Barbarian
3.8
(3.4K)
Horror
Mystery
Thriller
2022
103 min
R
In town for a job interview, a young woman arrives at her Airbnb late at night only to find that it has been mistakenly double-booked and a strange man is already staying there. Against her better judgement, she decides to stay the night anyway.
Starring:
Horror
Thriller
Mystery
Also Available On:
Community ReviewsSee all
"Barbarian is genuinely unlike any horror film I’ve seen this year in the way that the story never ceases to reinvent itself, constantly unraveling into something weirder, darker, and deeper (literally and metaphorically).
What starts as a straightforward, but still undeniably terrifying “Airbnb gone wrong” thriller quickly shifts into a demonic, morally challenging horror film that plays with character tropes and tonal shifts in a way that I haven’t seen before.
The director, Zach Cregger (from the legendary sketch comedy group WKUK), continuously subverted my expectations. Every time I said to myself “this is it. It can’t get crazier than this” he somehow finds a way to blow my mind again. Most of our theater was laughing during the second half of the film, partly because of the clever and comical writing, but mainly because when you’re THAT uncomfortable, no other reaction seems appropriate.
On a technical level, everything was beautiful but the cinematography was particularly unique. From an extended sequence where the camera is fixated on the back of the head of an old man strolling through the supermarket, to a first-person, wide angle POV shot of AJ in a standoff with the Barbarian, the attention to detail did not go unnoticed.
I intentionally went into this film knowing nothing and I highly recommend knowing as little as possible before seeing this in theaters. I believe the studio made a really smart decision to only release one trailer. It’s rare to see a trailer that shows just enough to hook your interest without completely spoiling the film.
The world NEEDS more films like Barbarian. We need more ambitious, unimaginable, and genuinely out-of-the-box insane concepts that come directly from the artist’s cranium. In a world where big studios have been pumping out films in a formula that is relatively safe and financially successful, I think a lot of people are starting to notice (either consciously or subconsciously) how unoriginal or uninspired some films feels. And thankfully, for our sake, I believe movies like Barbarian and the renaissance of FRESH thriller-horrors from directors that have a unique story to tell, will be the foundation of the revival of cinema in America.
If you want to watch more unique thriller-horror films, here are a few I recommend:
- Black Bear
- Coherence
- Raw
- Titane
- Lamb
- Saint Maud"
Similar TV & Movies

3.9

+7

4.5

+5

3.4

+6

3.6

+6

3.2

+6

3.1

+6

3.5

+6

3.7

+6

3.1

+6

2.5

+8

3.1

+1

2.7

+3


2.6

+5

3.8

+5

3.3


3.2

+3

3.1

+6

3.4

+5

3.3
