Barbarian - 4K Digital Review

[Michael Scott]

Barbarian

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras: :
Final Score:


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Movie
I actually didn’t hear anything about Barbarian even during it’s theatrical run. However, after the very short theatrical run this year the message boards and horror nuts that I know started babbling about it non-stop. They vehemently warned me that I should go in with as little information as possible, and coming from a guy who absolutely loved the Christmas horror flick Better Watch Out, I simply took them at their word and plugged both of my ears hoping to get it on streaming or physical media when that came out. Ironically, it looks like Disney/20th Century has decided that Barbarian doesn’t deserve a physical release, so I was a bit saddened when I saw the press release last month advertising it’s digital release last week. But, as sad as I was, I figured digital copy from Disney was better than not at all and dug in.

All I can say is, holy cow. This has all of the earmarks for a legendary cult film. In fact, it’s probably one of the cultiest of culty cult films that I’ve seen since Tusk, but better. Helmed by one of The Whitest Kids U Know TV stars who doesn’t have a single feature film to his name, this is a tour de force horror film that really flips you on your ear rear end with it’s dramatic tone shifts. When I was warned to go in knowing as LITTLE as humanely possible about the film, they were 100% correct. Barbarian is a movie that is its best with as much blinders on your eyes as possible, so this review is going to be intentionally vague in the summary.

Tess (Georgina Campbell) heads out to Detroit area for a job interview, and finds out at the last minute that the Air BnB that she had booked was double booked to another guy name Keith (Bill Skarsgard). Naturally she’s very skeptical of the seemingly nice guy in the house that SHE had rented for the week (and the film does it’s best to hype that tension up), but little does she know that Keith is going to be the simplest thing that she’s going to deal with in the house.

Yeah, if that seemed short, it’s for a very specific reason. If I spoil anymore, the entire movie comes crashing down. Needless to say Zach does an amazing job at shifting focus around and constantly keeping you guessing. The trailer seems to hint at a sort of The Hills Have Eyes sort of invasion thriller, but that is only a tiny piece of it (the trailer for the film actually shows glimpses of one act of the film). Strangely enough, the entire tone of the movie is shifted and changed at the 42-43 minute mark and the entire film focuses on a completely different character in the form of Justin Long as an actor who’s having to rebuild his life from a sexual assault claim. Even then, the film does ANOTHER tone and focus shift when it jumps back in time to the 1980s and introduces Richard Brake (who is always a villain in everything to he does).

Yeah, with as little information as I can go into with the plot, let me say that Barbarian is the first film in YEARS that has literally made me uncomfortable watching it. As a horror fan who’s been watching since the late 1980 watching over his brother’s shoulders at movies he wasn’t supposed to see, let me remind you that disturbing me with a horror movie takes WORK. The movie is delightfully evil, twisted in nature, and digs into who is the real villain of the film while cleverly keeping the audience guessing on what is going on (with character motivations, not just plot points). It’s wonderfully simply, and Zach does a great job using the constant shift of focus to keep the audience on their toes. Is it perfect? No, it’s not perfect, but as a horror nut this was breathtaking to watch. It’s not very often that I actually am left wondering how a film like this going to turn out, and this had me guessing till the very end.




Rating:

Rated R for some strong violence and gore, disturbing material, language throughout and nudity.




Video:

Like usual, I’m going to stay away from giving an official number rating, but the film looks good, never great with the 4K UHD stream that I was given to watch it on. I’m not going to bash the encode itself as I saw no major signs of compression or other artifacting, rather this is a dingey and grungy looking film that stays that way outside of the 2-3 brightly lit outdoor shots (Tess trying to flag down the cops, her job interview, etc). It’s got that parchment yellowed look inside the house, mixed with cool blues and a very dusty and dirty brown when we hide underground. It’s got some crush, a few noise spikes, but the 4K image looks stable and fairly revealing despite all of the grittiness. If I had to give an estimate it would be a 4/5








Audio:

Sadly no Atmos, but the 5.1 Dolby Digital+ track did a good job with the creaks, moans, and groans of the old house. The bass can really punch you in the chest during the more dramatic moments (that heartbeat scene when AJ tries to get away), but it’s not a massively aggressive mix. It instead thrives off of ambient noises and shifting tones to creep the viewer out. Everything is done well, with strong vocals, creepily accurate surround usage, and the very solid bass experience.







Extras:

• Behind Barbarian
• Trailer
• Deleted Scenes

Final Score: ​

If I have to complain about anything in this release, it’s that Barbarian has no signs of a physical release even though it got a run in the theater. It’s not a streaming only production and the fact that a horror movie this exciting not getting a domestic release is heart breaking (although I hear word of some international releases that might pan out to satiate my collector’s nature). That being said, Barbarian is a nasty, gritty, AWESOME fun ride for a horror fan. I had an absolute blast, but I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend going in with no more information than I have given in this review here. It’s a movie best watched wondering what’s going to happen, and you’ll have a much larger payoff if you do. Well worth checking out.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgard, Justin Long, Richard Brake
Directed by: Zach Cregger
Written by: Zach Cregger
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 / 1.33:1 (certain scenes)
Audio: English: English DD+ 5.1, English DD 2.0, Spanish and French DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Studio: Disney/Buena Vista
Rated: R
Runtime: 102 Minutes
Digital Release Date: October 25th, 2022

Recommendation: Amazing Cult Watch

 

[Todd Anderson]

Oooo… I like the sounds of this one. Luckily Kscape has it in 4K.
Look forward to it!

 

[Asere]

I refused to see the trailer and read up on this film before I saw it at the theater and I am glad I didn't know anything about it. I really liked the pace and it kept me guessing as it shifted. I think I will get this one when it is available on disc eventually. By the way I also liked Better Watch Out. Thanks for the review.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Ok, I watched it. I can totally see why this movie needs to be watched spoiler free.

I liked it… it has some holes… the last 20 min was a roller coaster ride of intense craziness and far fetched silliness. Definitely unique, I’ll give it that!

 

[Michael Scott]

Ok, I watched it. I can totally see why this movie needs to be watched spoiler free.

I liked it… it has some holes… the last 20 min was a roller coaster ride of intense craziness and far fetched silliness. Definitely unique, I’ll give it that!

yeah, definitey some suspension of disbelief but it's hugely atmospheric and a mind bender with the twists

 

[Todd Anderson]

I liked how the movie was presented in acts. The flash back to the past was interesting. I could smell the interior of that old sedan the guy was driving around. Cars of that era had a very distinct odor when they were new!