10/12 ForReel Score | 4/5 Stars

Upon arriving at her Airbnb, Tess (Georgina Campbell, Black Mirror) is confused to find a strange man, Keith (Bill Skarsgård, It), already inside. It seems the renters have double-booked the property. Yet against her better judgment Tess decides to stay the night, only for her to soon discover there is a more insidious threat in the house.

That’s all that can be said about the new horror film Barbarian without tainting the experience for future audiences. Writer/director Zach Cregger (Miss March) takes a fairly basic wrong turn horror movie premise and masterfully elevates it in a way that the audience will never quite guess where it’s going. His tight script and visual style is on par with the horror of the 70s and 80s while remaining current. It offers layers of depth to the characters and a fairly believable sequence of events. Cregger understands the difference between violence and disturbing imagery; knowing just what to show and what to leave up to the viewer's imagination. Luckily the studio aligned with his vision and gave very little in the trailer outside of the film’s first fifteen minutes.

The first act has some of the best tension in a horror/thriller in years. Tess, like many women in unfamiliar situations, is having to work overtime to identify a threat. She is rightfully weary of Keith and even states if the roles were reversed, she would have not let him in the house. He is almost too accommodating, which can be even scarier than an outright predator. We’re left unsure whether to let our guard down or not. It’s uncomfortably tense and facilitates a great lead up for the horrors to come. Then, right as the film appears to hit its peak, the tone surprisingly shifts. It offers a needed respite from the tension, but is slightly jarring at first. The audience is left puzzled, trying to piece together the new storyline’s importance, however as the film progresses it all falls into place.

The casting choices create a proper diversion in the film. From the second Skarsgård opens the door the audience inherently doesn’t trust him. In opposition is Aj (Justin Long, Tusk). Meeting him as he playfully sings along to a goofy tune has viewers more trusting of him, which we soon learn isn’t the case at all. He has zero care for anyone or anything around him. Aj blindly puts himself in these dangerous situations, but his entitlement and male privilege allows him to disregard any threat, also blinding him from seeing past his own perspective. Long’s performance helps the audience bear his unlikable character as well as getting some laughs out. Aj and Tess are two sides of the same coin. Tess is self aware enough to assess the risk, but it’s her heart that continually throws her back into peril. Campbell’s warmth makes her a final girl to root for.

And as strange as it may be to say, the camerawork is lovely in this dimly lit horror film. Cinematographer Zach Kuperstein (The Eyes of my Mother) keeps his shots in a seemingly perpetual state of claustrophobia. His use of light allows the tunnels to look as if they go on for an eternity, ever so scarcely letting the horrors creep out the dark void. Approaching things handheld while underground makes every step painstakingly frightful. Comparatively the camera is fluid while above the soil, gliding through the room. As told in an interview with Indiewire, “The main references were Fincher upstairs, Raimi downstairs”. Kuperstein crafts a viscerally upsetting feeling you can never quite shake.

Cregger’s story is a thought out examination on duality. Taking place in the decay of Detroit holds an unspoken significance to the film. The shifts in the city parallels the plot and character’s transformations. The horror is elevated as well by its commentary on inappropriate male behavior. The audience is repeatedly asked whose actions are deserving sympathy. Forced to decide which crime is more heinous, who is just a product of their environment, and who is the true victim of the situation. Barbarian is a refreshing new take on the genre. Although the story loses some steam by the second act, the film remains captivating. Frequently diverting audience expectations. The film is an enjoyably terrifying experience that begs to be seen in a packed theater on the biggest screen imaginable.

MOVIE REVIEW: "Barbarian" Is An Enjoyably Terrifying Experience