Horror films are supposed to horrify.  Many fail to do so.  Barbarian begins with a solid premise, one which might lead in any one of several directions, and eventually leads us underground to a genuinely harrowing scenario.  While it eventually crosses the line into ludicrous territory it takes a long time to reach that threshold and there is plenty along the way to savor.  It’s not for the faint of heart, and it certainly isn’t pretty, but it is effective.

Zach Cregger’s film finds young, strong-willed Tess (Georgina Campbell) arriving in suburban Detroit late at night at an Airbnb rental, only to discover that someone else is there first.  She and he, Keith (Bill Skarsgård) share the house.  Next day, stuff happens and they both disappear.  Later on the owner of the house, A. J. (Justin Long) arrives to prepare it for sale, and he uncovers the secret that awaits in the basement.  And then things get really wild.

Tension and suspense should be fairly easy to create in this scenario, and they are.  Cregger’s story jumps around a bit but he is able not just to maintain the creepiness of the situation but to expand upon it until it is jaw-dropping.  It’s a wild but very believable situation that evolves, at least until the action moves outside and jumps the shark, so to speak.  But the film’s real merit involves the characters of Tess and A. J., who defy all manner of sensibility involving the creepy basement, but who, to their credit, stubbornly remain who they are, even to the bloody end.

This is not normally my kind of movie, but even I can appreciate how well crafted this film is, especially once we journey into the cellar.  I was loudly urging the characters not to go down there, but they refused to listen.  They never do.  They never learn.  That’s part of the fun, and this movie is perversely fun.  ☆ ☆ 1/2.  27 September 2024.