This year seems to be the perfect seasons for first time directors to swing their bat with horror films. After the success of Smile with director Parker Finn, the tradition continues with Barbarian with first time writer-director Zach Cregger. Barbarian is a dark and twisted tale that blends the old school horror of The Last House on the Left and fuses it for a modern audience.
When Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives in Detroit late at night wanting to check into her house rental, she is surprised when Keith (Bill Skarsgard) is already in the house. The two have a rental agreement from two different companies and decide to share the house until they can reach the agencies to fix the issue. Things don’t go to plan and doors start opening on their own, as the two find a secret door in the basement that leads them to an underground tunnel, they must help each other to survive the unknown horrors living under the house.
Rarely do I say this, but go in with as little knowledge as you can. It truly is the best way to experience this movie. Don’t read spoiler filled reviews or tweets as the less you know, the better it is.
Cregger manages to craft together some truly frightening jump scares and has a keen eye for wide angle camera shots that glide seamlessly from interior to exterior. The sudden time jumps allow for the audience to take a few breaths between scares. This is complemented by Anna Drubich’s score that pulses and fills your ears with the most unsettling and uncomfortable feeling of dread, while you wait for the next encounter.
Barbarian delivers solid scares with a fresh new pair of eyes from first time director Zach Cregger. While the haunted house story is nothing new, the take on it and how the story evolves and unfolds results in an incredibly satisfying and bloody ending that you won’t soon forget.
Barbarian is in cinemas Thursday October 20.
