Barbare

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.

The good thing about the film: the setting. It's just wonderfully creepy when there's a huge vault under a "normal" house, which is then discovered by the protagonists.

But what doesn't work at all is the plot, because almost none of the protagonists' behaviour makes sense. They consistently make decisions that no normal person in their right mind would make. And so the plot is not driven by authentic behaviour of the characters, but only because the script wants it to be. And you can see this in the movie almost all the time.

If you always tell yourself while watching: I would never do that, what he or she has done now, then that is evidence of bad writing and ultimately of a bad film.

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.

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.

A lot of great things can and should be said about Barbarian. It's a masterfully directed film; Creggor always shows us just enough in each shot that we're left wondering about what's lurking in the empty space on the frame.

The first two-thirds of the film are tense when it's quiet and shocking when it's loud. It kept me on my toes for nearly the entire time, which is refreshing for my desensitised eyes.

Efficient work is made of the character introductions. Cregor's script doesn't waste time at the beginning of each character's story. We get to know exactly what we need to know about each of them as a person before they get thrust into the metaphorical depths of hell. It makes the eventual carnage all the more nerve-shredding because no character is disposable.

So, yes, the film is good. But it's not all good.

The film's narrative and pacing are not nearly as compelling and tight, respectively, as they should be due to the fact that it tells the stories of three separate sets of characters (one after the other) before getting to the finale.

Also, the film's last act really took a dive into campy and I found it to be a betrayal of the rest of the story's bleak tone.

The final set piece is so out-of-left-field and ridiculous that it became unintentionally hilarious for me.

This may seem like a minor complaint, but when the ending of the movie leaves a bad taste in my mouth, it kind of sours the whole experience.

I wanted this to be better than it was. But it's still so tense throughout its majority and the many twists are so satisfying that I do heartily recommend this subversive horror flick.