Barbarian director Zach Cregger has shared a progress update on his next horror film. Barbarian was a surprise hit in the post-summer season when it took No. 1 in its opening weekend this past September. The film followed a young woman named Tess (Georgina Campbell) whose Airbnb was accidentally double booked with Keith (Bill Skarsgård). While she attempts to ascertain if Keith is telling the truth about his intentions, she discovers that the house has sinister secrets of its own.

Recently, ****** sat down with Cregger to discuss the success of Barbarian and his plans for the future. The writer-director is currently working on the screenplay for an as-yet-untitled horror project, and he shared the latest update on his progress. He is currently holed up in an appropriate setting - an isolated cabin in the woods - and making good progress, which has him "feeling very positive." Read his full quote below:

I’m staying now at a friend’s house on the East Coast in a secluded cabin, and I’m writing [my untitled horror film] and it’s coming along. I’m not there yet, but I’m making way more progress than … I don’t know where you heard me say that, but every day is getting better and better. So yes, I am awesome. Feeling very positive.
Why Zach Cregger's Comedy Background Makes Him Perfect for Horror Films Like Barbarian


Although the twists and turns of Barbarian proved it had the capacity to frighten audiences around the globe, many were surprised to learn that Cregger largely comes from a comedy background. Before Barbarian, his best known work was as a performer in the sketch comedy series The Whitest Kids U'Know, which aired on IFC from 2007 through 2011. His previous directorial contributions were largely in comedy television as well, though he made his feature debut as a co-director on the 2009 comedy Miss March, which starred himself and his co-director Trevor Moore.

While that might seem surprising, comedy is a surprisingly fertile ground for horror filmmakers, as Get Out auteur Jordan Peele proved when he burst onto the scene in 2017 after starring on his own sketch show Key & Peele. Both genres rely on the careful timing and construction of gags to provoke a physical reaction in the audience. Whether it's a laugh of a shriek, the reaction requires a similar sensitivity to the proper rhythms of a scene.

Fans of Barbarian will certainly be gratified to learn that Cregger has decided to stay in the realm of the horror genre for the time being. Although further details on the film he's writing are still tightly under wraps, this sophomore horror feature will hopefully be just as surprising and invigorating as the first. If he continues to harness the skills he honed in his comedy career to boost up the scares while also providing ample comic relief from characters like Justin Long's sinister AJ Gilbride, he is destined to have continuing success.