It seems like ever since The Purge made its presence known in the horror genre almost a decade ago, home invasion thrillers have become more and more popular, and the new trailer for Barbarians shows us the latest horror story in that sub-genre. Starring Iwan Rheon, Tom Cullen, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Inès Spiridonov, the film follows twenty-four hours in the life of a couple who are the targets of a sinister and nightmarish home invasion just before moving into their dream house, along with two of their friends.
The trailer takes us through the general gist of that narrative, starting off very normal before going quickly off the rails. Throughout the footage we see the group’s lovable, light-hearted dynamic, but even though this trailer is mostly set before the home invasion takes place, there is an unshakable eeriness with viewers just waiting for the metaphorical bomb to go off. Also, despite the dark home invasion imagery with people wearing creepy masks running about, the trailer has a very self-aware, quirky vibe to it. One could almost call it playful, as one of the scenes shown off has the characters describe Americans' obsession with gun violence with huge grins on their faces, and the ironic classical music accompanying the trailer only adds to that gleefully unsettling tone. On top of that, the film’s title Barbarians further plays into that uniquely charming vibe.
This looks to be a film that blends horror and comedy with a mix of social commentary for good measure, similar to other home invasion films like You’re Next and Better Watch Out. The trailer ends with a montage of distressing scenes involving the characters being taken hostage cut together with the two couples at the dinner table, furthering the irony of talking about self-defense before they ultimately have to live up to their words later on in the film.
With the footage openly inviting us to dinner, it feels like there is more to this film than meets the eye. The trailer hints at secrets which we see glimpses of certain betrayals throughout it and with the film sounding like it is an allegory for humanity always falling back on their animalistic ways, get ready for a wild ride with this kooky cocktail of a horror venture.
While we have seen many home invasion thrillers over the last two decades, Barbarians appears to be a really fun take on the sub-genre with bubbly characters, a bizarre mixing of tones, and disturbing imagery. Some of the best films in this sub-genre have also had a playful razors edge to them like You’re Next and Funny Games. Charles Dorfman produced, wrote, and directed the project and this film will mark his feature directorial debut. Because of this, it will be really exciting to see what Dorfman brings to this crowded sub-genre. Barbarians' premieres in theaters and on demand on April 1. Check out the full trailer below: