a really great scary movie with a lot's of fun. some people didn't like the end & the second part... Personally I enjoyed till the very end. Very original . one of a kind . I recommend it very well played ....
Best horror movie of the past 3 years! Zach Cregger did an amazing job on a shoestring budget,its a movie that's deserves no demands a sequel but it's a shame that a sequel won't be happening :sob: the legend that's Richard Brake (Halloween ll,31& 3 from hell) is his usual menacing creepy self just a shame he didn't get more screen time, I'll give Barbarian 10/10 any day of the week thoroughly enjoyed it!
I give this a 10 but only because I was binge watching movies all day and the one before this one was the tv dramatization of the three girls kidnapped and raped in Cleveland. I had no idea that this movie would somehow come down to a guy kidnapping and making babies in a dungeon. but I guess I have an internal tevo. anyway, really good cinematography.
I didn't see any trailers going into this one, and I think that works best. This is one of those movies that you never know where it is going. Also it's one of the most depraved and twisted films I have ever seen. I just loved Barbarian and left the theatre with a huge smile on my face.
Predictable at times - sure, but extremely enjoyable. I fell off the couch in the transition in the middle of the movie... For 2-4 minutes I was like "is this a different movie?" Then, when he mentioned property in Michigan I was like "Oh, that's how it'll tie in.
The first scene of the flashback in the yellow house where the camera followed the dude out of the house into the old car was amazing!
Him measuring the 'extra' square footage in his 'asset' was hilarious.
Nice jump scares, good creepy characters, and the douche got what's coming to him at the end!
I'll probably give this another watch or two in the coming years.
An intense nail biter that does an excellent job of building tension. It is very impressive how terrifying they made this movie without utilizing jump scares. Surprisingly great performances all around, as well.
When I first saw this trailer, I was incredibly excited to see this movie. Pennywise as a creepy barbarian? I AM IN. For whatever reason, I never got around to seeing this in theaters and that is a shame. This movie was a RIDE. Go in knowing nothing, you will not be disappointed.
Rating: 4.5/5 - 9/10 - Would Highly Recommend
Justin Long using the rape dungeon as an opportunity to boost his listing square footage is the most realistic portrayal of an AirBnB host I’ve ever seen.
An intense, unpredictable, gory and scary mystery horror. It has great acting performances, amazing visuals and a ton of scares. The first half was so scary to me and midway through the movie we get a sudden mood change and it becomes more comedic while remaining scary. It was a huge risk to do that but that's what sold the movie for me. Everyone was laughing in the theater whenever Justin Long was on screen he was hilarious. Overall a very fun ride this needs to be watched in a crowd or with friends if you can.
Like air conditioning in hell, it's a refreshing breath of fresh air in horror.
The atypical framework, the 'not all men' subplot, the strong directing all work hard to make us overlook the WTFs resplendent in the 3rd act.
Barbarian is a very well crafted film that mostly rises above the current crop of 'male feminist allies letting everyone know they get it' horror in the vein of Alex Garland's Men by taking a more incisive and damning approach highlighting not primal male nature but choice and self delusion and gratification. Justin Long's AJ is just top notch detestable in all too human and real ways, almost a deconstruction of the Bojack Horseman archetype (coming from someone who loved that show). No amount of heartfelt monologues and self loathing and declarations of change will actually get him to change, it'll just affect how he spins the story into not being his fault. And the line drawn between that and the movie's more conventional, monstrous, and 'standard' villain behind it all is brutal. It makes no illusions about how they're of the same kind behind the words, how rarely they face consequences, the trauma and destruction they leave in their wake.
The focus given to this does mean that sadly Tessa's arc doesn't fully stick the landing as well. A shame, cause Campbell is excellent at getting to root for her. Tessa is not a stereotype in either direction, either as the helpless waif or the badass who turns the table on the monster. She's a woman who makes the difficult choice to leave a bad relationship and try to change things for the better, who is understandably suspicious of her accidental 'roommate' but also can't help but be giddy when they start to connect. Campbell portrays all these complexities with a vulnerability that is impossible to look away from, and she shines in the first act.
