barbarian caused a sensation online after a clip with Bill Skarsgard leaked on the internet (and this time he may not be the villain). The horror film was born from the mind of The white guys you know alum Zach Cregger, who wrote and directed the upcoming film. The film marks Cregger’s horror debut after directing a comedy. Miss March. Of course, the critics projected barbarian before its release on September 9 and the reviews are now available.
King Arthur: The Legend of the SwordGeorgina Campbell is played by Tess Campbell, a young woman who finds a strange man (played by Bill Skarsgard) at the Airbnb she rents. Soon, Tess regrets her decision to stay, as the house is filled with more twists than an unexpected guest.
What have critics said about the comic horror thriller? Let’s start with 24 News Bulletin’s review of barbarian. 24 News Bulletin’s Sarah El-Mahmoud gave the film a 3.5 out of 5 star rating, saying the film offers a wild ride full of twists as Zach Cregger tries with mixed results to balance fear and comedy throughout the horror film. She states:
There are certainly silly elements of Barbarian that don’t allow the film to easily follow the horror / comedy line. However, it’s the kind of movie you want to live with people who will create their own experience.
by Frank Scheck, the Hollywood reporter, felt it was difficult to talk about Barbarian because “it depends heavily on unexpected twists that defy your expectations.” That didn’t stop him from praising horror comedy, highlighting some stereotypical moments with the film’s surprising twists:
Writer-director Cregger displays obvious evil glee as he leads his audience through his silly twists. While the latest revelations involving a truly terrifying character (Matthew Patrick Davis, in a virtuoso twist) lean towards the formula, they don’t detract from the overall effect.
Collider’s Chase Hutchinson gave the horror film a B rating because he felt the mix of ridicule and fear brought the viewer’s suspension of beliefs to “a breaking point.” The comic moments eventually “deflate a lot of tension” leading to unexpected twists:
By design, it is an experience built around surprise revelations and a plunge into the unknown. What’s there isn’t quite as shocking as the ride itself, which creates a mix of horror and humor that soars above its lower parts enough to hold together.
The Guardian’s Benjamin Lee was anything but impressed with the horror movie, giving it a 2-star rating out of 5. comedy and steered away from suspense and pseudo-commentary. In his words:
The revelation of what lies beneath is less surprising than the structure Cregger chooses to unveil as we are taken to different times, places, and viewpoints (there’s more Justin Long than meets the eye). one realizes. that such fun is just that, a way to distract us from what is essentially a rather ineffective monster movie. It’s cleverly done (Cregger could perhaps do better with a script he didn’t write) but strangely flat and reminiscent of the movies from Don’t Breathe to The People Under the Stairs, it just serves to remind us how empty it is in comparison.
If you want to see how the twists unfold, you can take a look barbarian when it hits theaters on Friday 9 September. Until the horror comedy hits theaters, you can watch Justin Long talk about the upcoming movie. You can also check out our 2022 movie schedule to see what more horror movies are coming this year.
Source: Cinemablend
