Horror films have long been popular with viewers. Directors and screenwriters working in this branch of cinematography have repeatedly had to resort to inventions and tricks in order to interest the viewer and create a truly terrifying atmosphere. So mystical creatures and the most unusual plot collisions appeared on the screens. The film “The Barbarian” quickly gained popularity and won the sympathy of the audience. What is his secret?
The meaning of the film “The Barbarian”
The plot of the film, at first glance, seems to be as simple as possible and even partly predictable. In the center of the picture is a young woman – an American Tess. One day she needed to go to Detroit for a few days. Since she had no friends or acquaintances in the city, she had to look for housing using the Internet. The choice fell on a house in one of the most untrustworthy areas. This fact does not bother the woman at all, because in this way she plans to save a lot.
Inspired, Tess reaches her destination and discovers an unknown man in the house she rented. In the course of the proceedings, it turns out that Keith, that is the name of the unknown person, also rented this house. It turns out that due to a malfunction in the site, the house was rented to two people at once. Keith is clearly not going to leave the premises, so the choice is up to Tess. At first, the girl is very discouraged by what happened, and does not even mind looking for another place to sleep for herself, but then, when the emotions subside, she gives up her initial desire. She obviously wants to be on the street at night in a disadvantaged area less than spending the night under the same roof with a person whom she sees for the first time in her life.
Despite all the woman’s fears, the night goes on calmly. Tess calmly goes to the interview, and upon her return she finds an open door to the basement. Curiosity gets the better of her and she descends. Inside, the woman discovers a secret room and a mattress with a bloody print. Getting out of the basement is not so easy, because someone has locked the door. Tess frees the returned Kit. It’s time to just leave the dangerous place, but the man decides to do the opposite. He descends into the basement, leaving a frightened Tess upstairs. As it turned out, a disfigured woman was hiding in the basement – a victim of the intimate pleasures of the previous owner. The creature is very aggressive. It thinks Keith and Tess are their children and treats them like babies – trying to breastfeed, not allowing them to act in their own interests.
Over time, the current owner of the house, Agee, and the previous owner, Frank, join the company. Tess herself manages to break the window and escape. However, this does not save the woman, because the persecution of an inadequate creature does not end. There is nowhere to wait for Tess’s help, because even the police consider her story to be complete nonsense. As a result, the woman has little choice – to try to escape to a safe place or to deal with the Mother once and for all.
A similar plot has already been repeatedly used in cinema, so it is impossible to surprise the viewer with monsters in the basement or their bloodthirstiness. However, the movie draws you in from the first frame. How did the film crew manage to achieve such a result? Director Zack Cregger did not invent anything new, but simply used the Hitchcock method. It consists in the constant forcing of the situation. In the depicted reality, the characters must always be in anticipation of trouble: suspicious behavior, repeated hints and symbols. This is how you manage to keep the tension throughout the whole picture.
At the beginning of the film, upon arrival in Detroit, Tess is wary of an unknown man. She refuses to take food and tea from him, fearing that he treats her not out of the kindness of his soul. Keith knows about this and therefore invites the woman to drink wine together, because it was sealed. The man offers to uncork the bottle in front of Tess so that the woman does not worry about this, but Tess still does not trust and refuses. This situation allows the viewer to be wary of the hero and see the catch even in the usual benevolence. Traditionally, in horror films, the danger is always localized in the attic or basement.
The second option turns out to be the most acceptable place, because there are no windows for the characters to easily escape or attract the attention of others. In addition, in itself it is a very gloomy and dark place. In the basement, you can easily hide anything from prying eyes, and the large length of the room even allows you to equip additional hidden rooms and tunnels. In “Barbarian” the creators of the picture did not deviate from the classics and also hid the source of evil in the basement. Elements such as suddenly locked doors and people missing in the basement only increase the fear of an unknown danger.
Movie ending explanation
The film is based on two stereotypes: the act of coercion and the position of the rescue hero.
One way or another, in society, a person is forced to act not only at will, but often under duress. The phrase “voluntarily forced” reflects this position very accurately. A similar position applies in all areas: a person who cannot dare to quit an unloved job (forced to perform an unacceptable action because he is afraid of being left without a livelihood), break off a toxic relationship (it is better at least with someone than himself). This position is also reflected in the film. Kit does not want to be Mother’s child, but begins to play along with her and drink milk from a bottle when the creature forces him).
