Barbarian

I had really low expectations when it started because because it begins exactly the same as "Weekenders" did which really wasn't a great movie, different genres though. Over half an hour in I still wasn't sure where exactly the movie was heading, but when things turn dark the thrill starts, old school horror-esque.

My only complaint, which unfortunately seemed like it was done deliberately, is that once the horror starts, the movie introduces a completely new character arc and you have to wait for it to build up all again, it purposely teases the eerie stuff which is frustrating because you know the good stuff's coming but not yet. And it does this several times, keeps resetting which makes the second act seem off paced but it all comes together in the end.

It was a conventional horror like you'd remember in the 2010's, not really prismatic or director trying to reinvent the wheel; it's just people stuck trying to escape from something in a 'haunted' house. And I like how there was still logical explanation, albeit a disturbing one. A few details that weren't explained, didn't seem to have the time to as it tries to introduce all the characters properly.

The last act of the movie is all eerie, it however doesn't climax as hard as I anticipated, thought they'd have more fight but it still did a pretty decent job and the finale scene was sensible end. Almost everything about the movie was better than I expected, I suggest going in blind.

The first act is pretty good. Atmospheric, nuanced, interesting, decent acting - especially from Skarsgard. I did have to really suspend my disbelief a lot to allow the film to move forward though. Double booked AirBnB, no hotel rooms available, the main charcater had done no research on the area before arriving. Really?

The second act started well and was enhanced because of the events of the first. It works because it sets the audience up in a position where we have more knowledge than the newly introduced characters. It added tension and I was interested in what direction they would take the story.

I liked the way the first two acts played with the personalities / backgrounds of the male leads. Hinting and leaning into social stereotypes but leaving a few clues to the real intentions. It works quite well. I may be crediting the writers too much here, but I think I get the underlying message of this film, but it just gets lost by the end.

The longer the film goes on (and it does feel a bit overlong), the more ridiculous it gets. It feels like it's written by two different people; or they spent so much time on the first half of the movie they had to rush the rest. There are some truly stupid moments that are almost farcical comedy. All the tension drained out of the film, and it just became a series of ridiculous scenes strung together. Events are telegraphed way ahead of time. All the nuance is gone.

It's so disappointing that something so creepy and initially interesting can go so wrong. Ignoring the stupid decisions made by the main charcater in the first act, I would have scored it a 7. The acting is good, the direction is solid, but the story just drags it down so much that by the end I can only give it a 4.

This movie is textbook, to a T, the very definition of a cult film. This is the most "culty" film I've seen since rocky horror.

I don't really want to say much (or compare this to other films) because anything written will give expectations and this film is absolutely best if you go in blind and with zero expectations. I would really, really recommend avoiding all reviews and any discussion of this film prior to seeing it. If you're a horror fan this movie should be at the top of your list.

I will say that the person who made the trailer deserves a major award because the trailer gives away *nothing* at all, which is exactly how a trailer should be and trailers like this are so rare.

7/10.

UGH .... so close - SO CLOSE! But in the end, no cigar. All that potential and solid storytelling dissolving into to a nonsensical, clumsy, rushed, and ultimately unsatisfying conclusion, implementing all of the worst elements of horror movies. That's what disappoints the most. This movie held so much promise and had such a great start and journey all the way up until the end, but sadly the writer(s) somehow couldn't find the way to keep that strong storytelling up to par all the way through to the end. It wasn't that I disliked the end result. It was the clumsy way the screenplay got us there that left a lot to be desired. I was rolling my eyes on multiple occasions during parts of the final act. Video review to come soon.

I went in totally blind, with no expectations whatsoever as I only heard of this movie the day I decided to watch it. I think that's the best way to enjoy it.

This is campy horror film that has all the classic tropes from horror movies of a home invasion, with some fun twists and turns in it. This is definitely more of campy film though. Not quite as a campy as movies like Child's Play or Leprechan, but definitely not a true horror movie that will give you nightmares like the Ring or the Excorcist.

Bill Skarsgård really does a great job setting things up, and Georgina Campbell serves well as the classic "damsel in the distress." Justin Long is truly hilarious. This pokes fun at a lot of hororr movie tropes while still being scary enough to have audiences jumping out of their seats. It's a movie that's best seen with a lot of friends in a packed theater. But I don't think it will be a horror classic.