After watching the smashing horror hit of the year so far, Weapons (2025), I am deeply in awe of Zach Cregger’s directorial skills. However, whenever the name “Weapons” comes up, I have heard the phrase “the Barbarian director” innumerable times.
It compelled me to watch Barbarian (2022) because, yes, I hadn’t watched it before. My bad! But, I found that Barbarian 2022 is the horror hit that didn’t hit for me. Here’s why.
Barbarian didn’t impress me with its “Mother”
The horrible “Mother” who is longing for someone to be her “baby” and probably wants a deep connection is a massive turn-off for me. I mean, seriously? Where did Zach Cregger come up with this foolish idea and convert it into something awful for our eyes?!
Okay, even if I accept the fact that she was hideous to watch, I can’t take it that she was trying to feed Justin Long. The mere idea is bluntly atrocious! I wanted to stop the film right there, but again, I also wanted to know how Georgina Campbell and Justin Long would get free from her underground prison. I forcefully watched the entire film.
The Wrap cited this experience as:
“Messing with viewers seems to be his guiding dramatic principal, from playful camerawork to unpredictable plot twists.” [Source]
Barbarian let me down with its suspense-building, which immediately vanished
The first 20 minutes of Barbarian (2022) kept me glued to the screen with Bill Skarsgard‘s marvelous acting (I’ll get back to it in a minute). It was the part of the film when Georgina Campbell’s Tess arrives at a rental house in Detroit late at night, when it is raining.
She did not notice around the town, of course, because it was heavily dark with the rain, that the rest of the streets and their houses were abandoned. With her initial hesitation, she stepped into the house when she came to know that it was already booked by Keith (Bill Skarsgard).
They both try to figure out a better solution to the matter, where Keith still tries to be as friendly as possible. Even at one point, he mentions to Tess that she should open the bottle of wine in front of her, just in case she was wondering if Keith had mixed something in her drink, since he is a stranger to her. Tess laughed it off.
Keith offered her his own bedroom while he insisted he sleep on the sofa. In the middle of the night, Tess’s bedroom door opens. She goes outside to notice Keith has sleep frights and wakes him up. She asks him whether he opened her door, to which Keith thoroughly denies.
The film becomes more unsettling when the next day Tess discovers a mysterious basement in the same house with disturbing elements. She immediately tells Keith about it as soon as he gets back home.
Tess does not want Keith to go downstairs, but Keith asserts he needs to have a look at things to get a better idea of whether it is the doing of the booking company.
And behold! The most obnoxious turn of the story unfolds upon us! The mother!
Barbarian was a miss for me because of the double-booked Airbnb
Was the Airbnb company so blind that it booked the same place for two people on the same date? Firstly, I thought that the booking company might be involved, but with this, I also realized that Cregger left so many places where the plot completely missed its hold over the viewer.
Why and how did the booking company make the mistake, despite Bill Skarsgard mentioning that he booked it through one app while Campbell booked it via another? How did the obvious mistake just happen?
Moreover, when the booking company was contacted to confirm the details, they did not bother listening properly to the customer, and cherry on top, did not bother solving their problem because they weren’t at fault, they thought. They did not acknowledge the fact that a mistake was made, and there could have been another way that Campbell should have been accommodated. But nope!
The only thing I liked about Barbarian was Bill Skarsgard
For me, Keith’s character, played by Bill Skarsgard, built tension in the movie. He was the ONLY thing that I liked about Barbarian. His character was amusing, awkward, yet distressing.
Keith almost drove me to think that he must be the culprit behind the horror flick’s intense story. Keith seemed overfriendly and sometimes, oversmart.
Keith seemed too good to be true, which meant that he was the one who could have set the trap for Tess and dragged her down to the basement.
Since Keith was the first one to arrive at the rented place, he could have been the one who set the camera and the bed in the basement. At every passing minute, my mind kept wanting more of Keith and his intentions regarding Tess.
The subtle cues about Keith’s character kept me on the edge, wondering about his presence and the house itself. He was strong and overpowering but nice enough at the same time in order to avoid imposing himself much on Tess.
It was at that time that I thought he was trying to please her and was slowly trapping her into something enormously sinister.
This dude has exceptionally high acting potential. After watching him in Nosferatu (2024) and the voice range that he developed for Count Orlok was simply jaw-dropping. I shouldn’t miss mentioning his vicious role as Pennywise in the It films.
It’s strange that his small part in Barbarian created an explosive impact. Even if I have watched Barbarian after watching Nosferatu and Locked (2025), I have come to realize that I want to see more of him on the screen.
He is proving to be a true powerhouse of acting with his versatile roles and incredible acting range. His small but potent role in Barbarian left me heartbroken since I wanted to see more of his contribution in the film.
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Barbarian 2022 is the horror hit, but just not for me
While Barbarian clearly struck some chords with the horror fans and Rotten Tomatoes critics with a 92 percent Tomatometer score, I don’t want to ruin almost 2 hours of my life watching a monster that was born out of an endless incest. No, sir!
The emotional payoff that the film demands is insane. I was left disturbed and trolled after the credits rolled, or maybe even long before that. I was clearly detached and didn’t find any narrative cohesion. Hence, Zach Cregger’s Barbarian (2022), despite all the hype, particularly after Weapons (2025), didn’t hit home for me.
Passionate Entertainment Writer | Trusted Pop Culture Voice
Madiha Ali is an experienced entertainment writer with over five years of expertise in covering movies, TV shows, celebrity news, and pop culture. Her bylines appear on trusted platforms like Screen Anarchy, High on Films, Ary News, The Express Tribune, Tea and Banter, Show Snob, CelebFeedz, Snapfeedz, Daily Planet Media, The Irish Insider, and Movie Insiderz.
She brings a personal, insightful approach to every story—whether she’s analyzing the emotional layers of a film or giving her take on trending celebrity headlines. Madiha’s writing style is known for being authentic, well-researched, and reader-focused.
When she’s not writing, she’s fully immersed in the world of entertainment—watching new releases, revisiting classics, exploring behind-the-scenes content, or reading books that fuel her creativity. Her passion for storytelling drives her work and helps her stay connected to what matters most in the industry.
Madiha believes great stories start conversations, challenge perspectives, and stay with us long after the credits roll. Through her writing, she continues to share those stories with clarity, depth, and heart.
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