I want to remind audiences to stop bringing young children to R-rated films specifically a horror films on a Wednesday night early screening and especially when it is one of the best of the year's horror films.
Today in the blog, I will discuss the brand new supernatural horror film called Barbarian. Barbarian is written and directed by Zach Cregger. It stars Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long.
In the movie The Barbarian, a woman who is staying at an Airbnb discovers that the home she has leased is not what it seems. I had no idea what this movie was about, so I was really interested to see it. The poster was incredibly ominous and creepy. The poster was quite sinister and unsettling. It was everything I needed to be hyped up for this movie. There was a lot of talk about this movie on Twitter a week before it came out, which made me even more thrilled because every single review advised viewers to walk into this movie with no prior knowledge, which is exactly what I did. According to me, this enhanced the film even more. Even if I had to stand up twice to complain when there were annoying kids in my theatre for the first 35 minutes, which could be the subject of a whole other blog. Even still, I enjoyed this movie.
Jump scares, humour, flashbacks, monstrous moments, and social commentary are just a few of the various elements that are used in this picture to create something truly unique, entertaining, and scary. The movie begins as your normal supernatural horror movie, but it soon transforms into something entirely new that nevertheless manages to work so well for the most part. The way this movie was presented made the many twists and turns it had admirably effective. The foreshadowing in the movie is so extensive that it ultimately pays off extremely well.
Georgina Campbell was outstanding as she was the heart and soul of this film. She was having the best performance. Bill Skarsgård was pretty good and some of you might recognize him as pennywise so he still feels creepy and weird but he's just so good at doing it. Justin Long was perfect for this role as it's similar to other horror films like Sam Raimi's 'Dragged Me to Hell' and he continues to be hilarious. Everyone in my auditorium was laughing hard, especially the tape measure scene which is one of the most iconic moments I have seen in the film this year. There are a few moments where the acting can feel very cheesy and unconvincing but it was sufficient enough for this film.
The jump scares in this film are all incredibly effective and terrifying, so if you enjoy horror movies with lots of them, this is the one for you. I knew this movie would be fantastic the moment I heard the score because it is so horrific and creepy that it was able to add an extra layer of horror. The film is mostly silent, which frightened me the most, therefore the score is employed appropriately. I'll leave it at that until you see it for yourself; the visual effects were highly impressive, quite frightening, and very convincing.
Unfortunately, this film has a few negative aspects. The first is one you would expect from a horror film like this it features a couple of cliche and trope moments that mainly happen in the film's first chapter. I understand the first chapter of the film purposely tries to divert our expectations for the rest of the film like the cabin in the woods. However, I wish it was a bit more interesting in the fourth chapter of the film there is a section. I thought was quite absurd and irritating early on in the film establishes certain character traits but later events felt like a convenience to me.
Overall, the Barbarian movie is my favorite horror film this year. It was genuinely terrifying it featured strong performances from Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgard, and Justin Long. It also features a straightforward story that still felt fresh and exciting by creating something so unique and disturbing that it would satisfy the audience's thirst for more. There are so many elements to the story that are purposely kept secret that I would love to see explored in a prequel. I am giving Barbarian a movie - 8 out of 10.