In particular, I love how she acts like a real person would: with a mix of smart decisions and panicked ones. She comes up with smart ideas, like illuminating dark tunnels before going in, but in her terror she forgets things, or her heart sends her back to help. It's not a rebuke of horror movie cliches so much as a fond engagement with them, especially when it's contrasted with AJ's nonstop stupid choices motivated by desperate greed and petulance. It goes to show that character driven actions are the key, and that 'cliche' doesn't equal 'bad' if you have a knowing point with it. But it's also when AJ enters that Tessa's story falls off a bit.
It becomes less about her and more about contrasting her to the men. The climax doesn't really tie into where she started- leaving a toxic and maybe even emotionally abusive relationship- so much as having what AJ lacks: empathy. Empathy is what allows her to face the tragic monster on its own terms, in a kill that's as much a mercy as it is for her own escape. But it leaves her story lacking a certain finish that could've really elevated her character.
But again, they nail what they're going for with AJ. And for a movie that's often in the dark, it's never ineligible. The dark conceals just enough to keep the suspense going, and provide glimpses of the oncoming danger far more effective than any jump scare. The film's general avoidance of them really keeps the suspense up, avoiding the pressure valve release they bring for much more fun ones like some delightful cuts and Justin Long's great expressions and delivery. While not without some flaws, Barbarian is a great film well worth the watch and more than worthy of fitting into anyone's October.
An extremely confident, very purposefully plotted gem of a horror flick. Great scares, great performances.
Jesus, what a (brutally) wild ride this was! Perfect Halloween watch.
Bonus points for the (not too obvious) social commentary
The suspense in some of the scenes was killing (in the best way!).
I watched this movie in broad daylight and as someone who scares easily I'm glad I did. All the scenes taking place in the tunnels of this house were so intense. Edge of my seat.
The story overall was not that great. The explanation given quite abruptly at the end of the movie kind of ruined a good thing going in my opinion. I was also sad to see Keith go that fast. It did shock me because I felt so sure he was part of the 'evil'
loved this, but the one thing i still don't understand is why keith tried pulling tess deeper while saying they had to go that direction when the mother came from that direction?? like was he just confused (understandable) or what?
This movie was a massive surprise to me. It's a really good horror film.
Having just watched the latest installment in the Halloween franchise, I was expecting either a pathetic woke (powerful woman of color) film, or just another substandard horror film to capitalize on the season.
So it was with delight that I was glued to the screen throughout this movie.
The acting is good, the writing is good, the direction and cinematography is really good.
I would say it is shades of the Hill have Eyes, with better acting, and clever time jumps and pacing.
Well done Zach Cregger.
Note:. Barbarian is a poor title.
There are a number of good twists and turns in this. It's not scary as much as it is unsettling, and the subtext that I picked up on was more about preconceived notions and how we are conditioned to think and believe. Tess makes a lot of mistakes in judgement of people based on what she's been told or absorbed from culture, society, etc., like her reactions to Keith and even in her escape from the homeless man, Andre. Actually, even in her judgement of The Mother.
As far as the Horror aspects go, I have no idea if other viewers will find this frightening or not. I've seen so much Horror that not much scares me and unfortunately, my strongest reactions are to gore or disgusting behavior and that makes the genre much less fun for me now. Gore is not scary and thankfully "Barbarian" doesn't have much. The hidden rooms offer the greatest opportunity for creeps, other than the creep that AJ is. By the way, AJ's a despicable person and it's laid on a bit thick. Tess makes some stupid decisions but she has to because the movie requires her not to just get in her car and leave. The reasons she sticks around are a bit forced.
This isn't a typical Horror film and although it carries the typical clichés, it differs greatly in how it delivers its story. That's going to make viewers that are comfortable with a non-typical Horror movie happy and will probably upset those after a traditionally told tale.
Detroit has some horrifying real estate, no doubt
1st Act: freaking amazing
2nd Act: freaking scary
3rd Act: well...just freaky
Woulda been a 9 if they had some mutant inbred ankle biters runnin around hahaha you want me to go in there?? With them Things runnin around?! You can count me out mannn..
Just another reason why you don't massively inbreed.
Been wanting to watch a modern horror flick like this for years. Very good. Awesome job for Zach Cregger, from WKUK (and of course other things - but WKUK is so awesome to so many of us, and was one of the best in sketch)... i dont know why I was so surprised to see he even made a horror film, especially since it was so good.
