By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
In a market saturated with horror films, “Barbarian” stands out from the others, but not always in a positive way. While this is a monster movie uniquely influenced by modern culture that provides some thought-provoking moments, the plot gets lazy at times, leaving gaping, inexplicable holes. There are enough frights and laughs, however, to keep it entertaining.
Tess (Georgina Campbell) is a young woman in town for a job interview, only to find the Airbnb she rented has been double booked. With no options available in the middle of the night during a torrential rainstorm, she reluctantly accepts the other guest’s offer to stay. Keith (Bill Skarsgard) is the least of her worries, though, as the secrets buried deep in the house’s past come to the surface that may prove deadly to whoever enters.
“Barbarian” has all the earmarks of a traditional monster horror film, filled with suspenseful moments and some typical jump scares, but then breaks from tradition with some surprising humor. This is the directorial debut for Zach Cregger, who also wrote the script, so it’s hard to say if the humor was intentional or just the result of a rookie mistake. One thing is for certain, he does a solid job early on to heighten suspense purely using lighting techniques before the big monster reveal. The monster itself is reminiscent of Sloth from “The Goonies” if he had a twin sister with an aversion to clothing and an upbringing that makes Mama Fratelli look like the mother of the year.
The plot holes are glaring and annoying, and the characters’ reactions to tense situations are predictably unrealistic, which diminishes an otherwise successful debut for Cregger. The use of ridiculous brutality and shocking imagery force the audience into unabated laughter from the sheer absurdity of it. To paint the picture, in one scene the barbaric monster rips the arm off one of the characters and then hilariously proceeds to bludgeon them to death with the detached limb.
The acting is one of the bright spots of “Barbarian.” The lead, Georgina Campbell, held her own in her most significant role to date. She’s an English born actress, which is indiscernible in this film, disguising her accent like a pro. Her career is mostly in TV, having appeared in top shows like “Black Mirror,” “Broadchurch,” and “Suspicion.” In this role, she finds a terrific balance of feeling absolute terror while allowing her survival instinct to keep her moving towards a solution.
Bill Skarsgard is a quality actor from an acting family best known for his sadistic take on Pennywise from “It.” His performance here is crafty and subtle, making the audience question his intentions every step of the way until the reveal. Justin Long also has a sizable supporting role in this movie as the Airbnb owner, a self-absorbed actor who finds himself on the wrong side of an all-too-common sex scandal. He gives a terrific performance, infusing enough sleaze to make his character disgusting, yet with enough charm to make the audience invested in his outcome.
Overall, “Barbarian” provides some cheap thrills with some unforgettable moments of awkward hilarity and a heavy sprinkle of social commentary. It gets some bonus points for creativity, but is it good enough to see in theaters? The answer is no, don’t waste the money on a ticket, wait until it’s a rental or downloadable through one of the streaming services.
This movie earns:
