Horror movies only need to achieve one reaction from the audience, and that is we need to be scared or, at the very least, be on edge. Oftentimes, horror movies can either impress or disappoint. There is hardly any middle ground. Any horror fan will tell you that if they aren’t scared or can easily predict the outcome, they won’t be too happy. Barbarian is a movie that offers horror fans a unique experience. The setup is simple, but what unfolds is a series of twists and turns that leaves the audience confused but in a good way.

The movie takes place in Detroit, Michigan, a popular city in horror films these days. It Follows, The Crow, and most recently, Don’t Breathe have all occurred in Motor City. Barbarian is now the newest entry. The movie follows Tess (Georgina Campbell), who arrives in Detroit for a job interview with an independent filmmaker. She has booked an Airbnb in the city outskirts. Upon her arrival, she discovers that the key to the house is missing, and a strange young man is already inside the house.

The mystery man is a guest himself, although he booked his reservation on another site, and apparently, both his and Tess’ reservations coincided with each other. His name is Keith (Bill Skarsgard). Their double booking of this residence has made this ordeal more awkward. He invites her in and appears to be a nice guy even though Tess is rightfully cautious. We get some clunky dialogue scenes between them, but the suspense level is present because we aren’t sure if Keith is trustworthy. It’s effective, and at times I was waiting for Keith to strike, but thankfully he’s a good guy.

Tess and Keith make arrangements to spend the night in the house after failing to reach the property owner via phone call. Keith is a gentleman who allows Tess the one bedroom while he sleeps on the couch. Everything is fine until Tess awakens in the night to discover the bedroom door has been opened. She made sure that it was closed earlier, and her suspicions about Keith are raised with the door being opened. He’s fast asleep on the couch, and a door that leads to the basement quietly closes once Tess returns to bed. Is someone else in the house? What’s in the basement, you might ask. Well, that’s for you to discover.

I didn’t see any trailer or TV spot for this, so I had no idea what to expect, and boy, was I surprised. The initial setup is mysterious, albeit plagued with awkward dialogue, but overall it’s an effective opening act. Once the basement part of the movie happens, everything you’re expecting is nothing you would’ve guessed.

The movie switches gears by introducing us to additional characters that we aren’t sure how they are related to the overall story involving Tess and Keith. First, we meet AJ Gilbride (Justin Long), who lives and works in Los Angeles. He’s attempting to get a pilot produced, but after a phone call that details that disturbing allegation, AJ is forced to gather up some quick cash. It turns out he’s the owner of the Airbnb located in Detroit, so he flies there so he can sell the property quickly. He discovers that the recent occupant’s luggage is still in the house, but no sign of life is present.

We also get introduced to another character whose backstory is critical to what happened to Tess and Keith. It could even involve AJ as well, but we don’t know. We get a series of events perfectly blended together that keeps the audience guessing. There are many scenes of creepiness, genuine scares, and a larger story that slowly develops, similar to reading a thrilling novel. A special nod to writer and director Zach Cregger for respecting the horror audience by keeping us guessing and on edge instead of settling for cheap scares.

Barbarian benefits from its story, characters, and features a slower pace to allow the audience to fall down the rabbit hole of this creepy ordeal. The movie works on delivering the scares that aren’t held by those annoying jump scares. The film handles suspense very well, and to add to the confusion, we become scared in the process of not knowing the complete picture. There are moments of unexpected comedy, but we are on the edge of our seats when the scary parts happen. I was reminded of Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs when watching this movie. I won’t reveal the exact nature of the problem that faces these characters, but if you’re looking for something different that isn’t a mad slasher or a film riddled with jump scares, then Barbarian is one to look out for.

Score 3.5 out of 5

Barbarian features an involving story that requires the audience’s patience and attention. It’s an unexpected ride that benefits from genuine scares and a good script, except for some lousy dialogue at specific points in the film. Aside from all that, Barbarian is creepy, clever, and a welcome surprise for horror fans eager to feel uncomfortable again. But, hey, that’s what we pay for, and Barbarian is undoubtedly unique in its execution.