Everyone in this movie is great, from Justin Long - who isn't hard to hate in it, to Georgina Campbell.
The Mother, played by Matthew Patrick Davis, was best of all, and without trying to give anything away just creeped me out to no end.
Even if it wasnt a new story or parts weren't, it felt new, in the way it was being told. I can't explain why.
I enjoyed it. Plus there were no animals! Which meant no animals hurt - sick of the dead animal trope.
There were some obvious problems with it, and left me with questions at times that I never quite had answers to but in other well in other movies that wouldn't be okay I didn't really mind.
I thought this was a pretty good movie. I’m glad I finally saw the right one. When this movie came out, I ended up watching a different movie with the exact same title from like a year or two earlier. I’m glad I realized it was a different one, because this was definitely a cool movie with a few good jump scenes.
"You cannot get it upset."
I am so glad that I didn't know anything going into this. Keep it that way. Don't overhype it, but go in blind. Justin Long is always a treat, and Georgina Campbell is great as well. Horror is back!
Like it. Better than other types of newly airbnb thriller movies. First thing first: if you are at airbnb check if there is underground if there is check if any hidden gate for anyother place
Debbie has lot of explaining to do. How could there be a double booking and why does the house have….
All I need to say is this was a superb,top notch horror.One of the best to come out in the last couple of years.
Barbarian (2022) 7.2/10 (Good)
An unnerving thriller with twists and turns you won't see coming. “Barbarian” stands out thanks to its stellar performances, gorgeous visuals, and surprisingly effective dashes of humour. To sum up the film, I'd say it has a great first-half, a middling middle, and a little underwhelming conclusion. In the end, I couldn't shake the feeling that the film's latter half doesn't match up to the promise of its first thirty minutes. In most cases, this would make for a subpar experience, but for “Barbarian,” the strengths' mostly make up for its shortcomings.
Enjoyable and worth checking out at least once, but the film is ultimately let down by a couple of flaws that prevent it from being genuinely outstanding.
Only seeing the trailer, I didn’t really know what the film was going to entail. I really enjoyed the first 2 acts, but the final act didn’t blow me away. There was some good camera work, a touch of humor, and some creepy atmosphere. Overall, a good film although I won’t be rushing out for repeat viewing anytime soon.
Solidy crafted and well acted. Some suspend your disbelief moments for sure but overall a very good & expertly creepy flick. 7.4
I know a horror movie is well made when I have to pause it multiple times to give myself a break from the tension. Although, in this film's case, I'd also point out that the movie itself did an excellent job of providing those tension release moments. I still ended up supplementing them with some pauses of my own, but I really enjoyed the structure. The transition and new character introduction after the first major horror beat was fantastic and the build up to having his story intersect with the central horror plot was brilliant writing. In fact, I'd complement virtually all of the writing. The top level premise is clever and well executed, and the moment to moment dialogue is strong, even delivering a few great humorous moments (the whole scene with Justin Long busting out the measuring tape was great). It also doesn't hurt that the three central performances are all excellent.
As far as minor criticisms go, the movie does have its fair share of groan inducing decision making by characters that clearly have never seen a horror movie themselves. There's also the completely implausible superhuman strength of the monster. Finally, I was a bit disappointed in the ultimate direction that Justin Long's character took. There were a few ham fisted dialogue exchanges that sacrificed any potential nuance in favor of making him a cartoon villain. That said, the execution is so strong that none of these issues/moments detracted meaningfully.
If you are okay and are not surprised by main characters making some stupid decisions while their life is at stake (why else would a horror movie exist), this is definitely worth a watch.
Went in completely blind and the first few minutes are enough to get your interested. There is a lot that goes around in a few scenes which are really very well done, especially showing what kinda person AJ actually is. A good watch indeed.
Fun movie, but I really hated all of the overtly woke toxic masculinity messaging. Literally every male in this movie is evil except for the crackhead who has his arm ripped off. This movie is a good example of how otherwise fun and interesting films are infected with post-modernist commentary on gender roles.
