BARBARIAN (2022): FILM REVIEW

BARBARIAN (MA15+)

Written and directed by Zach Cregger

Starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård and Justin Long

Duration: 102 minutes

We are living in an era of cinema that is being dominated by what some are calling the "renaissance" of horror cinema - horror films that non-horror fans feel comfortable praising because they double as family dramas, allegories for trauma, or vehicles for sharp social commentary. God forbid I use the phrase "elevated horror," but with the huge critical success of films like Hereditary and The Babadook, just to name a couple, there has been a sense in the last five or ten years that the only way that great horror films are being financed these days is if they are able to appeal to non-horror fans at the same time. That is not to say that any of these films that do or do not fit into this category are bad - most of them are excellent. But what that has led to is a lack of big, popular horror films that are completely unabashed and unashamed to take part in elements of exploitation cinema, horror tropes from the '70s and '80s, or even in some cases commit to being a simple, full-blooded horror film. Because let's get this straight - there is nothing denigrating or negative about a film being categorised in the horror genre, no matter how much organisation like the Academy Awards might hint towards the opposite.

Zach Cregger's Barbarian is testament to that.

Barbarian is the sort of horror film that makes me incredibly excited to be a horror fan. It is bold, unexpected, expertly crafted, gleefully mean-spirited and nasty when it needs to be, and a completely joyous expression of everything that great horror cinema can achieve. There is nothing about this film that attempts to soften its impact on viewers that may not know what they are getting into; it is unabashedly weird and messed up, and pulls you along through its multiple narrative shifts.

Usually I would outline the plot of the film, but I do believe that this is a film that is best experienced with as little prior knowledge as possible. Luckily, the widely available plot synopses and trailers do not give away anything past the first act, so if you want to be primed for the film before seeing it then those are available. But beyond that, this is a film that works its magic on the viewer by engaging with and teasing their expectations. It plays on not just horror tropes and classic cinematic devices, twisting and playfully adjusting them before your eyes, but also on deeply engrained cultural expectations based on gender and power balance. This is part of what makes the film's first act so taught with tension - not only are we engaged with the film on an aesthetic level, trying to peek through into characters' intensions to see if we can trust them or not, but also at a deeper, more primal level.

There is a moment as the first act finishes that may cause viewers some whiplash, but the way the second act then navigated its way back into the main narrative of the film was incredibly satisfying, but also provided the film with some genuinely effective comedy moments. This is something that is incredibly difficult to pull off in horror cinema - too much emphasis on the comedy, and the film ceases to be effectively scary. But poor comedy moments that feel out of place and overwhelmed by the horror elements of the film can pull the viewer right out of any immersion that the horror elements have been building up. Barbarian uses comedy in a strictly character-based way, and does so efficiently and effortlessly without ever staining the terror and tension that has been expertly built up to that point in the film. This is an incredibly impressive balancing act that the film pulls off, and when compared to something like Scream from earlier this year is a masterclass in how to balance two seemingly opposite tonal qualities without either tarnishing the other.

When this film unleashes, it is glorious to see a film made in 2022 with such little regard for the viewer's sense of bad taste or moral compass. It very clearly sets up one main character as the protagonist, and then another main character as a person for whom it is extremely difficult to root for, and then places them both in the same horrific situation, providing some incredibly subversive and challenging character moments that are intentionally confronting and uncomfortable for the audience. It rewards the viewer for hanging onto the train, however, by providing some incredibly satisfying ends to character arcs. It is easy to imagine a version of this film in which all the main characters have had their edges sanded off, but refusing to do that in this film not only injects the film with danger and conflict, but allows its final act to exact the sort of heightened and stylised justice only great horror cinema can provide on its characters.

The performances are outstanding across the board in Barbarian. Georgina Campbell effortlessly carries the film with charisma and courage, and in a strange way reminded me of Marilyn Burns' performance in the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Bill Skarsgård is a welcome addition to the film, allowing the film to attach all of their assumption and expectations to his character whilst simultaneously remaining singular and distinct in all of his social insecurity and ineptness. Justin Long plays a total moral dumpster-fire with almost no redeeming qualities with such glee and depth that you can't help but be invested in his arc - if his character doesn't work, then the whole film falls apart around him, but he brings the complexity and levity of the film with such an expert performance that it is hard to imagine Barbarian with anyone else other then him in that role.

There are other performances in the film that are worth praising too, but would ruin some of the twists and surprises of the narrative. Suffice it to say that there are some wonderfully physical performances in Barbarian that flesh out the films scariest and most full-blooded horror sequences. And while I have mentioned the effective tension of the film, as well as some of the comedic moments, it is worth underlying just how frightening this film is. There are sequences of pure terror that place this film up there in the higher echelon of horror films to come out in this decade so far. There were sequences that reminded me of films like Don't Breathe in just how far they pushed the conceit of the film, whilst there were other elements that actually reminded me a hell of a lot of Mark Z. Danielewski's bone-chilling ergodic horror novel House of Leaves. It is a real treat for horror fans, and that love of genre bleeds throughout the film and the filmmaking. It is clear that writer/director Zach Cregger loves horror in its purest form, and it is a joy to see a film so unabashedly in love with genre and form.

There are certainly flaws to be found - some final act narrative leaps do stretch logic, and some of the musical cues are a little jarring - but the overall experience of seeing Barbarian was such a joy for me that I will happily overlook these as footnotes to an overall belter of a horror film. Go and treat yourself this Halloween to a horror film that relishes in manipulating and playing with its audience in all the ways you want from a horror film, and is a love letter to the genre that it so clearly adores.

Further Recommendations:

If you loved Barbarian, check out House of the Devil by Ti West, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by Tobe Hooper, and Men by Alex Garland.

Search This Blog

Blue Rose Film Review