Rating: R
Stars: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long, Matthew Patrick Davis, Richard Brake
Writer: Zach Cregger
Director: Zach Cregger
Distributor: 20th Century Studios
Release Date: September 9, 2022

‘Tis a dark and stormy night when Tess (Georgina Campbell) pulls up in front of the Airbnb she’s rented in a dismally rundown Detroit neighborhood. To her surprise and dismay, Tess encounters Keith (Bill Skarsgård), who is already in residence and says that he’s also rented this place. After a bit of initial shouting, things calm down. Keith is gentlemanly and uncommonly thoughtful about the sensible fears a young woman like Tess might have about the situation, and about him. Tess warms up to Keith. Détente is reached. Tess spends the night in the bed, Keith sleeps on the couch. But during the night, Tess’s door opens. She wakes up to find Keith on the couch, moaning, apparently in the throes of a nightmare. And then …

Since much of the fun of BARBARIAN is trying to figure out what exactly is going on here, more should probably not be said about the plot. Viewers who want to make educated guesses shouldn’t watch, or at least should ignore, the trailers. For once, this is not because the trailers spoil things, but rather because they are extremely misleading. The BARBARIAN poster is conceptually informative. The title looms above an image of Tess staring downward in astonishment through a rough-looking interior doorway. Puzzling over how the word links up with the picture is very much in keeping with the BARBARIAN experience. To be clear, there are no Conan or Visigoth or Viking raider types here. There wind up being several contenders for the moniker “barbarian,” though. Of course, since most of the action takes place on a street called Barbary, presumably all of its inhabitants would qualify as “Barbarians.” Director/writer Zach Cregger comes up with some truly funny lines and concepts in the midst of horror that exists on several levels. While people’s mileage may vary on this, he is careful with how he treats some subject matter, which feeling free to be outrageous in other areas.

There’s so much going on that BARBARIAN achieves a somewhat novelistic feel, despite its increasingly swift hour-and-forty-seven-minute running time. Cregger and his production team have also done a bang-up job of recreating American suburban decay on their primarily Eastern European locations, as well as a splendidly creepy interior. Campbell radiates intelligence, integrity and compassion. Skarsgård excels at both charm and menace, sometimes alternating and sometimes simultaneously. Justin Long plays A.J., who enters the proceedings partway through. While he’s far easier to read than Skarsgård’s Keith, Long and Cregger still keep us going back and forth on A.J. until the final reel. Praise should also be given to Matthew Patrick Davis, who delivers a committed, hugely physical performance.

BARBARIAN won’t be for everyone. It has its share of shock shots, but more troubling material is off-screen, in some audio and in the back story. For those who can roll with it, though, the film has the spirit of well-crafted indie horror, ready to try some new things in order to scare and entertain.

Related: Movie Review: THE HARBINGER
Related: Movie Review: BURIAL
Related: Movie Review: THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING

Related: Movie Review: FALL
Related: Movie Review: MANEATER
Related:
Movie Review: ORPHAN: FIRST KILL
Related: Movie Review: GLORIOUS
Related: Movie Review: OF THE DEVIL
Related: Movie Review: CAMPING TRIP
Related: Movie Review: THE DEAD GIRL IN APARTMENT 03
Related: Movie Review: BULLET TRAIN
Related: Movie Review: BODIES BODIES BODIES
Related: Movie Review: RESURRECTION
Related: Movie Review: NOPE
Related: Movie Review: H.P. LOVECRAFT’S WITCH HOUSE
Related: Movie Review: THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
Related: Movie Review: THE PRINCESS
Related: Movie Review: MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU
Related: Movie Review: GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE
Related: Movie Review: THE BLACK PHONE
Related: Movie Review: A TOWN FULL OF GHOSTS
Related: Movie Review: ABANDONED
Related: Movie Review: SCARE ZONE
Related: Movie Review: THE RIGHTEOUS
Related: Movie Review: JURRASIC WORLD: DOMINION
Related: Movie Review: WATCHER
Related: Movie Review: THE PASSENGER
Related: Movie Review: TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Related: Movie Review: THE INNOCENTS
Related: Movie Review: DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
Related: Movie Review: ESCAPE THE FIELD
Related: Movie Review: CHILDREN OF SIN
Related: Movie Review: HATCHING
Related: Movie Review: THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT
Related: Movie Review: ROOM 203
Related: Movie Review: WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR
Related: Movie Review: FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE
Related: Movie Review: MINAMATA
Related: Movie Review: LET THE WRONG ONE IN
Related: Movie Review: NIGHT’S END
Related: Movie Review: THE CONTRACTOR
Related: Movie Review: SO COLD THE RIVER
Related: Movie Review: THE LOST CITY
Related: Movie Review: X
Related: Movie Review: YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER
Related: Movie Review: 6:45
Related: Movie Review: THE OUTFIT
Related: Movie Review: THE BOY BEHIND THE DOOR
Related: Movie Review: THE BATMAN
Related: Movie Review: TAKE BACK THE NIGHT
Related: Movie Review: ASKING FOR IT
Related: Movie Review: UNCHARTED

Follow us on Twitter at ASSIGNMENT X
Like us on Facebook at ASSIGNMENT X

Article Source: Assignment X
Article: Movie Review: BARBARIAN

 


Related Posts:

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Leave a Comment

CAPTCHA Image
*
Increase your website traffic with Attracta.com

Dr.5z5 Open Feed Directory

bottom round