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Monday, September 5, 2022

‘Barbarian’: Writer/Director Zach Cregger on Horror Influences and Mixing Terror with Comedy [Interview]

Perhaps best known as one of the founding members of “The Whitest Kids U’Know,” writer/director Zach Cregger has had an enduring comedy career. While Cregger’s latest, Barbarian, features a darkly funny streak, it’s the type of horror that goes for the jugular.

Barbarian, out in theaters on September 9, stars Georgina Campbell as Tess. When Tess arrives at her Detroit rental late one night, she’s startled to find that it’s been double booked. She reluctantly agrees to share the space with the stranger (Bill Skarsgård) but soon realizes there’s more to fear than unexpected guests.

Ahead of the film’s release, Bloody Disgusting chatted with Cregger about his unpredictable horror movie. The filmmaker spoke about why comedy and horror are two sides of the same coin, the story behind a song choice, and his surprising horror influences.

The film’s introduction to Justin Long’s AJ shows him singing to Donovan’s “Riki Tiki Tavi.” The song refers to the mongoose character in Rudyard Kipling’s short story of the same name and overlaps with some minor background details.

When asked if this is significant, Cregger shared an anecdote about the song selection.

“No, no, it’s so funny. I had written a different song into the script, and I won’t go into who, but I got a very rude response from the musician. I was so pissed. We were already in Bulgaria shooting, and I was like, ‘I have to find a new song. I’m not going to give this guy any money.’ Then I was listening to that ‘Riki Tiki Tavi’ song that came up on a playlist I was listening to, and I was like, ‘This is the dumbest, silliest, goofiest song. This is it. This is so perfect.’ It’s got a cowbell, and it’s like gibberish. I was like, ‘If Justin can learn this, this is the one.’ It all worked out in the end.”

Cregger’s answer teases Barbarian‘s twisted sense of humor. The filmmaker’s prolific work in comedy made him well suited to horror, comedy’s other half.

He explains, “Yeah, it’s almost the same. It’s all about subverting expectations. It’s all about being a step ahead of the audience, zigging when they expect you to zag, and timing. It’s just timing and tone. That’s the anatomy of a joke; that’s the anatomy of a scare. I do feel like I’ve been working that muscle group out for a long time through comedy.”

Barbarian‘s unconventional narrative structure highlights that further. “Because both comedy and horror thrive on the unexpected,” Cregger states. “A structure like this absolutely aids both of those. I was surprised as I was writing it. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t outline this movie. I was typing away and trying to follow the story like an audience member.”

Cregger also knows his stuff when it comes to horror. The filmmaker shares the horror that influenced his new movie.

“Well, definitely Audition, the Takashi Miike film. The whole flashback sequence is straight up visually from this Austrian film, Angst, which I believe is on Shudder. It’s a brutal movie, but I love the way they follow the main character. I made my DP watch that movie, unfortunately for him. Anything Sam Raimi did, Evil Dead II, is really front and center in this movie. Proudly so, I think he’s a genius. Evil Dead II made such a big impact on me, I couldn’t even begin.”