“Barbarian,” is the perfect addition to any Halloween watchlist. Featuring a harrowing and brutal antagonist, suspenseful chase scenes, and gore-filled action sequences, horror fans are sure to enjoy the hit movie starring Georgina Campbell.
The movie follows the story of Tess, a young woman who books a weekend stay at an Airbnb outside Detroit. The protagonist quickly finds out the Airbnb is more than meets the eye and must survive her stay.
Colin Querey ‘21 said, “Barbarian was the best horror movie I’ve seen in a while. It was suspenseful and did a great job with many classic horror movie tropes.”
Director Zach Cregger is brand new to the horror scene. He’s most known for his comedic work with the former comedy troupe “The Whitest Kids U’ Know.” The former comedian has made a strong impression on critics so far.
“Barbarian” has scored a 92% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a 78% on Metacritic. According to IMDb, the movie has also grossed over $40 million with a small budget of only $4.5 million.
“Barbarian” offers a unique take on the classic haunted house horror stories, masterfully taking advantage of a seemingly normal setting. Almost the entire film takes place inside a mysterious AirBnB, with the main characters uncovering secret passages and a dark secret along the way. Viewers will appreciate the film’s ability to keep the movie exciting and unpredictable, despite the limited setting. To film studies student Michael Scerbo ‘23, building suspense is one of the most important things for successful horror movies.
Scerbo said, “Plot and character buildup is super important. Successful horror films show conflict getting closer and closer to the characters while they interact with each other.” Carefully built horror stories are sure to resonate well with the audience. Natasha Reyes ‘23 enjoys the unpredictability of the genre.
Reyes said, “I love scary movies because they provide a different feeling than usual stories do. I love the rush of adrenaline I get, especially when I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“Barbarian” joins “Smile” and “Pearl” as this Halloween season’s biggest original horror films. There’s no better time than now to get caught up on the genre’s newest additions to get yourself in the Halloween spirit.
“Barbarian” is now available to stream on HBO Max.
Featured Image Courtesy of Eli Falconer.
