Barbarian (2022)

It starts with a bad Airbnb. It ends in a nightmare you’ll never see coming.

Barbarian (2022) is a horror film that thrives on subverting expectations. What begins as a simple story — a young woman arrives at a Detroit rental house only to find it double-booked — quickly spirals into something far stranger, darker, and more disturbing than any synopsis can prepare you for.

Tess (Georgina Campbell) is our entry point: cautious, intelligent, and increasingly unsettled when the only other occupant is Keith (Bill Skarsgård), a man who seems kind but... could be something else. Their dynamic is tense, filled with small, unnerving moments. But just when the film seems to be heading in a familiar direction, it drops you into a trapdoor of horror — literally and narratively.

What Tess discovers beneath the house is grotesque, terrifying, and utterly unpredictable. But the true brilliance of Barbarian is how it shifts perspectives halfway through. The story pivots to follow AJ (Justin Long), a disgraced Hollywood actor returning to the house with selfish intentions, only to find himself caught in the same nightmare.

What follows is a blend of social commentary, pitch-black humor, body horror, and pure adrenaline. The film tackles issues like toxic masculinity, generational trauma, and the illusion of safety for women — all while delivering moments of stomach-turning fear.

Visually, the film swings from dim, claustrophobic tunnels to garishly lit flashbacks that deepen the horror. Director Zach Cregger masterfully builds tension through silence, awkwardness, and sudden, brutal violence — reminding the audience that nothing is off-limits and no one is truly safe.

Barbarian is unpredictable by design. It plays with horror tropes — the creepy house, the too-nice stranger, the unreliable man — then twists them inside out. It's both shocking and smart, a rare horror film that gets scarier the more you think about it.

Critically acclaimed, it was praised for its originality, performances, and bold storytelling. It’s a film best watched with as little prior knowledge as possible — because its greatest power lies in how it refuses to go where you expect.