Review
Barbarian (Horror, Thriller) (2022)
Director: Zach Cregger
Writer: Zach Cregger
Stars: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long, Richard Brake
Renting a home in a mostly dilapidated neighbourhood turns into a frightening endeavour, as it's double-booked, and at night, someone seems to be lurking through the residence.
Premiering at the San Diego Comic-Con, Zach Cregger's anomalous horror filmmaking venture turns heads with familiar actors, such as Bill Skarsgård and Justin Long and unique directional choices. Inspiration came from Gavin de Becker's non-fiction book "The Gift of Fear", which helped the writing process and allowed Cregger to surprise even himself during the script's development. "Barbarian" was filmed in Sofia, Bulgaria, with external sections in Brightmoor, Detroit, where the story was meant to be based. It has been produced by Regency Enterprises, Almost Never Films, Hammerstone Studios, BoulderLight Pictures and Vertigo Entertainment while being distributed by 20th Century Studios.
Having rented a home within a rundown Detroit neighbourhood, Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) is confronted with the residence being double-booked; frustrated and uneasy, she nonetheless decides to join the rentee inside. When they're assumedly both asleep, unusual things happen throughout the house, but soon, these become the least of her worries.
Wrought with tension within a relatable and mundane social scenario, Cregger tries to twist perspective constantly, aiming to bewilder with contrariety.
Mild anxiety forms troubling thoughts as Campbell's Tess lands in an unintended co-inhabiting situation; an audience is on their toes. What seems like a regular environment, contrary to the sadly accurate dilapidation in this Detroit suburb, which isn't made explicitly apparent until later in Campbell's stay. The residence warps through unusual adaptive camera angles, with a hallway extending further than in reality. Melding the social unease, artificial forebodingness and some clever minor jump scares, leaving the viewer entirely unprepared for what comes next, and that's the point.
Rarely is it so that a film, even when fully uninformed about it, manages to surprise as much as "Barbarian" does. The aforementioned domestic anxiety creates an unease while working in some neat, easy-to-understand, yet thoughtful foreshadowing. Once the narrative development continues, there are some questionable, typically horror circumstances that not even "Barbarian" could shake. It truly shines within the setup and provides a transformed experience in the later parts, in which the latter does perhaps too much and somewhat spoils the milk.
For "Barbarian" to be experienced optimally, the less information, the better. It certainly cuts itself on tropes within the genre, but this is minimal enough not to impact personal enjoyment. Perhaps vital is the edge-of-your-seat moment, which doesn't truly happen anymore before it pulls the chair from under you. This is a prime example of what horror should be, and it's more campy than it has any right to be and still works, well-done Cregger.
Verdict
Barbarically entertaining!
8,2
