Hollywood, Reflexivity, and Barbarian : The Possibilities of Horror in the Wake of #MeToo

Abstract: Ever since Harvey Weinstein was exposed as a sexual predator in October 2017, Hollywood has attempted to reckon with its history of sexual violence through a series of what have been termed “#MeToo movies.” Yet the films that reflect on the #MeToo movement directly by representing sexual violence in the context of media industries have yet to garner significant box office success. This article addresses the affordances of the horror genre in the wake of the #MeToo movement. I argue that the film Barbarian (2022) allows Hollywood to productively self-reflect on the #MeToo movement removed from literal discourse. The film accomplishes this by reworking three horror genre conventions: the monstrous feminine, the final girl, and the terrible place. Rather than operating as a bait and switch that tricks audiences into seeing a #MeToo movie when they expect a horror film, Barbarian instead provides nuanced ways of exploring complex issues related to sexual violence through an appropriation of familiar patterns.