Barbarians
plays with audience expectations established by countless home invasion
narratives of recent past. There are several different approaches to the horror
sub-genre, and tropes that have developed from their repeated use. The
filmmakers of Barbarians seem to realize this and utilize tropes from two
different approaches in order to keep the audience guessing. The use of MacGuffins
helps disguise the true motivation of the invaders but may also leave some
audience members disappointed that the threat alluded to is nothing more than a
distraction.