The Barn Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: One Halloween, a group of teens discover that a local urban legend is real.

Review: Another year and I continue my effort to review all the movies that use Halloween as a plot device. In this instance, "The Barn" delivers low-budget done right! Now, I'm not saying this movie is going to rival "Halloween" or anything--let's not get ahead of ourselves--but the filmmakers understood how to utilize that tight budget in the most meaningful and creative ways. However, what truly impressed me was how Halloween as a holiday was implemented. The combination of an urban legend that was intertwined with Halloween traditions was fantastic. Furthermore, the attempt at an '80s throwback was appreciated even if not quite realized.

So what's working? The main character, Sam, is semi-obsessed with Halloween and respects the traditions that have been altered over the centuries in regard to the harvest. For example, scary costumes are intended to trick evil spirits into believing you are one of them; or that treats are meant to keep the spirits at bay lest they play a mischievous trick upon you. The story doesn't fully use all of these ideas, but it was certainly a breath of fresh air that I wasn't expecting. Beyond this, "The Barn" gives us the goods: carnage candy! I was surprised by the body count this film racked up. There are cliched characters abound, yet, the filmmakers still felt obligated to massacre half the town for good measure. I approve. The '80s aspects are fun especially since I remember having a lot of those shitty paper decorations that you'd, pretty much, have to tape to doors or windows. Structurally, I also think the outright shenanigans of the story is '80s-esque in the best of ways; I mean, they even have a gearing up to fight montage.

Okay, I'm making this sound pretty good--and it is good for what it is--but you need to remember this is low-budget as hell. The effects are noticeably cheap, the acting is shoddy, and the camerawork is annoying since it must zoom in closely to hide small sets or whatever. While I can overlook much, I don't think the casual viewer will be as forgiving. I also cannot ignore the general cornball nature to much of the story. For example, we are shown that something similar happened in this town 30 years prior yet the demons did not kill everyone then? How come the main characters are able to hold their own against the monsters while everyone else is ripped to shreds? If it's because they're in costume, and hold sway over the monsters, that's not addressed whatsoever. There are plenty of other plot details like this, but I will allow the viewer to see for themselves.

Despite the flaws, "The Barn" is pretty damn good for an indie movie. In fact, I'd place it fairly high on the list of alternatives to "Halloween." Again, this isn't some incredible hidden gem, but it's probably significantly better than you'd imagine especially if you want to see a movie show some love for the Halloween holiday itself. There is room for a sequel so maybe some day we will get another installment with hopefully a bigger budget to give a glimpse of what happens when the devil doesn't get his treats on Halloween!

Notable Moment: When, like, 20+ people get torn to pieces at the "harvest hootenanny."

Final Rating: 6/10