An American family fulfills their dream of moving back to their roots after inheriting a remote cabin in the mountains of Norway. But there's a surprise waiting for them.
If “Violent Night” and “Krampus” are holiday traditions at your house, you’re going to want to add director Magnus Martens‘ “There’s Something in the Barn” to your annual screening calendar. This playful, silly thriller about evil elves that terrorize the new family in town doesn’t always find success, but it is an amusing entry in the holiday horror subgenre.
After Bill (Martin Starr) inherits his uncle’s remote cabin in Norway, he packs up his family and moves from America to snowy Scandinavia. His wife (Amrita Acharia) has the dream of turning the property in a bed and breakfast, son Lucas (Townes Bunner) is doing his best to stay positive, and teenage daughter Nora (Zoe Winther-Hansen) is angry and rebellious.
Adapting to a new lifestyle turns out to be a lot more difficult than any of them anticipated, especially when Lucas discovers an elf living in the barn out back. Nobody believes him, of course, so Lucas takes it upon himself to befriend the elf. In the process, he learns that Norwegian folklore dictates three very important rules when dealing with mystical barn elves: no bright lights, no loud noises, and no big changes. When Bill decides to ignore his son’s warnings and throw a huge Christmas party in the barn, this sets the elves on a rampage like no other in an effort to defend their home.
The film is based on real folklore, which gives it a cultural twist that’s a lot of fun. It’s reminiscent of both “Gremlins” and “Home Alone,” with a slightly snarky mean streak. The elves are scary but also funny, especially when they begin their brutal night of murder and destruction. Some of the jokes don’t work well (especially the moose one-liners with the local policewoman), but you’ll find plenty of laugh-worthy visual gags.
The cast is great (the lack of huge star power is refreshing, and there’s no big Hollywood actor causing a distraction). Starr is terrific as a goofy dad who is trying to do his best, and Bunner is a likeable kid. The biggest hurdle here isn’t going with the idea that elves exist, but having a family that audiences can root for. Thankfully, it succeeds.
While this is technically a horror movie, it’s not all that scary. There’s gnome-related violence and very minor gore, but it’s the type of film that a family with older kids could actually watch together. Absurd but never flat-out corny, it strikes just the right balance of tongue-in-cheek fun with the bloody violence that audiences anticipate.
“There’s Something in the Barn” works so well because it never takes itself too seriously — and neither should you.
