Horror so Absurd it’s Comical

Airbnb renters (Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård) and an actor (Justin Long) make horrific discoveries at a Detroit house in Barbarian.

20th Century Studios

Barbarian embraces foolish horror tropes to heights so absurd I laughed hysterically throughout. The premise has a trio of hapless Airbnb renters and scumbag actor making a horrific discovery underneath a Detroit home. The dim-witted characters have no common sense or self-preservation as they continuously bumble into bad situations. The script purposely sets them as lambs to the slaughter in an inane attempt at ludicrous twists. The film aims for a mix of cheeky laughs and heart-pounding fright. Willing suspension of disbelief can only go so far. My mind couldn’t accept the avalanche of stupid behavior.

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Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) arrives late night at her rental in a dilapidated neighborhood. She’s annoyed to find the lockbox empty. The lights turn on and Keith Toshko (Bill Skarsgård) opens the door. It seems the property has been double-booked. An exhausted Tess is in town for a job interview. A convention has every other hotel room taken. Keith graciously offers to let her sleep in the bedroom while he crashes on the couch. A wary Tess decides to stay with no other options.

20th Century Studios

Tess is unnerved by creepy incidents their first night. Keith believes it’s just her imagination. She returns from her interview to an empty house. Her exploration of the basement leads to a hidden doorway. A terrified Tess explains to a returning Keith there’s something hidden underneath the house. Again, he thinks she’s overreacting and paranoid.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, actor AJ Gilbride (Justin Long) gets bombshell news. His co-star on a promising network pilot has accused him of sexual assault. AJ’s forced to lawyer up. His defense will cost a fortune. AJ’s accountant recommends he sell his Detroit property for extra cash. AJ heads to the house to estimate its value. He’s surprised to find cars out front but the house empty.

A Scary Place With Complete Strangers

There isn’t a chance in hell that a single woman would step foot into that house. Crackheads and vagrants would give the sketchy surrounding neighborhood a hard pass. Tess sleeps in a scary place with a complete stranger. Then, despite her uneasiness the previous night, goes rummaging around the basement by herself. What she finds would send any rational person racing to the front door. But she blindly stumbles ahead and brings along the equally idiotic Keith. The lunacy continues when AJ enters the picture. He ignores the cars, luggage, and toiletries in the house. AJ prances downstairs with measuring tape. His desperation for cash apparently supersedes survival instincts.

There are two ways to watch Barbarian. Director/writer Zach Cregger (The Whitest Kids U’ Know, Wrecked) wants his audience groaning, cheering, and jumping as the characters make dumb decisions. He’s delivering an experience that wholly depends on acceptance of bad horror stereotypes. Check your brain at the door and enjoy the ride. I couldn’t make that leap. I was too busy laughing at stupidity to be scared for a second. The twist barrage lands with a thud. None of it makes an impact if you don’t buy the characters or premise.

Barbarian is a production of Regency Enterprises, Almost Never Films, Hammerstone Studios, Vertigo Entertainment, and Boulderlight Pictures. It will have a theatrical release on September 9th from 20th Century Studios.

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