Georgina Campbell photographed by David Muller

British actress Georgina Campbell has always loved horror films, and now, she’s the star of one of the most chilling movies of the year, Barbarian. The sleeper hit has been skyrocketing to cult-beloved status after receiving critical acclaim when it was released on Sept. 9.

“I always wanted to do a horror film,” Campbell, 30, tells GRAZIA USA. “I was sent a script, and it was just really well written. The more I read, the more I just loved it. I thought the tone of it was amazing — it was really funny, really weird, and really gory. I just thought it was fantastic.”

Her love of the genre started when she was young. “It used to really annoy my mom because I used to have a lot of sleep problems,” she shares. Throughout the actress’ adolescence, she would sleepwalk and suffer from night terrors, and naturally, her mother blamed it on her penchant for thrillers.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of my favorite horror films,” she says. “I love Get Out, and It Follows. I mean, I could go on and on.” She does rattle off a few more titles, including the crime thriller she loves, The Silence of the Lambs, and a few of her favorite true crime podcasts like Morbid, Crime Junkie, and Last Podcast on the Left.

Campbell quickly signed on to Barbarian, written and directed by Zach Cregger, to play its leading lady, Tess, without knowing who else was cast. Then Campbell found out both Bill Skarsgård (of It fame) and actor and comedian Justin Long (who has starred in horror films like Jeepers Creepers and Drag Me to Hell), were on board.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 22: (L-R) Zach Cregger, Georgina Campbell and Justin Long attend the “Barbarian” Collider special screening at The Landmark Westwood in Los Angeles, California on August 22, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios)

“I lost my s**t,” Campbell says. “I love Justin Long, I’m such a massive fan, and so is my sister. She was very impressed when I told her. She’s my older sister, so anything I can do to impress her is great.”

In the film, Campbell plays the protagonist who arrives at a Detroit rental home (situated on the wrong side of town, we might add) and finds that the space is already occupied by the devilishly handsome Keith (Skarsgård). The two strangers have been double-booked and decide to share the rental. Then, everything goes horribly wrong, but not in the way you’d expect.

“Obviously, you’re waiting for the horror elements to kick in,” says Campbell. “You know it’s the horror genre, so the audience is thinking, ‘This guys is going to do something bad.’ And also, the character is trying to figure out who this guy is.”

Spoiler alert: Keith is not the bad guy. After a series of moves that make the audience anxiously scream at their screens, the two strangers explore the dark and eerie basement where unimaginable horrors await.

Georgina Campbell as Tess in Barbarian (2022) 20th Century Studios

Along with its shocking jump scares and disturbing storyline, the film explores themes of toxic masculinity and relevant social commentary. “I think Zach wrote a very intelligent script, but he did it in a way where he doesn’t bash an agenda over your head,” says Campbell. “He allows it to breathe and lets the audience make their own decisions.”

The response has been rapturous. “I knew the film was good. loved the film. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had filming something, but I’m also so blown away at the level of success it’s having,” the star shares.

New to this level of fanfare, Campbell has been soaking it all in right alongside Cregger. “The film is Zach’s baby, so this is kind of new to him from that aspect. And I’m still forging my career, and this is new territory for me. He’ll call me and be like, ‘Oh my God, did you hear about this? Did you hear about that?’ The two of us just geek out, screaming on the phone with each other, because this is the first time for us. It just feels very profound and exciting. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

Georgina Campbell photographed by David Muller

She’s certainly on her ascent in acting, but perusing the career path was a slower process. Campbell’s first project was a made-for-Myspace teen drama, titled Freak, after being scouted on the street. “I slowly started [acting]. I was pretty shy when I was younger, so it was difficult, but I was surprisingly good at it, which wasn’t expected,” Campbell admits. “I went to university and was still slowly moving along [in acting]. Then, I got nominated for a BAFTA.”

Campbell snagged the award at the 2015 ceremony as Leading Actress for her role in the TV movie Murdered by My Boyfriend. “When I won, I think that was the moment that I thought, ‘Oh wow, I can actually do this.’ And I kept going from there, but it was a slow realization.”

As for what’s next, she’ll star in the upcoming film Lovely, Dark, and Deep written and directed by Teresa Sutherland, as well as the Spanish adaptation of the 2018 hit Bird Box, A ciegas. “I’m really excited for Bird Box Spain,” she says. “It’s the first time I’ve ever done a film in a different language. I don’t speak much Spanish in it, but it’s so interesting, because there are people speaking English, Spanish, and German in the film.”

Campbell says she’ll always return to favorite horror genre, and would love to be part of something just as “intense and scary” as Barbarian, but in a different role. “Perhaps play a different character, like a police officer, or someone with more control over the situation,” she says.

We’ll certainly be keeping an eye on everything Campbell does next.