Rating of
3/4
Simple, Effective Horror
Chris Kavan - wrote on 10/31/22
Sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel - you just need to change it up a bit. Barbarian starts off as one movie, turns into something else, twists things around and has a satisfying conclusion. An Airbnb mix-up between Tess (Georgina Campbell) and Keith (Bill Skarsgård) at first seems like it will be a "is-this-dude-a-serial-killer" before the two find common ground and start drinking wine and getting along. But then it turns into a "why-did-I-decide-to-explore-this-incredibly-disturbing-hidden-basement" as highly-questionable decisions are made. Then Justin Long comes along and it turns into a #MeToo social commentary before introducing us to a flashback before going back to the creepy basement story line.
All that sounds like it would be a completely crazy set-up, but Barbarian manages to move at a brisk pace and make everything work. And the the reveal about what's in the basement is just a good scare while the story behind said reveal is much more creepy and depraved. There is a good reason this gem of a horror film turned such a nice profit - it's effective at what it does and makes the most of a simple setup to tell a compelling story and even throw in some social issues without it becoming overbearing. Watch this with your mom on Mother's Day if you are a terrible human. I mean that in the best possible way!
