"Barbarian" Review

Just in time for the transition between summertime and fall, “Barbarian” kicks off the countdown to Halloween with an absolute bang. Written and directed by Zach Cregger, “Barbarian” is a horror film with a simple premise and setup that is elevated by incredibly bold turns throughout the runtime. The film stars Bill Skarsgård (Pennywise from “IT”), Georgina Campbell, in her biggest film to date, and Justin Long. “Barbarian” was released on Sept. 9, 2022, to extremely positive critic reviews.

“Barbarian” is seriously one of the best horror films of the last decade. Zach Cregger captured lightning in a bottle here. As I alluded to earlier, the setup of the film is quite simple. Campbell’s character, Tess, meets Skarsgård’s character, Keith, in a rental home in the middle of dilapidated Detroit. This meeting quickly turns into a disaster throughout the film’s many twists and turns. My goal in this review is to keep the plot and overall story vague given how entertaining the film is when you don’t know what’s going to happen next.

One of the brilliant, expectation-subverting aspects of the film is the structure. Without diving into spoilers, the way Cregger decided to split up the three acts of the film was so refreshing. It was a bold, stylized and invigorating departure from mainstream horror. This is done through some brilliant editing choices throughout the film; Cregger and his editor, Joe Murphy, masterfully edited this film. Whether it’s match cuts to indicate night turning to day or the intentionally-jarring smash cuts between acts, every cut is done with intent here. Editing, in general, is an often overlooked aspect of filmmaking. When it’s done well like this, it really adds to the film in a big way.

Another expectation-subverting aspect of the film is its expert balance of horror, humor and overall camp. “Barbarian” is both utterly disturbing and darkly hilarious while managing a perfect blend of both at times. It’s a hard task to pull off; however, Cregger executed it perfectly in his writing. Though different from a visual and content-standpoint, “Barbarian” feels like the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” in the way it balances horror and darkly comedic elements.

That being said, “Barbarian” is sure to divide audiences. I can see many not liking the film’s overall pacing and aforementioned editing choices. The use of humor, especially with some extremely dark, sensitive subject matter that it’s covering, is sure to alienate certain viewers.

There are so many downright disturbing and grotesque scenes and implications here. “Barbarian” taps into extremely dark themes such as sexual assault among other sexually-exploitative activities. Though I believe the film uses this in a respectable way that furthers its horror and themes, I would definitely recommend skipping this film if these themes bother you.

The camerawork and lighting especially are top-notch here. There are many dimly light scenes that evoke the sense of claustrophobia and utter terror that the characters are feeling. These lighting choices are used in a variety of different, interesting ways.

The camera work is simply wonderful. There’s a particular flashback scene that has some absolutely jaw-dropping camerawork and movement. The third-person, nearly videogame-esque camera felt so unique and visually striking. The angles coupled with the switch from a 16:9 aspect ratio to a 4:3 one make this scene feel so visually fresh and engaging. Cregger’s camera movement and overall visual style are top-notch throughout “Barbarian”.

My only negative with “Barbarian” is the character writing at a few points throughout the film. Sometimes these characters make “horror movie decisions” (i.e. making incredibly dumb, nonsensical choices to drive the plot forward). However, I can forgive these cliche, silly decisions due to the great scares and thrill ride that the film takes the viewer on.

“Barbarian” is an absolute masterclass in horror filmmaking; it’s everything a modern-day horror film should be. There is seat-gripping tension, grotesque imagery, deeper subtextual themes and an iconic antagonist. It’s a must-watch this Halloween season for anyone looking for a good scare.

9/10