The first third of this film is absolutely tense and builds atmosphere, mystery, and terror. The middle third takes a turn but gets the dark vibes flowing again. Unfortunately the climax doesn't quite stick the landing by being a bit too simplistic. There was an attempt at depth with some generational horror but it felt a bit bolted on and somewhat disconnected from the themes in the beginning (which had a stronger focus on gender based terror). All that being said, this is still a decent watch and is perfect for spooky season.
This was a lot of fun and a great twist on the whole concept of an Airbnb stay gone wrong. Tess (Georgina Campbell) shows up at her Detroit Airbnb late on a rainy night and discovers there’s someone else already there, a creepy dude named Keith (yes that’s Bill Skarsgård from “It”) who supposedly booked it through another service. While they try to make the best of it, things quickly devolve into a surprising and scary tale of . Look out for the fun and crazy tonal shift when AJ (Justin Long), a sitcom actor living his best Riki Tiki Tavi life is suddenly singing and driving down the coast of California before they too get some unsettling news. It’s an abrupt shift and things just get weirder and weirder from there. Go into this a fresh as possible and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. 8 out of 10.
There's only one true monster and that's man. Good film, camerawork is brilliant. Ending was a bit thin, but then there wasn't much scope for it to be better with the plot setting.
This is a really interesting and non-stereotypical horror movie that changes genres many times throughout the story. While I found the ending to be non-consequential and obvious, the message behind this movie does raise a lot of good points and definitely kept me engaged throughout.
This was such a blast. It takes a lot of narrative risks that fortunately pay off and seems genuinely unconcerned about traditional structural models of storytelling. It just wants to take us on one heck of a ride. My only con is the characters' decision-making in some parts can be a bit frustrating and stretches the boundaries of believability.
So, the film is not bad. Shooting is done well, except for a few small things.
The story is complete and well done, certainly not Oscar-winning, but it is easily understood.
As a horror film I must say that I particularly appreciated it and that after some time in some scenes I even got scared.
For the rest it is a good movie to see at Halloween, certainly I will not see it spontaneously in the near future.
Sometimes an interesting building comes out of standard plot cubes. Intentionally playing with subgenres and leading the viewer by the nose, the director at some point will really scare with his film. The only trouble is that it happens too early, and the timing is considerable. Having started well, the movie rolls into trash, going through all the cliches.
"Do I look like some kind of monster?"
No, not at all Pennywise
Everything I expected from an horror movie in 2022 and more! The main female protagonist is well written, has strenght and weaknesses, the movie is anchored in our patriarcal society, it has strong views and adapted answers for the rape mentality, the horror is brutal and bloody but not overwhelmingly "gore" and it's wrapped inside two (actually three) well-written stories that are believable and true to life. It's not movie of the year by any mean but it's a solid, well-rounded piece of cinema that mixes "classic horror" with 21st century values, and the actors are all credible. I recommend.
Pretty good horror flick. I had it wrong from the beginning. Lots of little turns and twists. Good acting across the board. The end leaves a tad to be desired, but that seems to be the way horror is going. Definitely worth a watch. Go in blind like I did, though.
I thought it started off great, but then fell apart as soon as that guy Keith died and it went to AJ, with a storyline that they spent too much time on, but never went back to. The ending was just so predictable.
Well that film definitely just got more weird, surprising and unpredictable the further it got through the film and has left me thinking what the fuck happened but still I enjoyed it but didn’t think much of the ending, definitely could of been better.
That was insane but didn’t make much sense. I shipped Tess and Keith but they unfortunately didn’t have enough scenes together.
This was so interesting but so weird and the ending was so so shit. Like why did she just escape like that and killed the monster mother thing. Like cmon now. But it was a really interesting film cant lie. I loved how they did different like times and went back and forth. I’m so sad that the Keith guy died like he was so sus but so sweet like aww he let her stay and waited to open the wine what a sweetheart. I can’t lie tho it was funny when the homeless guy was like she never comes here and then she just burst through and killed him like what the fuck. That other guy who owned the house was sooo annoying like first he raped that girl. I wasn’t sure if he actually did but after what he told his friend like you so did you little rat. Plus he throw her off the thingy like what a dick move. He was so annoying his death was so so ahhhh man. Like hes eyes and head getting squashed and ripped was scary. There was a few jump scares especially when the mother monster came like when we first saw her and she killed Keith. She was so scary. I want to know more about what happened to her and that old guy who’s her dad or grandad or something. Like what did he see on the tapes and why was that secret basement door there and what happened to those girls like they didn’t really tell us. Like that was annoying. But yeah. Also when the police didn’t believe her especially the black guy they were so rude like cmon now just look now that hard. Ummm but if I were her I wouldn’t have went back for that guy like you escaped just leave him man not your problem. I can’t lie I was shopping her and Keith so cute. I hope she gets her job too.
