There’s Something in the Barn (FANTASTIC): Norwegian Fun and Fright
Title: There’s Something in the Barn
First Non-Festival Release: November 10, 2023 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Magnus Martens
Writer: Aleksander Kirkwood Brown
Runtime: 96 Minutes
Starring: Martin Starr, Amrita Acharia, Townes Bunner
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2023.
Do you ever get the urge to re-connect with your culture? The need can be especially hard to ignore when your ancestors live so far away from you.
This rings true for the Nordheims, an American family relocating to Norway after inheriting a remote cabin. Bill (Martin Starr) along with his wife Carol (Amrita Acharia) and children Lucas (Townes Bunner) and Nora (Zoe Winther-Hansen) pick up everything from their California life and re-settle in the frosty countryside town. All is well until Lucas discovers something in the barn: a shy yet helpful barn elf (Kiran Shah). His honest attempts to make the elf happy are soiled when his family repeatedly ignore the rules necessary to achieve peace with elf-kind, leading to an all-out war.
Gateway horror comedy There’s Something in the Barn delights with Norwegian folklore hi-jinx.
There’s always something to find funny about Americans moving abroad. There’s Something in the Barn tells its tale of holiday fear through a fish-out-of-water scenario with a family severely ill-prepared for their new chilly life up north. After a brief introduction to the folklore involving the barn elves, the entire family minus Lucas, manage to find every possible way to anger their fantastic neighbors. Their fundamental misunderstandings of what it means to immerse themselves in a new culture becomes their source of misery. While they are primarily clueless, there is never a sense of malice coming from them, which makes them more pitiful than irritating.
Much of the comedy comes through various misunderstandings of culture and customs, which leads to mostly comical moments. American attitudes towards friendship, police, work, and more are put side-by-side towards the much more relaxed version of life in Norway. Bill and Carol’s repeated confusion on how to run a business or make adult friends offer an easy punching bag for the film. Their earnest appeals do, however, engender plenty of goodwill from the Norwegians and audience members alike.
While not fully explored, the family dynamic of the Americans is sweet enough to get you to root for them. There is something particularly heartwarming about the family’s ability to put aside their own frustrations with each other to find a way out of their situation. Nearly everyone gets a moment to express tenderness or regret amongst the chaos of the invaders, without getting too dewy or overstaying its welcome in the fast-paced third act.
Its unexpectedly slow start leads viewers to a surprisingly action-packed second half once the elven carnage unfolds. Its seemingly innocuous approach may lead audiences to believe that this Christmas caper will end similarly to Gremlins, but There’s Something in the Barn has some excellent gory set pieces up its sleeve. These elves are seriously vicious. Despite their stature, they can deal out serious damage to anyone that threatens their existence. Their methods are more mischievous, opting for creative solutions to their human infestation problem and making for some memorable kill scenes.
Perhaps the film’s only weak spot is its uneven pacing. Its slow start and establishment of the rules of the elf folklore causes the film to trip in its setup. Some of the film’s gags deflate the energy and sometimes the action is drawn out to awkward intervals, crushing the suspense as well. It’s a fine battle but it only rears its head leading up to the finale.
A lovable horror comedy, with plenty of laughs and a few frights thrown in, make There’s Something in the Barn a perfect festive watch for all. It may not be the smoothest watch, but the Nordic charm seeps through easily infecting even the biggest Grinch with a sense of holiday cheer. If you are looking for a gory version of Gremlins with a bit more emphasis on mythology, look no further than There’s Something in the Barn to satisfy your winter watching needs.
Overall Score? 7/10
