In town for a job interview, a young woman arrives at her Airbnb late at night only to find that it has been mistakenly double-booked and a strange man is already staying there. Against her better judgement, she decides to stay the night anyway.
Georgina Campbell
Tess
Bill Skarsgård
Keith
Justin Long
AJ
Matthew Patrick Davis
The Mother
Richard Brake
Frank
Kurt Braunohler
Doug
Jaymes Butler
Andre
Sophie Sörensen
Bonnie
Rachel Fowler
Meg
JR Esposito
Jeff
Kate Nichols
Catherine
Kate Bosworth
Melisa
Brooke Dillman
AJ's Mom
Sara Paxton
Nursing Video Narration / Assistant / Megan
Will Greenberg
Robert
Derek Morse
Officer #1
Trevor Van Uden
Officer #2
Zach Cregger
Everett
Devina Vassileva
Property Manager Assistant
Kalina Stancheva
Young Woman
Julian Stanishkov
Gas Station Clerk
Director, Writer
Zach Cregger
October 14, 2022
9
_Barbarian_ is such a twisted and incredibly unique film. Going into this film, I thought I had a pretty good indication of how this was going to go down and was ready for a fun cheesy horror film that follow a pretty generic pattern, but boy was I wrong. Almost the entirety of the trailer was just the first act, and it left me seriously stumped at where this movie was going. That sense of unknown really added to the thick tension that this movie brought throughout. There is a paranoia that occurs with both the audience and the main character. You never know who to trust, even if they give you all the indications that they are trustworthy.
In today's horror cinema, it is rare to see a movie so reliant on building tension rather than just jump scares galore. Not to say that this film does not have any jump scares, but they are there to enhance and bring a crescendo to the long scenes of tension and dread.
Overall, the acting was brilliant. Georgina Campbell was fantastic. Bill Skarsgård was a bit awkward at times, but I do think that was by choice, as his actor was a kind awkward sweetheart. Justin Long stole the show. His character added a bit of lightness and someone who the audience can really root against. The movie does slightly fall of the rails in the third act, it does not take away from the experience that is Barbarian. In fact, I think it almost enhances the film as something truly unique.
**Score:** _87%_ | **Verdict:** _Excellent_