Earlier this week, the trailer for Gone in the Night opened the door for a new genre of horror films: bad Airbnb double-bookings. Now there’s a horror story that speaks to today’s audience! The first teaser trailer for 20th Century Studios’ Barbarian continues this new tradition by introducing us to Tess, a young woman whose rental is already taken by a man named Keith. Fortunately, Keith seems generous enough to let Tess stay with him for the night. The bad news is that Tess has seriously underestimated just how much trouble she’s about to find herself in.
The trailer is intense, but it doesn’t really tell us much about the premise of the film. There’s something creepy below the house in a hidden passage, and someone (or something) has Keith begging for help and crawling on his hands and knees toward Tess. The whole situation is a huge red flag, and it will surely be reflected in Tess’ negative Airbnb review if she manages to survive the night.
Here’s the official synopsis for the film, courtesy of 20th Century Studios:
“In Barbarian, a young woman traveling to Detroit for a job interview books a rental home. But when she arrives late at night, she discovers that the house is double-booked, and a strange man is already staying there. Against her better judgment, she decides to spend the evening, but soon discovers that there’s a lot more to fear than just an unexpected houseguest.”
Georgina Campbell headlines the film as Tess, while Bill Skarsgård. Justin Long, Matthew Patrick Davis, Richard Brake, Kurt Braunohler, and Jaymes Butler also have roles in the movie. But curiously, only Campbell and Skarsgård appear in the trailer.
Zach Cregger wrote and directed Barbarian, which is one of the rare 20th Century Studios films that isn’t going direct-to-Hulu. Instead, it will hit theaters on August 31.
