Writer-director Zach Cregger (The Civil War on Drugs) helms this horror-thriller about Tess (Georgina Campbell), a woman who arrives at her rented Airbnb to discover it’s been double booked and occupied by Keith (Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd), who invites her in while they sort it out. Big mistake, lady! (102 min.)
Glen This wildly inventive and multi-textured film is probably best enjoyed going in completely uninformed—the less you know, the more surprising these twists and reveals will be, but here you are reading a review, so without giving too much away, what we have here is a film about societal unfairness between genders. Keith (a perfectly cast SkarsgÃ¥rd who played Pennywise in It) knows how risky it is for Tess to accept his offer to come inside while they sort out the double-booking snafu. He offers to sleep on the couch while she takes the locked bedroom; he waits to open a bottle of wine in front of her to prove it’s safe to drink. She too knows the risks, admitting that if she arrived first, there’s no way she would have extended him the same courtesy to come inside. It’s a clever set-up for what’s to come—a film about societal decay, rape culture, male dominance, and most resoundingly, bravery. I’m unfortunately making Barbarian sound didactic and preachy, when in fact it’s a thrill ride. If you like Jordan Peele’s brand of social satire horror, this will be right up your dark, sinister alley.
Anna I was reminded today of the social media explosion around the question, “Women, what would you do if there were no men on earth for 24 hours?” The overwhelming responses were simple day-to-day activities like “go for a walk in the city in peace,” or, “Wear whatever I want and feel safe doing so,” or the heartbreaking simple response of, “Feel safe, I guess.” We have not built a world in which women feel safe, and even a seemingly nice guy needs to be approached with suspicion. But as they say, “The devil you know is better than the devil that you don’t know,” and for Tess, driving unfamiliar streets or sitting in her car in a completely dark neighborhood are not viable options. She has to hope and pray that Keith isn’t sinister. What becomes clear the next day when Tess leaves for a job interview is just how completely rundown and abandoned this Detroit neighborhood is. Burned-out houses and abandoned vehicles are everywhere, and the only house that seems to have anyone around is the rental they are in. It’s a spooky atmosphere—everything feels unsafe. It’s all a great backdrop for the madness about to come. This film isn’t all jump scares and dark hallways, though there’s some of that. Interestingly, it weaves several stories together wonderfully.
Glen Yes, it does! I hope it’s not a spoiler to bring up AJ (a perfectly cast Justin Long), who in a big tonal shift we meet zooming down sunny Pacific Coast Highway in a red convertible. He’s giddily singing Donovan’s “Riki Tiki Tavi”—just a cocky Hollywood actor who’s about to have his TV pilot picked up when he learns a co-star has accused him of something horrible. Turns out the Detroit Airbnb is one of his investments, and as his TV pilot dreams fade and legal troubles loom, he heads back to figure out how to liquify his asset for the fight ahead and maybe even face his demons. Did he do something wrong? He’s too obtuse to know. “Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone, won’t be coming around for to kill your snakes no more, my love”—AJ isn’t going to slide out of his troubles this time. What awaits him in Detroit is a richly deserved lesson. Gotta say, this one just kept coming at me in unexpected ways. I loved it.
Anna There’s also a time jump to the early ’80s that shows the neighborhood when the lawns were green and the homes were loved and lived in. The separate storylines create a much bigger picture, one more horrific and terrifying than a lot of horror films manage. The monsters live among us; they buy gas and chat with store clerks and mow their laws. Abuse, neglect, and a wildly unbalanced power structure are scarier than any shadowy figure. Δ
Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Glen compiles listings. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Sep 15-25, 2022.