horror fans, one that embraces the genre while also offering up a unique take on its typical themes.
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Barbarian
In Barabarian, Tess (Georgina Campbell) travels to Detroit for a job interview, booking an Airbnb to stay at. When she discovers the rental is currently occupied by a man named Keith (Bill Skarsgard), who also supposedly booked the property, Tess agrees to stay the night while they sort things out. However, her reservations for Keith are the least of her worries - as she soon discovers the home is not what it seems.