A good suprise for all horror fans.It kept me interested all the time since the beggining.Plot is good and refreshing and it's only become better.Not so scary but it worths a watch for sure.. 7.0/10
The ending disappointed but until that point, this was a surprising and entertaining little horror tale.
Solid, Omnious, Intriguing
Barbarian as the name suggests is a mystery which builds into this refreshingly new style of film. The film is a about a woman who books an Airbnb and something is wrong in the rented stay. The film starts off as a rom com and the slowly becomes engaging as the atmospheric tension becomes evident. And the pre interval block just knocks your socks off and you may get a shocker if you hadn't anticipated it. The films direction style is commendable, 3 individual chapters told separately and linearly finally coming into intersection because of the house. The screenplay is a rollercoaster and neither fast paced nor slow. But the score and the editing makes it engaging.
Georgina Campbell is fantastic, from start till finish she engrosses you with her grounded and realistic performance. The transition of her emotions in critical moments of the film is so perfect. Bill Skarsgard is a real charmer in the first half and definitely makes you like him instantly. His small appearance is commendable too. Justin Long is brilliant as the stay owner. His character itself remains a mystery untill the end which suddenly makes you feel for him in a moment to despise him in another. Very very good job.
Overall, Barbarian for me doesn't justifies its name with a solid back story , but it's transition of genre as a romantic to mystery to horror then back to thriller does make it a compelling and film which will remain in your heads a bit longer. The best part of the film is it leads you to something which you would have never imagined nor expected. I still wish the writing towards the end could have been better as it felt a bit rushed and unsatisfactory for me with the end. A little more backstory could have helped.
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It looked promising to start with, good storyline, good actors, good tension but as soon as that switch from a horror to a more comedic movie happened it was ruined
Unrealistic from beginning to end.
It was meh. It's basically just the Hills have eyes but un the suburbs.
In the last few months, I've read several times that you should watch "Barbarian" with as little prior knowledge as possible. After seeing the movie, I tend to agree. It works best when you don't know in which direction the story is going. Still, I don't quite understand the hype. While the first 40 minutes or so are very intense, the story becomes too far-fetched as it goes on. Characters tend to make more and more decisions that are no longer comprehensible. Overall, director Zach Cregger has a good sense of horror. It's been a long time since I've seen a film with such constant suspense and frightening moments. The presentation is undoubtedly the film's greatest strength. Only the ending was a bit much for me personally. But many will like it, I suppose.
definitely entertaining and sometimes even kinda funny. delivers some surprises but somehow does not really feels like it knows what its doing. dont feel the hype but better than the average stuff.
Go watch the movie. I highly recommend it. And that's it. Go into this as blindly as possible. You should know absolutely nothing about the film. The things you should know are the title and where you can watch this.
However, if I have to say something about it, I must say, despite liking it and how much the movie keeps you in the dark, wondering what's going on, I have a feeling on a second watch, it will lose its appeal. Because once you know all its secrets, the less enjoyable it is, and you're patiently waiting for it to get to the point.
This is really more of a comedy horror film. I love Bill Skarsgård and wish he’d been in the film longer, but if once you realize it’s a comedy horror and take it as it is, it’s not bad. I wouldn’t pay for a movie ticket for it, but I’d definitely stream it for $5 when it’s out for rent.
A twisty winding unpredictable film with suspense. Best to not read much before watching. Enjoyable and some scares / gore for horror fans.
The film successfully takes you down several blind alleyways using misdirection to build suspense and drama into the story.
Acting is great particularly the lead female who has to act some really complex shifting emotions.
The most successful "horror" bit of the movie for me is the first act - Airbnb - where trust / gender / vulnerability issues are played with well, but in a more traditional way. The female lead keeps this feeling fresh by being smart and relatable.
