My dad and I have been talking lately about why he's lost interest in the horror genre. He's the man who got me interested when I was a kid after all. I'd be in elementary school watching Alien, Scream, Poltergeist - and I loved it. Now I'm the one dragging him into theaters.
The recurring reasons I heard were how predictable they've become, how reliant on excessive gore or sex they can be, or - his most damning accusation - how they all somehow feel the same.
He's right, about some films. But not all. Year after year some precious gemstones will make their way to the top of my list, especially during the Halloween season, and this year is better than most. I almost can't believe how much fun Barbarian was, partly aided by the fact that I went in totally blind, without even watching the trailer. My god, what a rollercoaster.
Casting Bill Skarsgard in the role he plays was genius because for 95% of his presence, I was never convinced he wasn't the big bad. He has this effortless ability to play into uncertainty and keep you on the fence about his intentions. Georgina Campbell is a star in her own right, and I recognized her immediately from Black Mirror; I hope for the industry's sake that she shows up in more films. And Justin Long, a veteran in the scare industry, absolutely crushed his role, but to speak on it would bubble spoilers to the surface. Their performances are sewn together deftly by Zach Cregger, who has never made a feature length film before (shockingly), and, like obvious influencer Jordan Peele, he slices and dices humor and horror in a way that just works. This is so hard to pull off because it's a balancing act - you play up the comedy too much and you lose the edge, but if the jibs aren't funny, they're simply out of place. You'll see how well this works when you punch your ticket.
I'm wrapping this up because I really don't want to spoil anything, so the last thing I want to confirm is that Barbarian is SCARY, scary. The dramatic build-up in the first act is legitimately among the most frightening and nerve-shredding sequences I have seen in a decade. The fact that Creggers shifts the tone and brings the tension back whole-heartedly later on is a feat.
This is the best horror film of 2022 so far, and it's a whirlwind. I won't be staying in any Airbnbs for awhile.
The recurring reasons I heard were how predictable they've become, how reliant on excessive gore or sex they can be, or - his most damning accusation - how they all somehow feel the same.
He's right, about some films. But not all. Year after year some precious gemstones will make their way to the top of my list, especially during the Halloween season, and this year is better than most. I almost can't believe how much fun Barbarian was, partly aided by the fact that I went in totally blind, without even watching the trailer. My god, what a rollercoaster.
Casting Bill Skarsgard in the role he plays was genius because for 95% of his presence, I was never convinced he wasn't the big bad. He has this effortless ability to play into uncertainty and keep you on the fence about his intentions. Georgina Campbell is a star in her own right, and I recognized her immediately from Black Mirror; I hope for the industry's sake that she shows up in more films. And Justin Long, a veteran in the scare industry, absolutely crushed his role, but to speak on it would bubble spoilers to the surface. Their performances are sewn together deftly by Zach Cregger, who has never made a feature length film before (shockingly), and, like obvious influencer Jordan Peele, he slices and dices humor and horror in a way that just works. This is so hard to pull off because it's a balancing act - you play up the comedy too much and you lose the edge, but if the jibs aren't funny, they're simply out of place. You'll see how well this works when you punch your ticket.
I'm wrapping this up because I really don't want to spoil anything, so the last thing I want to confirm is that Barbarian is SCARY, scary. The dramatic build-up in the first act is legitimately among the most frightening and nerve-shredding sequences I have seen in a decade. The fact that Creggers shifts the tone and brings the tension back whole-heartedly later on is a feat.
This is the best horror film of 2022 so far, and it's a whirlwind. I won't be staying in any Airbnbs for awhile.