Less than a week after Christmas, I felt burned out by all the holiday movies on my TV. I’d seen “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (Chechik, 1989) three times, and entertaining though it may have been, I desperately needed a film refresher. Perusing through HBO Max, I happened upon “Barbarian” (Cregger, 2022), a horror film released in September of last year. I had heard decent things about it and decided to give it a go. Here is everything you need to know:
Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) is traveling to Detroit for a job interview with a documentary filmmaker. She books a picturesque Airbnb house in an otherwise nearly abandoned neighborhood called Brightmoor, only to find upon her arrival that it was double-booked and that another guest is already staying there. Tess quickly befriends the other guest, named Keith (Bill Skarsgard), and against her better judgement, agrees to stay in the house with him overnight. After the first night, various strange occurrences prompt Tess and Keith to investigate the basement underneath the house. The two discover something sinister below and find that there’s more in the house to fear than each other.
Right off the bat, it’s difficult to figure out where this movie is going. Never once, even ten minutes from the end of the film, was I able to effectively predict what might happen next. This isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker for me, personally—it kept me engaged and asking questions. However, this made it tricky to find cohesion in the narrative, and even after the resolution, the story remains relatively fragmented, making the denouement less satisfying as a result. Given that, I wish there were more details provided to piece the narrative together and give it more flow.
Other than the desire for heightened narrative structure, my other criticisms are minor. I really enjoyed the camerawork Cregger employs—it’s effective as well as aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, the characters were well-written and relatable (the female protagonist seemed to have her head squarely on her shoulders for much of the film, which is a breath of fresh air in the horror genre.) In the middle of the film there is a sizable tonal shift and flashback sequence, and the heavy contrast between this sequence and the rest of the film was significant in accomplishing two purposes: halfway explaining the history of the house and its residents, as well as providing social commentary on the deterioration of neighborhoods in Detroit directly following the loss of industry and resulting white flight.
Final verdict? “Barbarian” is both confusing and slow at times. However, if you’re patient, this film is artfully produced and ultimately rewarding. Solid four out of five.