Reviewing Barbarian

Barbarian is the scariest movie in years. After seeing Barbarian, this will be hard to argue. It is a simple scenario involving a woman staying at an Airbnb. She soon discovers that the house she rented is not what it seems. Writer and Director Zach Cregger's newest installment into the horror genre has audiences cringing, screaming, and at times, hiding their eyes.

Tess (Georgina Campbell) comes to Detroit for a job interview and finds her Airbnb has been double booked. In one of the run-down neighborhoods in Detroit, she's stuck on a porch with Keith (Bill Skarsgard) and has to decide whether to share the place for the night or find somewhere else. Unable to find alternative arrangements, Tess agrees to stay, and the two strangers hit it off over a bottle of wine.

After her interview the next day, Tess returns and finds the door to the basement open. What's a girl to do other than explore the old house she rented? When Tess goes down the rabbit hole, Tess finds herself faced with an unseen horror before she tries to flee, only to find herself locked in the basement until Keith rescues her.

Running would have been the right move, but Keith needs to see for himself what's got his new friend so shaken up. When Keith goes downstairs and into the bizarre secret passage beneath the house, he fails to return, and Tess goes looking for him. Through the darkness of the subterranean tunnel, Tess sees the charming Keith as he swears they're not the only ones down there.

Enter Justin Long as AJ. AJ is a detestable character from the start as the callous actor from California. When AJ is faced with legal troubles from an actress he wouldn't let say no, he is forced to offload some of his real estate properties to pay for his defense. AJ comes to Detroit to start inspecting his Airbnb, of which Tess and Keith's property is still there.

Like Tess and Keith, AJ soon finds the house has more to it than meets the eye and stumbles his way into the dank underground nightmare, only seeing the shadow of "Mother" before falling into the same trap holding Tess.

AJ and Tess soon learn the truth about the original owner of the house and the gruesome things done in the underground world beneath the Airbnb. "Mother" is a gruesome example of a world filled with unspeakable evil and unimaginable horrors. As AJ and Tess struggle to survive through the darkness, amidst the horror of "Mother" and the history of the house, they're thrust together with a common goal. They have to get out.

Finding their way out won't be easy due to the bizarrely strong and fast creature, "Mother." When they finally think they're free, "Mother" won't give up that easily, and pursues the two into the night. The pursuit will take them through the old run-down neighborhood in Detroit, encountering an old homeless man that's managed to evade "Mother" for years, as they struggle to get to safety.

From a producer of IT and an Executive Producer of the Ring and the Grudge, Barbarian is one of those movies that will keep you on the edge of your seat at times. It is a refreshingly original approach to horror with no direct comparisons to be made. Beneath what is a misleadingly and simplistic surface, Barbarian is going to pray on your revolusion to the horrors of the real world while making you shriek in between the tension and horror on screen.

Tense and unpredictable, it's scary without leaning too hard on pre-existing horror tropes, and the three main stars all deliver in a way that makes the fear and suspense palpable, as well as the revolting reveal behind the creature. It's the kind of movie that makes you want to yell out loud. Barbarian may not be for every fan of the horror genre, but those that go to see it, they'll love the experience.

Crowds are raving, and that's why it's rated between 8.5 and 9 on most movie review sites.