An Early All Hallows' Eve Extravaganza - Barbarian

I'm celebrating Halloween a little earlier than usual this year, due to a few weeks of planned travel. Still, in true Shangrila Towers tradition, we're going to feature the best the spooky season has to offer. Tonight let's talk about the sleeper hit horror movie of the year, Barbarian.

Barbarian is one of those flicks that relies heavily on narrative twists, so describing anything more than the first 10 minutes spoils the fun. Suffice it to say that the movie follows a young woman who is double-booked at an Airbnb with a stranger; against her better judgment, she decides to stay the night:

My friends and I often joke that horror movies would be shorter if we were in them, as the most obvious solutions to the problem ("Don't trust him!", "Don't go into the basement!") would cut the story off quickly. Barbarian suffers from that problem in spades. The film is well-acted (Bill Skarsgård would make a great Norman Bates) and well-made (the throbbing score is as good as anything this side of Carpenter), but writer-director Zach Cregger doesn't bother to lampshade obvious plotholes and bonehead decisions. It's a tense ride, but one that regrettably doesn't stand up to closer scrutiny.

Rating: 6/10