Justin Seaman’s indie horror film has managed to become something of a small cult classic since its release in 2016, and it’s good to see. Despite being rough around the edges, “The Barn” is a very good horror movie that celebrates Halloween and slasher films at every given chance. The movie from Seaman works hard to build a lore within its movie, not solely intending on a stand alone installment, apparently. “The Barn” is through and through a Halloween movie that has a great time reveling in the sense of danger it encourages and embraces.
It’s Halloween 1989 and best friends Sam and Josh (Mitchell Musolino and Will Stout) are trying to enjoy their last “Devil’s Night” before graduating high school. Trouble soon arises when the two pals and a group of friends (Lexi Dripps, Cortland Woodard, Nikki Darling and Nickolaus Joshua) take a detour on their way to a rock concert, finding an old abandoned barn and awakening the evil inside…The Boogeyman, Hallowed Jack and The Candycorn Scarecrow. Now it’s up to Sam and Josh to find a way to protect their friends and defeat the creatures that lurk within The Barn.
“The Barn” has pretty much everything from a weird small town, an exhaustive legend involving a barn, some creepy masked killers, and Linnea Quigley as the film’s “Karen.” I really did enjoy a lot of what Seaman was going for as, while he does unfold an interesting and engaging horror film, he also has an obvious infatuation with the holiday. There are a ton of wide pans to full moons and autumn fields, and trick or treaters walking along horizons. Not to mention Mitchell Musolino’s character Sam is always filled with some bit of interesting Halloween factoid concerning myths about the holiday.
Characters Sam (Mitchell Musolino) and Josh (Will Stout) are entertaining to watch, especially as they blossom from slackers to inadvertent heroes in the face of the Barn unleashing its horrors. I would have loved to see a lot more with what kind of hell Sam and Josh we ultimately faced with, in the end. I was also not a big fan of the performances from some of the cast, many of whom looked like they were reading off of cue cards. “The Barn” works with what it has, and while the obvious limitations are there, director Seaman’s sharp direction more than compensate.
There some fun and gnarly kill scenes, and I had a great time with the whole mythology involving the barn itself. I won’t rush to call it a masterpiece, but “The Barn” packs in enough Halloween love, gore, and fun to make it a worthwhile treat for the holiday.