This week, we creep back to 2022 to discuss Barbarian, the unnerving Airbnb horror from writer-director Zach Cregger. With Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long leading the way, this nightmare rental mixes social commentary, shocking twists, and a basement you really don’t want to explore. But is this a stay worth booking… or one where you should’ve read the reviews before checking in?
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Setup
• Release Year: 2022
• Director: Zach Cregger
• Writer: Zach Cregger
• Main Cast:
○ Georgina Campbell as Tess Marshall
○ Bill Skarsgård as Keith Toshko
○ Justin Long as AJ Gilbride
○ Matthew Patrick Davis as “The Mother”
○ Richard Brake as Frank
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Budget: ~$4.5 million
• Box Office: ~$45 million worldwide
• Rotten Tomatoes: 93% (Critics), 71% (Audience)
• Metacritic: 78 (generally favorable)
• Awards: Won Best Wide Release Film at the 2023 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards; multiple nominations for horror festival accolades.
The Flick (Heads)
• Performances: Georgina Campbell received strong praise for her grounded and empathetic lead role, while Bill Skarsgård leaned into his unnerving screen presence, playing on audience expectations from It. Justin Long’s darkly comedic turn added tonal variety.
• Direction & Writing: Zach Cregger (from sketch comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U’ Know) shocked critics with a sharp and confident directorial debut in horror.
• Atmosphere: The film built dread with unexpected pacing, shifting perspectives, and multiple rug-pull twists.
• Cultural Relevance: Tapped into modern anxieties about trust, gender dynamics, and urban decay, using the Airbnb setting as an all-too-relatable backdrop.
• Critical Strengths: Lauded for subverting horror clichés, balancing humor with genuine terror, and keeping audiences guessing until the end.
The Flop (Tails)
• Pacing Issues: Some viewers felt the tonal shift halfway through—when Justin Long’s storyline takes over—was jarring.
• Unanswered Questions: Critics noted a lack of backstory for “The Mother,” leaving her origin underexplored.
• Audience Division: While critics praised its boldness, general audiences were less enthusiastic, leading to a noticeable critic–audience score gap.
• Limited Appeal: Its weird, unpredictable narrative structure may alienate viewers who prefer more straightforward horror.
The Balance (Edge Cases)
• Divisive Tone: The film mixed dark comedy with brutal horror, leaving some to praise its originality and others to see it as inconsistent.
• Cult Potential: Already considered by many as a modern cult classic thanks to its shocking turns and willingness to take risks.
• Critic vs. Audience Disconnect: High critical acclaim versus a more moderate audience reception highlighted its status as a “critic’s horror darling.”
Critic Quotes
• “Barbarian is one of the best horror films of the decade so far—funny, scary, and completely unpredictable.” — Rolling Stone
• “A wickedly inventive thriller that plays with audience expectations at every turn.” — The Hollywood Reporter
• “It starts with a bang but loses steam once the mystery is revealed, settling for shock over substance.” — The Guardian
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