I watched Barbarian last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s easy to see why there’s so much hype around director Zach Cregger right now. After really liking Weapons last year, Barbarian further cements him as a filmmaker with a sharp instinct for tension, unpredictability, and genre subversion.

The film thrives on its unsettling atmosphere and willingness to take bold narrative turns. Matthew Patrick Davis is genuinely disturbing as The Mother, delivering a performance that feels both original and deeply unsettling. The character could have easily veered into cliché, but instead becomes one of the film’s most memorable and haunting elements.

The cast is a major strength overall. Bill Skarsgård plays perfectly against expectations, Justin Long brings an unexpected and darkly comedic edge, and Georgina Campbell anchors the film with a grounded, compelling performance that makes the horror hit harder.

Barbarian is strange, tense, and often shocking in the best way, refusing to follow the typical rules of modern horror. It’s a film that sticks with you long after the credits roll.

Rating: 8/10