Barbarian (2022) Film Review

One of the most acclaimed low-budget cross-over horror successes of the year, but having watched it near back to back with, Smile, I kinda feel the reviews for both films should be reversed. Admittedly this film is much more original and has much stronger themes, but where as Smile is relentless, scary and dread-fueled, Barbarian has a LOT of down time and a lot of dead ends. Much of the story and characters seem in service to the themes, there wasn't much dread and few scares. I appreciated its gonzo final third and imaginative, jarring shifts but felt it was way less than the sum of its parts.