The Big Picture
There’s nothing like the festive season to bring happiness, cheer, and a lump of terror in your Christmas stocking, which is why Collider is delighted to be collaborating with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to bring our readers an exclusive sneak peek at their upcoming holiday horror, There’s Something in the Barn, which launches today, December 5th. The film was well received by critics and sits at 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, with those praising the film admiring the “playful and snarky” nature of the movie, comparing it to the likes of Gremlins and Home Alone.
In classic horror fashion, the clip introduces us to the new rural home of our soon-to-be-terrorised family, where the idyllic, snow-covered landscape masks the terror that will be unleashed when the lights go out. As Bill (Martin Starr) and Carol (Amrita Acharia) take their family on a tour of their new home and town, sinister goings-on are afoot around them, adding to the sense of inevitable fun and fear audiences can expect to enjoy. The film’s logline promises spooky new holiday traditions:
In this holiday horror comedy, Bill (Martin Starr) moves his American wife Carol (Amrita Acharia) and children Nora (Zoe Winter-Hansen) and Lucas (Townes Bunner) to Norway where he’s inherited a family estate. While Bill dreams of turning the adjourning barn into a bed and breakfast, his family struggles to adapt to Scandinavian life. Lucas discovers a mischievous barn elf from ancient folklore living in the barn with a set of rules the family must follow. When Bill dismisses Lucas’s warnings and fails to follow sacred holiday traditions, the elf plots to get rid of the American intruders at any cost.
What Christmas Horror Films Can I Watch?
The movie is the latest in a long line of horror films set around the festive season, which has been a tradition in Hollywood for some time, with the juxtaposition of merriment and heartwarming family time clashing nicely with sinister goings-on. Canadian cult classic Black Christmas was the trendsetter when it first debuted in 1974, beginning a long line of chill and cheer. More recent entries include the likes of Violent Night, which saw David Harbour’s Santa Claus as an alcoholic vigilante, Krampus, the tale of a young boy who turns his back on Christmas only to be terrorized by the titular yuletide demon, and, of course, the aforementioned Gremlins, the horror classic about the little monsters that should never be fed after midnight unless you want your quaint little town torn to pieces.
There’s Something in the Barn was written by Aleksander Kirkwood Brown. It was executive produced by Carole Baraton, Yohann Comte, and Pierre Mazars. Kjetil Omberg (who produced the Norwegian Nazi zombie horror comedies Dead Snow and Dead Snow 2, the latter of which also starred Starr and Acharia) and Jørgen Storm Rosenberg produced the film, while Aleksi Hyvärinen co-produced.
There’s Something in the Barn is available on digital now.
An American family fulfills their dream of moving back after inheriting a remote cabin in the mountains of Norway.
Release Date November 10, 2023
Director Magnus Martens
Cast Amrita Acharia, Townes Bunner, Martin Starr, Kiran Shah
Rating R
Runtime 100 minutes
Main Genre Comedy
Genres Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Writers Aleksander Kirkwood Brown, Josh Epstein, Kyle Rideout
Watch Now on Vudu
