Skip to main content

Barbarian (2022)

 




Barbarian is about a woman staying at an AirBnB and discovers that there is more to the house she has rented than what was expected.

Written and Directed by Zach Cregger, Barbarian is the third film behind Miss March and The Civil War on Drugs. Both were forgettable and both were before Cregger knew really how to direct. This change is night and day, almost like how Ben Affleck made the switch over from doing Gili in 2003 to The Town in 2010. The writing is just shy of great. A great horror film will keep you wondering just how things will end. There certainly were moments I was wondering just how Cregger would end this film. There are some predictable scenes and certain directorial choices make you believe for a second that something else is happening entirely. There is one scene of exposition I despised and didn't help the storyline at all except pander to audiences that aren't intelligent.

Georgina Campbell plays Tess, the main character. She is expressive and carries the film. She's vulnerable and smart. There are scenes where she does the logical choice unlike many 70s and 80s horror. I had never seen her before in anything but she's probably best known for Black Mirror since most people don't have apple tv and have seen the show Suspicion. 


Bill Skarsgard plays a character who at first you're not sure if you should trust and then later down the line you definitely find out if you were right or wrong. There's a great line in the film where he says "Do I look like a monster?" where I smiled at that thought since he played Pennywise in Steven King's It. I enjoyed his performance for what he did.

Justin Long's character wasn't relatable but every adult audience member could quickly recognize where Cregger was going with this character. He made choices that were suitable for his character and the audience will really want to root against his character's survival. This isn't Long's first horror rodeo as he was in his breakout role for Jeepers Creepers, (some might say Galaxy Quest but I disagree) Tusk, and Idiocracy. Yes, I consider that a horror film. Just look at how scary that film was.

I started with a grade higher than where it settled. I tend to rate horror movies higher at first glance and then upon longer inspection, they go lower for my grading. It started at a low A- and now I'm settled on a B+.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is directed by Aaron Horvath , Michael Jelenic , and Pierre Leduc , with a script by Matthew Fogel , who also worked on The Super Mario Bros. Movie . This sequel brings back the core cast while expanding the universe significantly, pulling in fan-favorite characters like Fox McCloud , Rosalina , Bowser Jr. , and Yoshi . The film leans heavily into spectacle, bouncing rapidly from one set piece to another. It often feels like a chain of “and then” moments, stitched together with references to the games rather than a tightly constructed narrative. Chris Pratt , known for Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World , returns as Mario and delivers a similar performance to the first film. He remains serviceable in the role, but the script doesn’t give him much room to grow this time around. Mario feels more like a vehicle to move the audience through the different worlds rather than a character with a meaningful arc. Anya Taylor-Joy , known for The Queen’s Ga...
Post a Comment
Read more

Whistle (2026)

Whistle (2026) plays less like a finished horror film and more like a theater kid’s passion project that somehow made it to the screen. The script tries to build emotional investment in the main character but never succeeds, and the horror elements are almost nonexistent. The scares simply are not there, leaving the film feeling hollow for a genre that depends heavily on tension and payoff. The screenplay comes from Owen Egerton , whose work here feels more like a personal self insert than a fully realized character.  The protagonist, played by Dafne Keen , comes across almost like a gender swapped version of the writer himself. Keen, known for Logan and His Dark Materials , tries to bring intensity to the role but the material gives her very little to work with. The direction from Corin Hardy , who previously directed The Nun , feels restrained by the script. It is hard not to feel a bit bad for him because there is only so much a director can do when the writing does not provi...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

How to Train Your Dragon (2025) is directed by Dean DeBlois , who also wrote and directed the original animated trilogy as well as Lilo & Stitch . His return to the property ensures a faithful live-action adaptation that honors the tone and emotional core of the original. Visually, the film captures the bond between humans and dragons, with the exception of some controversial choices in casting presentation. Mason Thames , best known for The Black Phone , gives his best performance yet as Hiccup. He brings a believable vulnerability and growth to the role, matching the spirit of the original character while adding more emotional nuance in live-action. Nico Parker plays Astrid and is strong in the role, though the decision to light and style her to resemble a white Viking, despite her mixed heritage, has sparked justified conversation. Despite that, Parker's acting is solid, and she handles the action and emotional beats well. You might remember her from Dumbo. Gerard Butle...
Post a Comment
Read more