Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long
My Rating: ★★★★ 1/2
Unlike films akin to Midsommar and Get Out, Barbarian is more of a “traditional” horror movie than a psychological horror/thriller. Barbarian tells the story of a young woman who travels to her rental home in Detroit, MI. She discovers that a stranger is already occupying the house, and despite her better judgment, she stays with him. As she spends the night, she soon discovers there is more to fear in the house than just the stranger.
Before seeing the film, I had heard mostly positive reviews. This was surprising to me because horror films are pretty hit-or-miss. I went into the theater blindly, only reading the description, and it shocked me, to say the least. The pacing was excellent, I felt as if new ideas were constantly being thrown at me. The film’s backstory was also thoroughly developed, which is not common in other “traditional” horror movies.
I think that because of the release of films like Midsommar, Hereditary, and Get Out, which all fall into the genre of psychological horror, Barbarian has acquired invalid criticism. Many expect horror movies to have this extra layer that creates this psychological question, but Barbarian neither has it nor needs it to be considered good from my perspective.
Barbarian also warrants praise outside of the technical realm. Every single actor was fantastic. Unlike many other horror movies, the dialogue did not feel awkward or cringe. The plot was so creative and well-developed, and hard to dislike watching it play out. The storyline was incredibly engaging, and I genuinely felt horrified while watching. Despite difficulty reviewing Barbarian without spoiling it, the film earns so much merit, and I highly recommend seeing it in theaters.