We're in the midst of an indie horror purple patch at the moment, as the recent likes of Bodies Bodies Bodies and X have demonstrated. (We're still waiting for the latter movie's prequel, Pearl, to get a UK release date.)
Continuing this fecund trend is the upcoming Barbarian, which has scored rave reviews ahead of its UK release date this Halloween. The intriguing trailer promises some kind of almighty switcheroo midway through, and it's a credit to the marketing department that, for once, the mystery has been preserved.
Directed by Zach Cregger, a veteran of satirical comedy shows such as The Whitest Kids You Know, Barbarian stars Black Mirror's Georgina Campbell in the central role of Tess. She's arrived in Detroit for a job interview and has booked a rental home in which to stay for a couple of days.
The fact that she's greeted by the reliably unreadable Bill Skarsgard (of Pennywise IT fame) sets alarm bells ringing straight away. It's hard to discern exactly what happens next, suffice it to say that Tess appears to descend into some kind of subterranean nightmare that gets worse and worse. Jeepers Creepers and Drag Me To Hell's Justin Long co-stars.
Barbarian has been acclaimed for its inventiveness and willingness to play with horror tropes. It currently sports a 92% aggregate rating on Rotten Tomatoes where it's described in the following terms: 'Smart, darkly humorous, and above all scary, Barbarian offers a chilling and consistently unpredictable thrill ride for horror fans.'
Check out the trailer for Barbarian and make you secure your Cineworld seat this Halloween. The movie is released on October 28.
Also, don't forget to check out our Halloween horror movie preview, which sums up all the classics returning to Cineworld screens in glorious 4K.
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