Welcome back, creatures of the night, to Fright Fest. Your Ghost Host with the most most has some frightful things planned for this year's edition, including reviews for the rest of the Psycho franchise, so get PSYCHED! For the first review though, I book a stay at an Airbnb with Barbarian.
In Barbarian, Tess (Georgina Campbell) rents a house in Detroit on AirBnb, only to find a guy named Keith (Bill Skarsgard) is already staying there when she arrives. Keith invites Tess to stay there with him, and despite giving off some odd vibes, Tess takes him up on the offer. It won't take long before Tess realizes that Keith is the least of her worries.
Having just left an unhealthy relationship, Tess is in town for a research gig that a famed documentarian needs help with. Tess wonders why it's always the girls who get their hearts ripped out, and doesn't want to be seen as a "pet". Georgina Campbell plays her "Final Girl" role to absolute perfection. She is a survivor type that kicks ass, but also cares about others she encounters during her nightmarish adventure. Campbell makes for a very memorable and likable heroine.
Bill Skarsgard plays "nice guy" Keith. He gives off his signature odd vibes, but slowly manages to disarm audiences with a natural, nervous charm. Skarsgard plays his role very well. By this point, audiences should be well aware of the roles he is typically cast in and it's hard not to suspect him of ill intent. Keith doesn't get much character development (for example: Why is he staying in such a dangerous part of town? What brings him to Detroit?), but Skarsgard makes the most out of what he is given to work with.
Justin Long plays AJ, another guy who finds himself trapped in the same nightmare as Tess. He wants to believe he is a good guy, but his behavior is questionable. It's always a joy to see Long on the big screen in a horror film, and he has fun with his role. AJ is fairly goofy and not easy to like, but he remains consistently entertaining.
Barbarian is directed and written by Zach Cregger. Cregger got his start in comedy as one of the founding members of 'The Whitest Kids You Know'. Anna Drubich does the score, and it's one of the stand-out aspects of the film. The score is filled with tasty synth, and feels 80s-esque at the best of times.
Cregger directs with a very aggressive style and, in his hands Barbarian is a real puzzle box of a film. It's always twisting, turning, shifting, and changing. It takes great joy in consistently subverting expectations. (It's like trying to keep a firm grasp on a slippery eel.) . It's hard to catch your footing or really make out exactly what Barbarian is, what it's trying to say, and where it's headed.
While Barbarian is mostly dark, disturbing, gruesome, and messed up, there are plenty of moments that come across as comedic. There are some questions that remain unanswered and some story threads that aren't fully elaborated on. The themes and messages aren't super-deep either.
Barbarian deals heavily with themes of maternal love, toxic relationships, "nice guys", and "monsters". Much like 'The People Under the Stairs', not everyone is who they appear to be at first glance. This is Cregger's first solo theatrical outing, and it's fairly impressive and well-made. It all feels very grindhouse.
Barbarian is aggressively different, unique, and original. The same can be said for it's structure. There are messages and themes to ponder, but the real draw is the intense, unrelenting roller-coaster ride this flick takes audiences on.
4 STARS
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