Barbarian is one of the best horror releases of 2022, and the unique movie has a wise ending that is impossible to forget about. Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) arrives at her rental house to find Keith Toshko (Bill Skarsgård) there. But while it's definitely unsettling to find an unexpected stranger in this type of situation, things get much worse when the two characters learn the truth about the home. And when they meet the surprising and gruesome villain of the story, they are definitely speechless, as are audiences.
Written and directed by Zack Cregger, Barbarian was a big hit, grossing over $45 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. It quickly became many people's favorite horror movie of 2022 as the story is so distinct and unique. What happens at the end of Barbarian and what makes it such a great movie?
What Happens At The End Of Barbarian?
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Barbarian's ending is set up partway through the movie when a monster, The Mother, appears in the basement of the rental house and murders Keith. Tess is absolutely terrified but proves herself to be a smart horror movie final girl when she figures out how to survive. At the end of Barbarian, Tess realizes that she can only rely on herself when police officers don't think that she's telling the truth about the events of the last little while.
Tess gets the keys to her car from the rental home and seems to kill The Mother by running her over. She saves AJ Gilbride (Justin Long) and they hide from The Mother, who could still be out there, by teaming up with Andre (Jaymes Butler). Barbarian balances tones well since it's scary at times and then campy at other moments. But there's no denying that the final scenes are horrifying.
In the most terrifying scene of Barbarian, The Mother comes close to murdering AJ and Tess. They hide in a water tower after she murders Andre. While Tess is a compassionate person who would never hurt anyone, AJ wants to survive and doesn't care who he harms in the process. He knocks her off the water tower and The Mother murders him.
From the beginning of Barbarian, there are only two potential endings: The Mother kills Tess or Tess kills The Mother. Thankfully, Tess takes the gun that Frank (Richard Brake) was using earlier, shoots The Mother, and gets away. The final scene is as haunting as the entire movie
With so many great horror performances in 2022, Campbell's still stands out. She sells Tess's fear and determination perfectly and proves that even when it seems like AJ is leaning her a helping hand, she has to look out for number one and can't trust anyone. One of the themes of the movie is self-preservation, and the Barbarian ending explores that well.
Who Is The Mother In Barbarian?
The Mother (Matthew Patrick Davis) is the monster in Barbarian who has an absolutely terrifying appearance. She is naked, has stringy hair, and looks incredibly dirty. There are two villains in Barbarian: The Mother and also Frank, who has raped many women. The Mother was born from incest.
Barbarian was one of the best horror movies of 2022 because it's shocking and smart. It discusses the difficult topics of abuse and assault while presenting a unique horror story that has a big twist halfway. It's wise that the movie switches perspectives from Tess to AJ and shows him driving in his car. The shot comes out of nowhere, which was the point,
Matthew Patrick Davis explained in an interview with Variety that he used a lot of prosthetics to get into character and play The Mother. He said that they figured out which shots to film first because of the specific look that they were going for.
Davis said, “They knew they’d be the most convincing right at the beginning of the day when I’m stepping out of the makeup trailer. As soon as I start moving or sweating, that’s when you’ll start to see the seams, so for any close-up work, they would make sure to do that first and all the wide shots at the end of the day.”
It's clear that in time, The Mother will become an iconic slasher movie villain because she is so shocking to look at. She has a dark, gruesome, and devastating backstory, and she's undeniably memorable. The Barbarian ending shares how Tess relies on her inner strength to escape. When The Mother approaches her, the villain appears to want to be there for Tess in her time of need, which is creepy and unforgettable. Overall, the ending cements the film as one of the smartest horror releases of 2022 and makes it easy to be excited for Zack Cregger's next project.