The middle act "back stories" is not paced well I think. More could be made of the houses backstory, its over very quickly so the significance of the events doesn't settle in. The back story of the third character to enter the house is fine, not too much for me, but it made me wonder about whether a different more subtle monster is being showcased - one driven by privilege and entitlement.
Final act "chase" is a different type of horror feel - the grotesque, panicked, survival type. It's engaging and stays unpredictable. There are some satisfying moments too..
I found the pacing off and the tone shifts a tad unsettling too. There are elements of comedy horror which sometimes work very well but at other moments cut the tension that was being built - (rubber arms is all I'm going to say).
Enjoyed watching this but for me won't hold up to a second viewing, and some flaws
Also. I would definitely share an Airbnb with Bill Skarsgard under the same circumstances!
Look if you’ve seen what happens in there, you keep going back in and don’t get the f**k out the first chance you get then as far as I’m concerned you get what’s coming to you
Rollercoaster of stupidity and fun
A very creative thriller film about a house that is rented out on Air B&B that reveals its hidden dark secrets to a couple renters and the property manager. What began as a typical thriller that makes the audience think that the predator is one of the tenants who is going to kill the other (a young female), takes an expecting turn, or turns. However, the turns it makes; the scenes with flashbacks or flash forwards, is cut up so much so that you think another film started. However, how the pieces fit together and the thrilling upbeat conclusion of the film is twisted and entertaining.
This movie played a lot with classic horror movie tropes, and did so in a very self-aware way that could be refreshing to some. But for me, it was just not very interesting or entertaining ultimately. Barbarian is not something I would really recommend - not because it's bad. But because it's just very very mid.
Second or third time I've started this but this time I watched it all the way through. It was an okay movie but I'm not sure what all the uproar was about over it when it first released; I mean, it was just another horror movie... kind of a weird take on The Hills Have Eyes IMO. It wasn't a "bad" movie; in fact, it was well-acted and the suspense was there from the very outset, building throughout the first half of the film. I'll give the producers credit for one thing, though: whether it was planned or not, that sudden cut at the midway point of the film had me scratching my head wondering if I'd been duped into watching some lame joke. Finally the stories met back up and it started making sense again. Another prop to Barbarian is that it had some gory scenes in it...not "overkill" (pardon the expression) but enough to make it interesting...a real "gorror" film instead of just another suspenseful, creepy movie (not that I'm averse to those). The ending was weirdly touching, and the acting throughout the film was superb. I've never seen (that I can recall, anyway) this Justin Long in anything else but he played the douchebag to absolute perfection. From the moment you saw him 'til the moment you didn't, you just wanted him to get his just rewards. LOL He really pulled his part of beautifully in the film. The rest of the cast were great, as well, and the score and cinematography were very well done. My biggest complaint is simply that the storyline itself was just...meh...there really wasn't one. I can't imagine trying to read this in a novel because it was just too outlandish and ridiculous. I mean, sure, there are times you have to just disengage your brain and enjoy the show, but this... Hard to explain, but it oddly just felt like it was trying too hard to be believable...and it wasn't. It fell into that twilight zone sort of area where you couldn't believe it, but it wasn't outlandish enough to just unplug from reality and enjoy it (say like a Godzilla or Child's Play - type horror film). Apart from the (what I consider) weak storyline, however, the movie was enjoyable and well-done. Worth a watch for fans of horror movies but I would stop short of saying it's worth watching more than once. Definitely NOT sorry that I watched it, though; it was worth the watching.
It start out good with dark atmosphere and tension building then turned itself into a joke, and it was like a typical horror flick, not so sure about watching it again
Perfectly set from the start is the tone of mysterious dread. Unfortunately, it’s abruptly diminished by AJ’s introduction and needless backstory. After this, it quickly adopts run-of-the-mill horror flair, but doesn’t entirely disappoint. Still very watchable, just nothing at all original.
a nice surprise, however I did not understand the title of the film in relation to the story. there is nothing barbaric
Well, I did enjoy the movie BUT prepare yourself to get disgusted for a couple of minutes...
Id give it a 6.5 - felt like it dragged but loved the twist of thinking it was going to be the guy she was sharing the house with that would be the danger, but it being something else entirely. The Mother’s character was a pretty cool addition - it just sort of felt like a film that had nothing yet everything happening. I think i wanted more background into why and how this started.
