The 10 most-watched films on Netflix have been changing frequently, and one horror movie has entered the ranking.
A 2022 thriller film starring Georgina Campbell debuted at number 10 on the streaming platform’s most-watched movie list in 57 countries during the week of April 29 through May 5.
The movie, called Barbarian, centers around a woman who decides to spend the night at a mysterious house she rents while traveling for a job interview.
Barbarian also stars Bill Skarsgård and Justin Long, and Kate Bosworth provides a voice cameo.
According to the list stats, Barbarian racked in 4.6 million viewers and 7.9 million viewing hours.
Georgina Campbell portrays Tess in the 2022 horror film Barbarian. The movie, which was a box office success, debuted at number 10 on Netflix during the week of April 29 through May 5
Bill Skarsgård portrays Keith, a man who is staying at a house that Tess rented in Michigan in order to make a job interview
Most of Barbarian was filmed in Bulgaria in 2021, but exterior scenes were shot within the Brightmoor neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan.
It premiered at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022 and had its theatrical release two months later.
Barbarian grossed $10 million during its first weekend in theaters and it topped the box office following its premiere.
Campbell portrays Tess, a woman who books an Airbnb after she arrives in Detroit for a job interview.
Once Tess gets there, she is surprised to see a man already staying there named Keith (Skarsgård), who seems to be harmless.
Things take a turn once Tess notices that her door has been opened, and from there, she and Keith endure havoc from a monster known as The Mother.
Sometime later, the house owner named AJ (Long) returns to the location with the intent of expecting the property to put it on the market.
He becomes involved in the events after he is attacked by The Mother while trying to measure a hidden tunnel.
The pair must work to escape The Mother and the property and along the way, dark secrets about the house are revealed that lead to the shocking truth as to how the motherly creature was created.
Justin Long portrays AJ, an actor who is the house owner that initially goes to the property so that he can get ready to sell it
Kate Bosworth was one of three actors to appear in a cameo role. Bosworth, who portrayed Melissa in a voice cameo, has been married to Long since 2023
Barbarian was highly praised by critics and as of now, the horror film currently holds a 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘The joy of the movie is how it constantly wrong-foots the audience, delivering audacious swing after swing,’ wrote Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy in October 2022.
‘It’d still be an excellent horror movie if you knew what was in store, but that’d be ruining the fun.’
Other positive reviews made by critics focussed on Zach Cregger, who wrote and directed Barbarian.
David Fear of Rolling Stone wrote that Cregger ‘knows exactly how to conjure up dread, utilize jump scares, and play the tension-and-release-and-oh-hey-here’s-even-more-tension game that characterize best-in-show creepfests.’
‘Georgina Campbell, who fans will recognize from the “Hang the D.J.” episode, both adheres to and quietly subverts the Final Girl archetype,’ Fear added.
Unfortunately, not all critics were happy with how the film turned out, including Todd Jorgenson from Cinemalogue.
‘Although it features some effective narrative gimmickry, this haunted-house thriller is driven by a shallow string of coincidences and eye-rolling character behavior that undermines any sustained tension,’ he wrote in September 2022.
Benjamin Lee from The Guardian was also not too pleased with the movie, in which he wrote: ‘The big secret here is that sadly it’s not very good.’
Audiences were more divided in there reviews on Barbarian, but it did manage to maintain a 71 percent Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Barbarian racked in 4.6 million viewers and 7.9 million viewing hours. It is still available to stream on Netflix, but it has been booted out of the top 10 most-watched film list
Barbarian received positive reviews from X users and critics but it did not receive the best opinions from moviegoers who are active on Rotten Tomatoes
Despite its high audience score, the film was seemingly a dud in the eyes of several Rotten Tomato users.
‘It’s silly, the misdirects are just a waste of time. The character arcs are impossible to invest in,’ a viewer wrote on May 11.
‘The backstory is undercooked. It’s not even remotely scary. Made me feel nothing.’
However, X (formerly Twitter) users had more positive reviews to give about the horror film, despite a death that made one user ‘burst out in laughter.’
‘Barbarian (2022) is a well crafted movie that in no way sacrifices reality, believability, or slowly built tension in order to tell its story,’ an X user tweeted.
‘It is a masterclass in subtlety. It’s themes are deep and complex, and open to numerous interpretations upon rewatch.’
