20th Century Studios is about to drop what could become a bonafide horror classic, Barbarian, a movie that takes an expected formula and surprises you at every turn. Recently, a press conference was held with the film’s director, Zach Cregger, along with stars Georgina Campbell (Tess) and Justin Long (AJ). The trio discussed the inspirations behind the film’s creation, their character’s motivations, and the beautifully unexpected nature of the film.
Writer and Director Zach Cregger discussed how the movie came to be, and it started off as an exercise about male privilege and how different things can be for women in society. Originally he simply just wanted to write a scene where he could load as many of those little tiny red flags into an interaction as possible. From that came the beginning part of the film, based around a double-booked Airbnb. From there, Cregger said: “As long as I have no long plan, then no one could know what’s coming and so let’s just see how it goes and this is the movie that came out of it.”
Getting the movie made began as quite a struggle, as with the film’s interesting premise, it was hard to find a studio or a backer that would be interested. Fortunately, Cregger got very lucky when producer Roy Lee called him out of the blue wanting to make the film.
One of the best parts of Barbarian are the unexpected twists and turns. Cregger’s experience in comedy informs his horror writing by being able to subvert expectations. Except instead of a punchline, you get a scary moment. Actor Justin Long compared Cregger’s directing style to that of Evil Dead director Sam Raimi, and complimented him for being able to fix clunky dialogue.
Georgina Campbell plays the film’s lead, Tess, and after seeing her performance in an episode of Black Mirror, Cregger immediately knew he wanted her for the role. Campbell had always wanted to do a horror film, but hadn’t come across anything she thought was right for her. But once she read the script for Barbarian, she was completely gripped from start to end. Tess is an extremely relatable and human character, and Campbell plays her with an apprehensive ease.
Upon being asked what he wants the audience to take away from the film, Cregger said: “I think it might spark some discussion about the title. What is the title referring to? I think there could be a little bit of debate about that. I just want people to have fun. This is not a movie with an agenda. If people take anything away from it, I hope it’s first and foremost just a really good time. I think it’s pretty scary, and I think it’s pretty funny. And that’s the goal.”
Barbarian releases exclusively in theaters on September 9th, 2022.