Christmas is nice, but it can be annoying. Why not switch off with a horror film? “Barbarian” is one of the best of 2022.
A scene from the movie “Barbarian”.20th Century Studios via AP
2022 was a good year for horror film fans: old acquaintances like Pinhead (“Hellraiser”), Michael Myers (“Halloween Ends”), Ghostface (“Scream”) or Art der Clown (“Terrifier 2”) presented themselves in good shape . Cronenberg finally found his way back to body horror for cineast nerds (“Crimes of the Future”) and Ti West landed two hits with “X” and “Pearl”. Directorial debuts such as the mega-successful “Smile” or Mimi Cave’s really refreshing “Fresh” were also able to inspire many. But the biggest surprise is probably “Barbarian”, which took both critics and audiences by storm in the USA and is now coming to Germany.
One would have expected Zach Cregger to be anything but a horror hit. The 41-year-old, who had previously made a name for himself as an actor in sitcoms such as “Friends with Benefits” or “Wrecked” and had a flop as a director with the mediocre comedy “Miss March”, wrote the screenplay in the garage at night and followed a simple principle: surprise yourself! Also known as “discovery writing,” this technique involves starting with an idea and seeing where the story goes. Above all, Cregger wanted to avoid predictability.
An Airbnb horror film
He found inspiration for the material in the old self-help guide The Gift of Fear. In it, a former security expert gives tips on how to recognize alarm signals early on and trust your gut feeling. One chapter is aimed specifically at women and describes the small signals (so-called “red flags”) that they should look out for in men in order to recognize potential violent offenders in good time. Cregger realized that he had never considered being a victim of assault and that most women were probably very different in that regard, indeed that he inhabited a “completely different psychological landscape.” This insight created an urge in him to write, and he designed the film’s scenario.
To the author
Young Tess (Georgina Campbell) has a job interview in Detroit. The night before, she wants to rent an Airbnb in a deserted suburb that is reminiscent of the sadness in “Don’t Breathe”. Tess discovers that a young man (Bill Skarsgård) has already checked into the cottage. Accidental double booking or bad trap? On the one hand this Keith seems nice and normal, on the other hand: didn’t the guy play the mean clown in the remakes of “It”? And then there are those tiny red flags, like they’re in the guidebook: Keith foisting on her favors Tess didn’t ask for, giving the go-ahead without her showing any interest.
If you don’t want spoilers, you’ll have to break off the synopsis here, because the plot soon takes a few unexpected turns.
Why is the topic of motherhood almost always disturbing?
At least Cregger was more than happy with his script in the end, but couldn’t find a production company interested in the material. He was advised to get the plot into the usual three-act structure and reconsider his second main character (the great acting Justin Long). Luckily, Cregger wasn’t deterred. He was about to sell his house to finance the film himself when the 20-something production company BoulderLight Pictures contacted him. And finally, after a few more hurdles, the film was made possible, primarily with the financial support of the French production company “Logical Pictures”.
What had made him so difficult to sell now turned out to be his strength with fans and critics alike. It’s the kind of film you’re dying to discuss. Is it to be understood as a (successful?) commentary on the MeToo movement? Does he cleverly reflect the fears that grew in us during Corona? Does the middle class, which is just about healthy, increasingly feel persecuted and threatened by those who have been left behind and damaged? And is it feminist or anti-feminist to present an old, bedraggled woman as a heartwarming monster? Why is the theme of motherhood almost always disturbing in horror movies? And why are men in contemporary horror films often either useless jerks or lethal beasts?
On “rotten tomatoes” “Barbarian” was able to convince 92 percent of the critics. The film grossed ten times its budget of $4.5 million at the box office. It’s the perfect film after the stress of Christmas.
barbarityn runs in Germany from December 28th on Disney+
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