‘Barbarian’ director: ‘original horror is working’
By KRYSTA FAURIA
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — With the box office success of “Smile,” “The Black Phone” and his “Barbarian” this year, writer-director Zach Cregger says it’s clear that “original horror is working right now.” Though the genre has long relied on franchises like “Halloween,” “Saw” and “The Conjuring,” Cregger says younger filmmakers are finding scary features “creatively fertile territory” for exploring unexpectedly complex themes. Cregger’s solo directorial debut was lauded as a late-summer sleeper hit, making more than $42 million worldwide on a modest production budget of $4.5 million. It’s now on streaming services.