A bunch of horror stereotypes and tired gimmicks lined up in an unpredictable and refreshing way. Despite the single elements feeling weak, the sum of their parts and the witty humor tying everything together turned a potentially forgettable movie into a comfy and entertaining experience, with a relatively solid direction and some perfect casting choices.
[Disney+] It manages to use expectations, from Bill Skarsgård's choice, but is as unpredictable at the start as it is messy and withdrawn in the third act. It is more interesting when it ironizes with the classic elements of terror than when it tries to join the genre with a social discourse, and although without contributing anything new, the use of the progressive agony of a city like Detroit is intriguing.
Took off really good for the first half of the time, but the last act for me just didn't quite hit the sweet spot, something was amiss. A talent like Skarsgard should've been utilized more. That way, i think, could've potentially addressed some of the dullness. Still a good movie though, interesting visuals with some pretty tight suspense scenes in the dark.
Hits all the boxes of 2020s horror so far, stylistic shots and jarring tone changes that influence the viewer that they’re watching something “more” than a spooky movie - however other movies have checked this box better. First arc genuinely is pretty great and compelling and tense but completely sacrifices scare factor for ironic parody after the 40 minute mark.
Main girl also turns from a very convincing realistic woman to average horror character making stupid decisions and never knowing when to GTFO.
Anyways, guess it’s worth a watch if you have 2 hours to kill
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Barbarian’:
I would love to be double-booked at a spooky Airbnb with Bill Skarsgård. And I could’ve used more of him in this film.
While I thought the drastic shift in tone was appropriately-jarring, there was much wasted time spent on setting up Justin Long’s character.
There was still a little left to be desired and some wasted potential, but I thought this was a solid film with great acting, a terrific mood-setting score, and it legitimately kept me guessing until the end.
What a collosal waste of time. If this is what passes as horror today I am so glad I grew out of that phase way back in the 80's.
It was literally like there were two sets of writers and directors, the first writer/director who wrote the beginning with the character Keith in it seemed to have something going and it certainly made it creepy and had me wondering what was going to happen but then once Keith was gone it was like they brought in a new writer and director who had no clue where to go with the plot or how to finish the movie.I was starting to wonder if half way through the movie I had somehow switched to another movie that seemed to have completely lost the plot.
The "Barbarian", I assume was the grotesque woman and not the man kidnapping women?, was creepy looking but hardly scary at all and wasn't used enough. I mean, really, they want us to be on the edge of our seats because she wants to keep them as her baby and feed them?? LOL
The guy kidnapping the women and who created the whole set up is some decrepit bedridden old man who can barely hold his pistol to kill himself and he was the only scary one :D
When the homeless guy says there is something even worse than the creepy lady I kept waiting for it to appear, maybe THAT is what the "barbarian" was going to be and would make it all worth the while to watch this movie.... nothing... crickets. Did they forget they mentioned it? or was it so uninspiring and forgettable I compeltely missed it?! :D :D :D
The sad thing is I usually read reviews first before watching a movie/show so I get at least some idea if it is worth it or whether it will interest me or not and when I saw consistant positive reviews (and 7 or higher ratings) I figured it was worth a shot. Really?? C'mon, someone could have warned me this was crap!!!
I thought Tess was stupid, then Justin Long showed up, dumb and dumber it was very realistic
Not a fan of this. What saves some of it are the fresh ideas it brings to the table, it’s good at playing with your expectations. At the same time you can also really tell that this isn’t the most experienced filmmaker. The camerawork, lighting and music are mostly bland and only pop sporadically during key moments. The horror is ok, it makes the mistake of showing some of the supposed scary stuff in broad daylight, and it occasionally resorts to cheap techniques (hectic editing; annoying, unearned jump scares). Its logic gets very thin in places, and while the acting is passable, it can get kinda bad at times (the dialogue certainly doesn’t help either). You can excuse some of that for the fact that it’s aiming for shlock, but I think this gets kinda lame next to a movie like Malignant.
4.5/10
again placing woke ideology do not improve your movie.
What traumatize me the most is people thinking this is what a good horror movie is nowadays... The only good thing about this movie was Bill.
let's just say they did not stick the landing with the ending
TL;DR: It's like this movie was written by an AI, good start but quickly becomes a mess.
