The Untold Truth Of Barbarian

The entire plot of "Barbarian" is predicated on an Airbnb that turns out to have far more terror contained within than either the audience or the characters could ever imagine. Considering how important this domicile is to the plot of "Barbarian," it's no surprise that an extraordinary amount of effort was put into building the sets used to realize this environment. Talking to Below the Line, director Zach Cregger revealed that the "Barbarian" crew didn't just turn to an abandoned house in a shabby neighborhood to shoot this movie in. Instead, the production design team, led by Rossita Bakeva, constructed every level of the central house as well as its surrounding neighborhood.

Interior environments like the Airbnb's living room and bedroom were all constructed and then filmed on soundstages, which gave Cregger and other members of the crew total control over these places. Putting together all these sets wasn't without its friction. Cregger recalled how, because the production design team was Bulgarian, there were occasional problems with getting over a language barrier while much of their pre-filming communication was just over Zoom calls. Still, Cregger was incredibly pleased with how the wide assortment of "Barbarian" sets turned out, and they proved crucial in making this movie's world seem believable.