“BARBARIAN” is a horror movie produced on a small budget of $4.5 million.
It was first released in U.S. theaters in August and has since then earned $43 million at the box office, making it a hit. It has also been released digitally on HBO and Disney+.
The movie starts with a pretty girl, Tess (Georgina Campbell, a black British actress), going to Detroit for a job interview.
She books a stay in an Air BnB house in a remote area, arriving in the middle of the rainy night to discover that a guy is already staying in the house, Keith (Bill Skaarsgard, the murderous clown in “It”).
The house was obviously double booked and now she has nowhere else to go. Keith says she can stay over night in the room and he’d sleep on the couch in the living room.
He seems to be a nice guy so she agrees, even if she is still on guard, like when he offers her tea and wine.
When she wakes up the next morning. Keith has gone and she reports for her interview.
Her prospective employer was surprised when she said she was staying in the Brightmoor, which turned out to be a dilapidated part of the city with rundown houses.
She returns to the house and she goes to the basement to get tissue paper but she forgets to leave the door wide open and it closes by itself locking her in.
Keith arrives to help her but they didn’t know about the danger lurking down in the basement.
This turns out to be the film’s first act and this is as far as we’d share.
It ends abruptly and the second act focuses on AJ (Justin Long), a sitcom actor who’s threatened to be sued by his leading lady who he allegedly molested.
To pay for the expenses of his law suit, he goes to Detroit to sell a property long owned by his family.
It turns out to be the same house where Tess and Keith stayed.
He also discovers the secret of the basement and is held captive inside.
The third act shows how he and Tess team up to defy their ferocious captor. It’s said the movie made money because of word-of-mouth recommendations from horror fans.
“Barbarian” is written and directed by Zach Cregger, better known as a comedy actor on TV.
He now gets his big break as a director and it’s a surprise hit.
One thing you can say about his movie is that it’s so unpredictable.
You can’t guess what happens next, even if you already know that stupidity in characters in horror flicks is SOP.
They’re aware of the dangers lurking in the house, but they still keep on coming back to it instead of prioritizing their own safety.
If you don’t want any spoilers, then you should stop reading any further and just go watch “Barbarian” directly.
Suffice it to say that if you relish graphic violence combined with blood and gore, then you won’t be disappointed.
Keith proves to Tess that despite her suspicions on him, he is really a Mr.
Nice Guy and what happens to him in the movie is something he doesn’t truly deserve.
And just as the violence goes to town, the director cuts away from it entirely and introduces a new character, AJ, the obnoxious actor who feels entitled.
The film’s sudden switch to a lighthearted tone as AJ drives on the highway singing an upbeat Donovan song registers as more of a shock than what happened to Keith in the previous scene.
The director intentionally wants to twist the expectations of viewers.
Even the cops here are not the usual helpful ones as they unceremoniously forsake Tess who’s desperately asking for their help.
Right off, you know that AJ is a character you won’t regret seeing meeting a violent end.
And he does. Like Tess and Keith, AJ saunters off into the house without knowing the danger that awaits him in its dark corners.
After watching this movie, we’re sure you’ll be more careful when you go into a basement where unknown dangers maybe lurking.
Tess is the film’s sympathetic hero that viewers will support and root for, while AJ is the annoying clown whose eventual comeuppance is something he truly deserves.
Tess makes some reckless decisions because of her noble desire to rescue people in danger.
You’d wish that she behaves more sensibily, but if she did, the movie would have ended right away after the first half hour.