This is another one of those films/works of art that has the pro-spoiler critics laughing in the face of spoilerphobe reviewers like me. “How you gonna discuss this one?!” they chuckle, their manic spit spackling my face. “Are you gonna do one of those weak-sauce watch-the-movie-first-before-you-read-my-review reviews?! Is that what you’re gonna resort to, you sad little spoilerphobe!!!!?????”*

They are, of course, not wrong. This movie is nearly impossible to discuss without revealing several of its turns. But, hey, I’ll give it a crack. 

The movie begins with Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) arriving at her rental on a cold, rainy night in Detroit. What stands out about the home is that it’s the only one remotely inhabitable; the rest of the desolate street is in a state of ruin. Tess gets her key out of the small safe box next to door. In a scene that resonated with me—because the same thing happened—she struggles to push in the code and unlock the box. She finally gets it open to discover that the box is empty. Where the fuck is the key? A light turns on in the house. Someone is in her fucking Airbnb! Wet, bedraggled, and frustrated, Tess knocks on the door and meets Keith (played by Bill Skarsgard). Keith explains he also booked the house. Somehow, the app accepted both of their applications. It’s a mess…

…all I’ve described above takes up around five minutes of the film. Maybe less. It’s as much as I’m willing to reveal.

That opening scene, though, sets up the movie’s theme: that all men are predators or have the capacity to be. When Keith opens that door, we, like Tess, immediately question whether he can be trusted. Is he a rapist? A serial killer? A lunatic? All of the above. But, here’s the thing, here’s what makes that opening scene so clever: we, the audience, are questioning all this because we are watching a horror film. But Tess doesn’t know she’s in a horror film; she’s just a woman on her own, standing in the rain, hoping the man before her isn’t going to hurt her because the lived experience of young women like Tess is to be very wary of men like Keith (particularly when they’re on their own).

Through its twist and gear changes, the film develops its central theme in fascinating and grotesque ways. While there’s a metoo element that falls a bit flat, the overriding message is clear: men (predominantly straight) view women as prey, as something to be hunted down, objectified, abused, and murdered. You may disagree with this; you may say “not all men”, but the hundreds and thousands of news items every year about men violating and killing women say differently.

Watch Barbarian. Free of spoilers!

*Some of my best reviewer mates love giving away the twist or the climax of a book, TV show or film. The art should stand on its own, they say; it should be able to withstand the reveal of every plot point. And, to a degree, I appreciate their point. I loved Barbarian, but the movie does rely entirely on its twist(s) and, to their point, it probably has little to no re-watch value.