Verdict
Summary
Barbarian is at times creepy and the first half is almost classic horror but it gets a little too silly for my tastes in the second half and I found myself laughing more than being scared. Still, it’s a fun time and worth a watch.
Plot: A woman staying at an Airbnb discovers that the house she has rented is not what it seems.
Review: I’ve heard mixed reviews for Barbarian but the trailers looked creepy and intriguing so I knew I would have to check it out for myself; I watched it last night and enjoyed it for what it was but found it more funny than scary.
*Minor spoilers ensue* It starts off with a sinister atmosphere as our lead Tess shows up at an Airbnb in Detroit as she has a job interview in the area. When she arrives there is already someone staying there (Bill Skarsgård) so the pair try to work out what has happened and begin to bond. While looking for toiler paper Tess discovers a secret passage in the basement (I hate it when that happene) which reveals a bedroom with a camera so when Keith volunteers to investigate things go bad very quickly.
This is the creepiest part of the movie and builds up the tension nicely with the scenes n the underground tunnels really quite terrifying. Then it cuts to Justin Long’s story which was another highlight as I love how it eventually ends up with him at the house (which he owns). I won’t say anything else as I don’t want to spoil anything further but some hilarious and crazy things occur which you will either find scary or funny and I choose the latter.
There are far too many stupid character decisions in this film and I know it’s a staple of the horror genre but it just pushed character stupidity a bit too far for my tastes. On the plus side someone gets beaten to death with their own severed arm which was awesome and it’s hard not to enjoy the gonzo storyline.
The score works well in building up the creepiness factor and is one of the highlights of the film but the performances are also faultless. Justin Long was perfectly cast as the douchey AJ and it’s hard not to love any movie that has Richard Brake in it. Georgina Campbell is good as Tess but makes so many dumb decisions that you almost don’t want her to escape.
Overall, Barbarian is a creepy and entertaining horror flick with a few scares and sense of dread but it gets a little too silly in the second half to take seriously; still, if you’re looking for something different then it’s worth a watch.