Warning: This post contains spoilers for Barbarian

Barbarian ending explained. Written and directed by Zach Cregger, Barbarian first premiered at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con. The horror film is one of the rare few that leaves all of its twists and major plot points out of its trailers. The story has a simple premise, but there are various layers to it. Barbarian follows Georgina Campbell’s Tess Marshall, a woman who arrives at her Detroit Airbnb only to realize another renter is also staying there. Things take a turn from there.

Barbarian’s ending sees Tess return to the Airbnb to save AJ, who has just watched Frank die by suicide. Tess and AJ manage to escape the wretched house, but the Mother is far from dead, alive despite Tess crashing her car into the monstrous woman. Though they take refuge with a neighborhood man, the Mother kills him, too. Injured after AJ shoots Tess, the actor sacrifices her to the Mother, throwing her over the water tower’s edge to save himself. Luckily for Tess, the Mother cushioned her fall, but the antagonist isn’t done yet, gouging AJ’s eyes out and killing him. Tess ultimately shoots the Mother and survives the terrifying ordeal.

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The ending to Barbarian is unexpected, with the plot itself not following traditional avenues of storytelling to keep viewers guessing. There is a lot to unpack regarding the horror film’s ending, including how Barbarian draws comparisons between AJ and Frank, and what the ending ultimately means in terms of the film’s themes.

Barbarians' Ending Compares AJ & Frank

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AJ is appalled when he sees the videos Frank recorded of the women he abused, locked up, and likely tortured. The actor is sick to his stomach and views Frank as a monster. Justin Long's character might not have stalked women, kidnapped, or caged them, but his actions — raping a colleague, throwing Tess from the water tower to save himself — are deplorable in their own right. The irony is that AJ views Frank as a terrible person, and himself as a good person who's made bad choices. However, Barbarians' ending brings both men into sharp focus, suggesting that they're not too different from each other, after all. The common denominator here is toxic masculinity and misogyny, which made both characters believe they were entitled to women's bodies and could control their lives in some way. There is a moment when Frank and AJ are face to face, and it's like the latter is seeing a part of himself in the former. It's one of the more intriguing parts of the horror film, to be sure.

Why Frank Was Living In A Locked Room

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With the Mother roaming the underground for so long alone, it seemed Frank was long dead and buried. That turned out not to be the case. While it's unknown when he locked himself in the basement room, it's possible he was in there to hide from the Mother. She was a result of his abuse and rape over the years and, though he had control over the women for so long, it's possible the Mother was finally able to have her revenge in some small way. If she attacked Frank, or assumed he was her baby like she did Tess and AJ, he could have barricaded himself inside the room to get away. Seeing as how he never left once inside, Frank hiding away in fear of someone coming after him and hurting him serves as his comeuppance for all the atrocities he committed over the years.

Airbnb Property Explained: Who Built The Underground (Was It Frank?)

The Airbnb house in Barbarian

Barbarian moves away from the main action to go back in time, explaining the origin of the Airbnb’s basement and Frank’s uses for it. Considering AJ had no idea there was an underground to begin with suggests the location was not a part of the Detroit house’s blueprints. But who built it? Was it actually Frank? It’s possible the abusive man was behind the creation of the underground tunnels. It has everything he might have needed to commit his atrocities. On the other hand, it could be that the Airbnb property was built above the dark tunnels below. Frank could have discovered it when he moved in and made sure there was a secret doorway to keep people out. It’s unclear when Frank moved into the neighborhood, but the houses looked relatively polished and new in the 1980s, which suggests the underground location predates the homes on the block. Plus, people might have noticed if Frank contracted a construction company to dig beneath his house.

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Where Did All The Dead Bodies Go?

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The Airbnb's underground is a scary place to be. It's dark, dank, and gruesome. As Tess and AJ pass through, cages are littered in corners. The odd thing is that there are no bodies lying around — no skeletons or parts of remains. So where did all the women, who were probably killed by Frank (or died from malnourishment), go? Tess watches as the Mother murders Keith, but his body is nowhere to be found by the time AJ appears and starts looking around downstairs. It's possible the villainous man carried the deceased women's remains to the backyard and buried them there without anyone being the wiser. By the 1980s, Frank's neighbors were leaving the area behind, and with no one living there any longer, Frank could have easily done away with anyone. Even the Mother, for as far gone as she is, emerged topside every once in a while. She likely stashed Keith's body somewhere around the house where it wasn't so noticeable. It's either that or the Mother simply moved Keith to a dark corner of the tunnels, which are vast.

What Barbarian’s Ending Really Means

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Barbarian suggests women aren’t particularly safe in any environment — not even in their own homes, with Frank invading a woman’s house for nefarious purposes. Tess rented an Airbnb in the hopes of having a night alone before her big interview, but she had to put up her guard because of Keith’s presence. Meagan couldn’t trust her co-star after he sexually assaulted her, turning her work environment into an uncomfortable place. It’s not hard to believe the cops wouldn’t believe Tess about her imprisonment. It was easier for them to believe she was crazy over being a victim. No one came for the women before her, and a big part of controlling women in society is to ensure that they are not believed. After all, Meagan’s sexual assault allegations against AJ led him to call her a liar instead of owning up to his actions. The women in Barbarian suffer through a lot, and the lack of empathy, not listening or believing what they have to say is what continues to prop up men like AJ and Frank. Even the ending, which sees Tess trying to help AJ (and him doing the exact opposite), showcases how he’s only looking out for himself and cannot be trusted. If nothing else, the horror film is certainly a cautionary tale and a focus on the toxicity that leads women to feel unsafe to begin with.