I watched this blind going in with a friend, at first it was genuinely quite creepy... then it got a little weird and then it just got downright awful. You will spend this movie saying "Why?" "Why?" "Who does that?" "THAT IS NOT A NORMAL HUMAN RESPONSE" and then you'll finish the movie anyway. It's not a great movie... it had a genuinely good start but fell apart rather quickly before the end of the first act. I've no idea why this has such good reviews.
Remember not to rent houses in the suburbs in Detroit. ;)
I watched it due to the popular reviewed on here being positive. Jesus, what a waste of time from actors I like. The plot was just random and didn't really show anything on the characters at all. All of the place and the horror aspects weren't even scary. Literally just the first walking down the stairs that was remotely chilling at least for a bit before they killed off the best actor. And the police, why didn't you give your name and ask them to look you up, there would be records to show you're not a crack head lol dumb af
Interesting start, uneven rhythm, and an odd ending makes for a disappointing and throwaway film. Still, it does contain some scary scenes even though it's got more of the uncomfortable sort, and a huge serving of moral judgment on the side.
Act 1 was good but it fell off pretty quick after.
A good movie that was ruined by a dumbass ending.
Bad. Terrible execution. Good opening, bad middle, and hilariously terrible conclusion. #keithdidntdeservethis
I thought AJ was just a regular all-in idiot, but it turns out he is actually a moron aswell. There is a rising problem with movies nowdays, men are depicted as complete idiots and women has any level of common sense.
What starts out as a standard horror film soon turns into a plain dumb, unbearable and often incomprehensible hot mess that tries too hard to shock and forgets to entertain. Genuinely surprised seeing its average rating on Letterboxd as this garbage should have never been made and is undeserving of such high ratings. Yikes.
I thought it was ok, then it just got dumb as all the other scary movies do. Don't expect anything new or too scary. Police in the movie are depicted as dumb as any person can be ......lots of dumb people in this movie. Lots of nudity, I warned you....
I don’t understand how everyone has given this movie a high rating on this app. When I look at horror movie ratings on here they are all pretty low, but this one was high so I expected more. It was so terrible for it to be rated at 70%. I have seen horror movies that are rated below 50% that are better on here.
The only good thing about this movie was watching Justin Long die.
One of worst "scary" movies EVER... Are they really make money over such craps or is a kind of "laundry"?...
Good movie, i just don’t understand that they all just enter that room. I would have called the police and burned the place :joy:
I only watched the trailer and I started yelling at the screen...WHY IN THEE HELL DID YOU WALK DOWNSTAIRS? You deserve what you get you fool...
This is an example of why you should never watch trailers or even read the synopsis of horror movies. You can't say it was predictable. Great job by this first time director.
I thought there was going to be another 10-15 minutes at the point where the movie ends. You can only watch 'Barbarian' the first time so be careful about how much you know going in. Anyone who unironically calls this "woke" is a dumbass.
An awesome ride that you should go into as blind as possible, really has everything from spooks, gore and goofs and one of the best cut to credit songs since American Werewolf In London
I honestly believe that people saying that the police interaction didn't seem real at all have never been to downtown Los Angeles or in any area full of meth heads. When you are around an area that is populated with nothing but drug additcs for 10 min of your life you will understand why cops (or anyone else) wouldnt take serious someone talking shit in the middle of a drug corner.
That being said, I loved the movie. Specially the fact that it totally tricked me every time I thought I knew what would happen.
Remember those early-mid 2000 horror parodies? This movie it's almost one, but not quite. It's like the parody was first and they tried to make something serious based on the story and characters.
See, this is why I don't stay at Air B&Bs anymore. Same goddamn thing happens every goddamn time. You book the place, you walk in, you say "Oh, this seems nice...", and the next thing you know you're getting attacked by a mutant inbred titty bitch that tries to nurse you. Ruins the whole damn weekend.
Shout by The Ace FaceBlockedParent2022-10-27T14:39:51Z— updated 2022-10-28T15:51:49Z
Creepy, chilling, scary, gory and frightening. All the ingredients required for a good horror. Would love to see a prequel to this story. 8.5/10.