Barbarian (2022)

Directed by Zach Cregger [Other horror films: Weapons (2025)]

Ever since the trailer first dropped for Barbarian, I was intrigued. It’s not often that modern horror trailers do much for me – I’m not much of a theater-going guy, so trailers aren’t really something I focus too much on. Still, the trailer for this one looked decent, and so I went into this movie – luckily having avoided all spoilers – with higher-than-normal hopes.

As it is, aspects of this film are no doubt impressive. The base story isn’t exactly stellar, but the narrative structure certainly stands out. About halfway through the film, we’re propelled two weeks forward, following an entirely new character without much in the way of context. Later on, we’re given a flashback explaining a little bit of the origins of the house so much of this film takes place in.

Where my doubt begins to rear its head is the antagonistic force. I don’t entirely object to the idea we’re presented with, but with the solid set-up, I was truthfully expecting something a bit more. I mean, the set-up was great – a mysterious underground passage in a house, the house in question being the only livable-looking house in an overly dilapidated neighborhood, a room with just a bed, bucket, and video camera. Barbarian really started out strong, and the suspense was real.

I don’t know Georgina Campbell (All My Friends Hate Me), but she did quite well here, and made for a solid focal point. Though he didn’t appear all that often, Bill Skarsgård (It) made for an okay, awkward presence. Similarly, Richard Brake (Outpost, The Dare, Perkins’ 14, Tremors: Shrieker Island, Batman Begins) doesn’t appear much, but makes an impression when he does.

Oh, and here’s something somewhat amusing. We’re introduced to a new character about halfway through the film, as I said – an actor who’s accused of rape, which leads him to the house of horrors – who I thought looked a lot like Justin Long. I wasn’t sure who the actor was, so I already had it in-mind to call him the ‘Justin Long look-alike’ in my review.

Turns out it’s actually Justin Long. faceslap, or whatever it is the kidz are saying nowadays

Justin Long (Jeepers Creepers, Lavender, Drag Me to Hell, House of Darkness) is a face I never expected to see in this movie. His character was arguably quite an asshole, but he was definitely the funnest thing here. In fact, there’s a sequence in which he’s trying to measure the creepy hidden rooms and tunnels in the basement, in order to sell the house for a higher amount (as it’d add square footage). Completely oblivious to how creepy these tunnels are, he’s going all in to measure them, and that was hella funny brahs.

Still, I don’t care for the main antagonist. I just found the scenes in which characters were dealing with it the least captivating of the movie, and given that final 15 minutes or so dealt exclusively with that, I wasn’t enamored with the finale. Aspects were okay, such as the sequence on the water tower, but I sort of cringed during Jaymes Butler’s reassurance immediately being proven false – that particular scene just felt too anticipated.

We do get a little gore here, though, which is always fun. Early on, someone’s head is repeatedly slammed into a wall, getting devastated. Someone’s arm is torn off, and the poor fella is then beaten to death with his own arm. Another lucky individual gets their eyes gouged out and their head pulled apart. Barbarian isn’t exactly a gory film, but it can be striking when it wants to be.

Oh, and here’s a random tidbit – while portions of the film were filmed in Brightmoor (a neighborhood of poor condition in Detroit), much of the movie was filmed in Bulgaria, a fact that becomes very obvious if you watch the credits roll by. I noticed that Todor Chapkanov was the First Assistant Director – Chapkanov is the director of some Sci-fi/Syfy films, such as True Bloodthirst, Ghost Town, and Copperhead – so seeing his name in a movie of this caliber amused me.

Ultimately, though, while aspects of this film really did shine, I can’t say Barbarian will end up being that memorable. No doubt that its charms worked for many people – much of the reception I’ve seen has been pretty positive. I do tend to think the film is above average, even though I definitely don’t find it anywhere close to amazing. Still, it’s a decent slice of modern horror, and no doubt one could do much worse than this. I just don’t think it’ll stick out that well in the years to come.

7.5/10