Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Magnus Martens
Starring: Martin Starr, Amrita Acharia, Jeppe Beck Laursen, Henriette
Steenstrup, Calle Hellevang-Larsen
The wave of Nordic mythology inspired horror-comedies that kicked off in
2010 with Trollhunter and
Rare Exports continues with director Magnus Martens'
There's Something in the Barn, which also falls into the increasingly popular Christmas horror
sub-genre. The mythology drawn on here is that of the "barn elf," a
diminutive creature who according to Norwegian folklore, makes his home in
a barn and will leave humans alone unless they do something to piss him
off.
Nobody pisses off Europeans quite like Americans, and so we have an
American family at the centre of the movie. Seemingly inspired by the
Griswalds of the Vacation series, said family consists of
dorky Dad Bill (Martin Starr), his improbably hot wife Carol (Amrita Acharia), prissy teenage daughter Nora (Zoe Winter Hansen) and
enthusiastic young son Lucas (Townes Bunner). When Bill's uncle
dies in grisly and mysterious circumstances in the prologue, Bill inherits
his farmhouse in rural Norway and relocates to the Scandinavian country
with his family.
More ho ho ho than horrific,
There's Something in the Barn is very much a comedy first,
horror movie second. Much of the first half of the movie could be mistaken
for a reboot of the Vacation series as Bill and his brood
get into various scrapes in their new home while seasonal hits play on the
soundtrack. Much of the comedy is generated through the culture clash of
loud Americans of a sunny disposition finding themselves surrounded with
sour-faced Scandis who need large quantities of alcohol to loosen up. When
the horror later kicks in, there are several gags built around the lack of
firearms in liberal Europe, with locals constantly explaining "this isn't
Detroit" and the like. None of the gags are exactly novel or particularly
well written, but a game cast that's fully aware of the sort of movie
they're acting in makes it work to a degree. In a rare lead role, Starr
makes for a worthy Chevy Chase stand-in, and while they struggle to hide
their Norwegian accents, Acharia and Hansen have a good comic rapport with
their American co-star.
The movie's second half turns into an extended siege set-piece as the
barn elf that came with their new home decides he can't hack living within
earshot of these annoying yanks. A local tells Lucas early on that there
are three things barn elves hate - loud noise, bright lights and change
(wait, am I a barn elf?) - and of course Bill upsets the little blighter
by erecting a garish display of Christmas lights and motion activated
talking inflatable Santas. This leads the elf to turn murderous and summon
a bunch of his fellow stunted sociopaths to take back the farmhouse for
themselves.
There's some fun to be had watching Bill and his family thrown into this
bizarre scenario, having to improvise weaponry from household objects to
take on the tiny terrors. But from a horror perspective the film suffers
from a distinct lack of tension as we know a movie this light in tone
isn't going to actually kill off any of the family members. The tameness
of the violence will leave hardcore horror fans wanting, with the few
deaths of supporting characters occurring offscreen (there is admittedly a
clever match cut involving a cocktail stick and a sausage).
With some sharper comedy and a willingness to lean into the sort of
splatstick violence its premise seems made for,
There's Something in the Barn might earn cult status and
become a seasonal horror classic. As it is it's a merely serviceable
horror-comedy that will probably function best as a means for horror fans
to introduce their kids to the genre.
There's Something in the Barn is
in UK cinemas and on VOD from December 1st.
