Film Review

Barbarian (2022)

A woman staying at an Airbnb discovers that the house she has rented is not what it seems.

Zach Cregger makes his solo directorial debut with Barbarian, having come from sitcom acting and even streaming on Twitch with his comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U’ Know (WKUK). It’s a memorable film that’s become the sleeper hit of the autumn, although Barbarian’ s best experienced without any knowledge of what it involves. Even the trailer is cagey about what it chooses to reveal, so the below review will tread lightly.

Tess Marshall (Black Mirror’s Georgina Campbell) has a job interview in Detroit and arrives to stay at an Airbnb in the rundown neighbourhood of Brightmoor. Unfortunately, the house has been double-booked with a young man called Keith (Bill Skarsgård) already settled in for the evening, but he gallantly agrees to let Tess stay overnight. The ice breaks between them over a glass of wine before they hit the sack, but when Tess returns from her interview the next day she accidentally locks herself in the basement while Keith is out. And then things get progressively weird once Tess discovers a secret door to an…