Twisting R-Rated Horror Hit Stuns Audiences With Laughs And Screams

As stated, it’s almost impossible to provide a real plot breakdown for Barbarian without giving away any crucial twists and turns that are best experienced in real-time.

All I’ll say about the narrative of the movie for now is that it centers on a young woman named Tess Marshall, who finds herself at an Airbnb in a run-down and impoverished suburb outside of Detroit, Michigan.

When she encounters trouble accessing her rental unit, Tess is forced into a strange situation that tests her trust, her safety, and eventually her sanity.

Barbarian was written and directed by Zach Cregger, who is best known as a writer, performer, and director in the sketch comedy crew The Whitest Kids U’Know.

It seems that Cregger followed in the footsteps of fellow comedian turned filmmaker Jordan Peele for his career trajectory after concluding his sketch comedy series to launch one of the most exciting horror movies of the last few years.

This also helps to explain how Barbarian manages to effortlessly blend hilarious moments with scenes of unending dread, leaving audiences everywhere in a state of tonal whiplash.

Cregger’s direction was heavily praised by critics and general audiences alike, resulting in a near-perfect 92 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Barbarian‘s sparse cast also does an excellent job of bringing the world of the film to life, with Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Richard Brake, Kurt Braunohler, and Justin Long offering career-high performances.

Justin Long seems to be having the time of his life throughout the production, as he portrays an especially interesting and bombastic character.

Before watching Barbarian, I had the luxury of missing every promotional poster, trailer, and YouTube reaction to the film. I didn’t know anything about the movie, who made it, or even who was in it before a friend randomly told me it had premiered on Max.

Without knowing what to expect, my friend and I threw the movie on, and within minutes, we were left with our jaws on the floor.

I immediately fell in love with the film’s creative story structure and world-building, and only found myself more in love after seeing Zach Cregger’s name pop up in the closing titles.

If you have any interest in comedy, horror, or horror comedies, you absolutely need to add Barbarian to your watchlist today. Try not to look up anything about this movie beyond what you’ve just read above, as it really does lend itself to a surprise viewing experience.

For those interested in checking this one out, Barbarian is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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