BARBARIAN
It has been a rewarding summer movie season for horror audiences coming to AMC Theatres. People escaping the heat cheered for young Mason Thames to escape Ethan Hawke in THE BLACK PHONE. Curious theatregoers continue to watch the skies as they solve the many mysteries of NOPE, which continues to play strong. But on the horizon lurks a horror film that will offer twists and turns you will never see coming. Prepare yourself for BARBARIAN.
Written and directed by Zach Cregger, BARBARIAN is one of those horror movies where we can’t give you too many details, because once you get past a certain point in the description, you begin to reveal too many juicy plot points. And this definitely is one where you are going to want to go in knowing as little as possible, for maximum effect.
So, what can we tell you?
You Will Scream Back At The Screen In Barbarian
Yes, it’s one of those kinds of horror movies, which are best enjoyed with a packed crowd of people sitting on the edges of their seats. Georgina Campbell plays Tess in BARBARIAN, a potential research assistant hoping to land a job on a documentary crew. She’s in Detroit for a meeting the following morning. But when she arrives at the AirBNB that she booked, another person (Bill Skarsgard of IT and IT: CHAPTER TWO) already has occupied it.
Where does it go from there? Well, it starts off harmless. Skarsgard’s character seems as confused as Campbell’s by the AirBNB mix up, and he just wants Tess to feel safe in what is obviously a very awkward situation. But Tess’s trip to Michigan is about to take a very sharp left turn, so hold on to your arm rests.
Justin Long Can’t Tell You Anything About His Role In Barbarian
In a perfect scenario, Justin Long probably doesn’t even want you to know that he is in the movie BARBARIAN. While speaking with CinemaBlend during the recent San Diego Comic-Con, where AMC Theatres and CinemaBlend hosted a special advance screening of BARBARIAN, Long told the news site, “When I was reading (the script), I was struck by how scary it is, but also how intriguing the story was. It pulls you in, because you don’t know (where it’s going). And he plays on a lot of horror movie tropes, and so he has you guessing incorrectly all of the time.”
But that’s a huge part of the fun of BARBARIAN – trying to figure out where the story is heading, and how much worse things can get for our main characters. Just when you think the scariest bits have played out, there’s something else lurking around the corner, or down a darkened hall.
While Long is captivating in BARBARIAN, he was quick to single out his co-star, Georgina Campbell, and the actions that Zach Cregger had her do in the story. “She’s so engaging and accessible, but he also has her do things that are intelligent,” Long said. “A lot of times in horror movies – and I’ve played parts like that – you go, ‘Why is what person going back in there? Call the police!’ There are things that most people would do themselves, and she does those things. It’s an intelligent character.”
You likely will be having conversations long after you leave BARBARIAN, asking what you would have done had you found yourself in the same situation as the people in the story. There are no easy answers. But the questions begin to arise once BARBARIAN opens at AMC Theatres as part of our AMC Thrills and Chills program on September 9. Watch the full interview with Justin Long from San Diego Comic-Con.
BARBARIAN was just one of the many highlights at San Diego Comic-Con this year, and it's also one of a few anticipated horror movies set to open at AMC theatres in the near future.
BARBARIAN
