Barbarian | Review & Score

About: A woman staying at an Airbnb discovers that the house she has rented is not what it seems.

Until I see Halloween Ends, BARBARIAN is by far the best horror film of 2022.

I gotta tell you, Barbarian sold me on the trailer alone. Going in, I figured there would be at least a few common horror tropes throughout. And there was. Indeed. You'll know when you see them.

Other than those few tropes, Barbarian is a fucking masterpiece in suspense and shock horror.

First off, the cast is fucking amazing. All were game and then some, particularly Justin Long and Georgina Campbell (who I was unfamiliar with, but now I love her). Not taking anything away from the awesome Bill Skarsgard, he put his best foot forward. But Long and Campbell's performances are top notch and deserve all the credit in the world.

Justin Long hasn't been in any big horror films since Drag Me to Hell back in 2009. At least to my knowledge right off the top of my head. It's so fucking good to see Justin back in a big, prominent horror feature. This is what he was meant to do as an actor. Director Zach Cregger utilizes Long's strengths and buries any weaknesses Justin may have, which is very few.

Justin Long is back!

Another strength here was Georgina Campbell. Campbell's performance is so subtle and gnarly. You really pull for her all the way until the credits roll... and then some. She's extremely likable and is a naunced little badass up to her final shot. Her presence feels strong and prominent, and that's what's expected from a female lead. Or a male lead for that matter. Love her.

For the limited screen time he has, Bill Skarsgard ate up his scenery. He's another compliment of mine. Skarsgard works well within the horror/suspense court. I felt his screen time was actually best the way it was. You feel the whole time he's on screen that he's the bad guy, and that's where the clever writing comes into play. Skarsgard is great here.

I want to commend the writing, premise, setting, cinematography, plot twists and suspense. The sheer suspenseful nature of the film is one of the best I've seen in some time. The run time is perfect and Cregger uses every second to make you feel NOT at ease. Not one bit. I love that shit. I really do. The dialogue is clever, the characters don't feel stale by the end and the villains are well orchestrated.

The plot twists are another strong point for Barbarian. I thought I had it in the first half, not gonna lie.

Once you think you know, you fucking don't know. And when you do know, it's fucking disturbing.

At parts, I was just saying "what the actual living fuck am I experiencing right now?!"

Cregger hit the nail on the head with this one. Not one fucking doubt in my mind.

From beginning to end, I was invested in the story, characters, premise and plot twists.

The finale was pretty solid and I think the payoff was there. Although, I will say, a part of it for me was really weird and I felt some of it left a strange taste in my mouth. But it did not in any way take away from the movie at all. The film is great and everyone deserves praise for this. Cast, crew, everyone. Well done.

4/5