Barbarian creates an unhinged experience
Barbarian is one of the most intriguing horror movies of the year and it is finally out and getting great reviews and box office revenue. I’m happy to say this has got to be the most bonkers movie of the year in the coolest way. It tells the story of a woman renting an Airbnb that a man is already occupying. While trying to solve the inconvenience, they discover secret things deep within the house.
This movie, released Sept. 9, was my introduction to the director Zach Cregger and I am antsy to see what he does next because he showed so much promise for the future. In this movie, there is a strong, complete vision on superb display. The cast has a few familiar faces that I really loved seeing: the icon Bill Skarsgård, who also executive produced the movie, portrays a very fun character. As a big fan of “Jeepers Creepers,” I loved seeing Justin Long. I also still declare Richard Brake as one of the most underrated actors working today.
This was also my introduction to actress Georgina Campbell and she was so effective as a lead who’s situationally smart. Lastly, there’s Matthew Patrick Davis who plays an excellent villain. The writing is very clever and pleasantly surprising with twists and strong dialogue. What is also surprising about “Barbarian” was how funny it is. It leaned more towards situational humor but for the wacky places this movie goes, it works.
This is a beautiful movie to look at, with its scarceness of light. The music does a great job amplifying all the thrills that come with the stunning visuals. This plays into the costume and set design making dramatic changes confidently in a way that really impressed me as a set design head for Technical Theatre.
I have one slight issue with the movie that is likely a result of my own expectations. I wish the ending had more of a kick to it. It felt like it was building to something bigger than what we got. With that, the ending felt slightly abrupt. To be fair, this could be resolved with a rewatch, so please take that with a grain of salt.
We’ve truly had a great year for horror movies and this ranks high amongst those, as well as the whole year thus far. Go see this knowing as little as possible at a local movie theatre, like AMC at the Oaks Mall where I work. I give this movie an 8/10.
