[Fantastic Fest 2023 Review] 'There's Something in the Barn' Decks the Halls with Holiday Horror Fun9/29/2023 “You’re in Norway now. Nothing bad ever happens here.” So says All-American goofball dad, Bill (Martin Starr) in director Magnus Martens entertaining creature comedy, There’s Something in the Barn, which just played at Fantastic Fest. Unfortunately for he and his family, they’re forced to learn how wrong Bill is the angry elf way. Written by Aleksander Kirkwood Brown, There’s Something in the Barn takes place around Christmas and follows USA-bred Bill, his two kids and their step-mom to a remote cabin in Norway after he inherits the place from his mysteriously deceased uncle. They plan on turning the old barn out back into a Bed and Breakfast, unaware of the hostile barn elf (Kiran Shah) that has made the place his home. Norwegian lore says treat a barn elf kindly, and they’ll do the same to you. Treat them badly, and you better watch out. You can probably guess how things go from there. As a kid, I grew up loving tiny terror movies. Critters. Ghoulies. Gremlins. These gateway horror films offered an entry point into the genre that provided plenty of scares, but with kinda cute monsters that added an element of juvenile fun easier to digest and enjoy for someone so young. While There’s Something in the Barn doesn’t quite reach the level of those afore-mentioned classics, consider this another little monsters movie that’s fun for the whole family (minus a few f-bombs). Your average tale of ignorant Americans act like, well, ignorant Americans and find themselves in heaps of trouble, There’s Something in the Barn introduces us to a National Lampoon’s Griswold-style family. There’s Bill, the screw-up dad. His new wife, Carol (Amrita Acharia), a way too positive life coach with sayings like “happy vision”. Pissed off all the time—especially with Carol—daughter, Nora (Zoe Winther-Hansen). And the kid no one listens to, Lucas (Townes Bunner). They’re the kind of family that takes pictures with moose crossing signs, only to run into an actual moose. The sort of people that truly believe it when they say Norway is “like Disneyland, for Europe”. Through their obnoxious actions, the film comments on how Americans tend to bulldoze their way into things, without any thought of how their shooting first and asking questions later sensibility affects other people and cultures. In this case, a Norwegian town plummeted into chaos by their arrival. In typical gateway horror fashion, Lucas discovers the barn elf whom his family has disturbed right away, but of course, his claims are dismissed in a “kids and their imaginations” fashion. Taken over by that childish wonder we have as kids, Lucas is unbothered by the elf. After all, the grunting little guy seems harmless, appreciating the cookies that the boy feeds him. Done up in practical makeup and shot to make the actor appear smaller than he is, both Martens and Shah do an exceptional job in bringing the fantasy of this creature to life in such a way that’s sure to delight audiences of all ages. At least until the family decides to host a Christmas party in the barn, breaking the three rules presented to Lucas about elves that include no changes, no bright lights and no loud noises (Gremlins, anyone?). This elf is more or less life goals of being a belligerent old man that eats sweets all day and hates pretty much everything else. Because he’s such a silly little dude, what separates There’s Something in the Barn from other miniature monster gateway horror films is that it isn’t the least bit scary, nor is it trying to be all that much. Martens incorporates an eerie environment with a creaking barn and fog creeping over a snow-swept landscape, but it’s all shot with more of a magical vibe that feels straight out of a Christmas storybook. Despite each performance offering a good laugh or two, none of the actors play things all that straight, often cracking hit or miss jokes in the middle of the tension or saying “at least this isn’t the worst Christmas we’ve ever had” while facing certain death. How!? One drawback with Martens’ film that may disappoint more hardcore horror fans is that you can sense the hesitancy in not wanting to go too far in respect to younger viewers. Between the fantastical charm and adorable antagonists, there’s clearly an effort to make There’s Something in the Barn horror for the whole family, while pushing the line with some harsh language and one wildly bloody moment that had me cackling. The latter is just enough to whet the appetite of those who enjoy over-the-top gore, but leaves you wanting more of it. And, without spoiling anything, let’s just say there are plenty of opportune violent moments not involving humans that feel as if they could go bigger. Despite silly humor and a ludicrous premise, Martens’ movie oddly ends up feeling somewhat restrained, like a barking dog tugging on its leash but unable to get free. Holding back or not, the decision makes for a Christmas horror movie in the vein of Gremlins or Krampus that genre-loving parents can sit down and enjoy with kids ready to take the next step into less safe genre fare. Imbalanced and leaning more towards the comedy than the horror, There’s Something in the Barn is nevertheless a gleeful slay-ride through bloody snow, intent on stuffing holiday horror cheer into your stocking, along with a lesson in meeting people halfway and talking rather than going around “shooting everyone in the face”, as the film’s Norwegians are apt to claim. Take a look inside There’s Something in the Barn. Martens’ film is a ticklish gift. By Matt Konopka
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