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One of the best thriller movies of the decade is on TV tonight

Published 18:05 29 May 2026 BST

Updated 18:05 29 May 2026 BST

Stephen Porzio
One of the best thriller movies of the decade is on TV tonight

Homemovies & tv

An unforgettable watch.

Our TV movie pick for tonight (Friday, 29 May) is Barbarian, the brilliant 2022 horror thriller from writer-director Zach Cregger (the Oscar-winning Weapons, the upcoming Resident Evil reboot).

The film begins with Tess (Georgina Campbell, Bird Box Barcelona) checking into an Airbnb in Detroit the evening before a job interview, only to find it has been double-booked. Hitting it off with the other renter, Keith (Bill Skarsgård, Nosferatu), he suggests they both share the space.

A string of strange occurrences, however, leads Tess to doubt whether Keith is as kind as he seems.

To reveal any more would do readers a disservice. That's because Barbarian's terrifically twisty, unpredictable, and dark plot is the main reason to seek out the movie.

Watch the trailer for Barbarian here:

On top of this, though, the film boasts great performances (including from Dodgeball's Justin Long), a string of absolutely nerve-shreddingly tense sequences, and moments of laugh-out-loud black comedy.

Following Cregger's Oscar success with Weapons and in the run-up to his highly anticipated Resident Evil reboot, what better time to check out his breakthrough movie?

Barbarian is airing on TV tonight/tomorrow morning on Film4 at 1.40am. Too late for you? Do not fret, as the horror thriller is also currently streaming on Netflix.

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:

Erin Brockovich - Film4 - 9pm

The biographical drama that earned Julia Roberts her Best Actress Oscar.

The Full Monty - Virgin Media One - 9pm

The beloved, Oscar-winning British comedy.

The Ice Road - Legend - 9pm

In this action thriller, Liam Neeson plays an ice road driver who leads a daring rescue mission over a frozen ocean.

This is to save trapped miners after a remote diamond mine collapses in far northern Canada.

Outlander - Legend Xtra - 9pm

A so-so sci-fi about an alien (played by Jim Caviezel) who crash-lands in a Viking village.

Oasis: Supersonic - RTÉ2 - 9.35pm

A documentary about the recently reunited Britpop band.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 - RTÉ One - 9.35pm

The third entry in the hit comedy franchise.

Bad Teacher / Friends with Benefits - E4 - 10pm / 11.50pm

A double bill of comedies starring Justin Timberlake.

They Rode West - TG4 - 10pm

A '50s Western.

Love & Mercy - BBC Two - 11pm

A fantastic music biopic about The Beach Boys' co-founder Brian Wilson.

As a young man, he is played by Paul Dano, while John Cusack plays the older version of the singer-songwriter.

Dante's Peak - Channel 4 - 11.05pm

Pierce Brosnan stars in this '90s disaster flick as a geologist whose suspicions that a long-dormant volcano is about to erupt turn out to be true.

Here Today - RTÉ One - 11.20pm

A 2021 comedy-drama directed by and starring Billy Crystal.

Daylight - Legend - 11.25pm

Sylvester Stallone stars in this ’90s disaster flick that has its fans.

Butterfly on a Wheel - Legend Xtra - 11.25pm

A man (Pierce Brosnan, again) kidnaps the daughter of a couple (Gerard Butler and Maria Bello) and forces the two to comply with a series of daunting tasks in this 2007 thriller.

The Kid Detective - Film4 - 11.40pm

The 2020 mystery comedy noir about a once-celebrated kid detective who, now aged 31 (and played by Adam Brody), embarks on his first adult case.