Director – Justin Seaman (The Heroes of Post 639, The Miracle of Danny)
Starring – Mitchell Musolino (The Men Who Built America, Delectus of Pain), Will Stout (Redliners, Furst Born), and Lexi Dripps (Supah Ninjas)
Release Date – 2016
Rating – 4/5
I’ve held out for too long. Every October I over do it with Halloween themed films and burn myself out by the midpoint in the month. This year I decided to hold off Halloween flicks until closer to Halloween. As my birthday approached, October 17th, I decided to treat myself with a film I’ve wanted to watch for so long.
The film was The Barn by director Justin Seaman who I had the pleasure of meeting at this years Mothman Festival in my lovely state of West Virginia. I had heard nothing but great things about this film and knew that it was one I had to work into my normal Halloween viewing. I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed it.
**Spoiler Alert**The film begins in 1959 when a little girl disregards the warnings from the local preacher on Halloween and visits a secluded barn where she is butchered. Fast forward to 1989 and a group of teenagers are traveling to a concert and stop in the little town that harbors a dark secret. What they quickly uncover will have them fighting for their lives or becoming “flesh” for Satan. **Spoiler Alert**
I heard amazing things about The Barn. Most were coming from other writers and journalists for other horror sites but we tend to have the same tastes in film. With that being said, I tend to like movies that a lot of people dislike. This may be where I grew up watching Troma and have a taste for bad cinema but I like what I like and I refuse to lie about it in a review. Luckily, The Barn was a fantastic film that made me kick myself for waiting so damn long to check out.
The acting in this one is decent but there was plenty of room for the cast to grow. The cast really got into their roles and the characters are fun to watch but some of the scenes lacked the intensity one would expect from someone after watching their friends get butchered. With that set to the side, the cast did a fantastic job and really made the film a fun watch.
The story for this one is a pure Halloween treat in a campy way. I grew up watching films like The Monster Squad, Halloween III, and any slasher I could get my hands on. I loved these campy films with stories that kinda don’t make sense but still work as a film. The Barn is one of those films. The backstories on the three slashers are very absurd but I loved it. They are very elaborate and each one has his own place in the story which I really enjoyed.
I could see this story pairing very well with Chris Seaver’s Death O’Lantern. The film had perfect pacing and the scenes were all enjoyable. It’s easy for an indie feature to toss in unnecessary scenes to pus the running time along. The Barn did not and every scene fit together perfectly.
Finally, the film is full of classic slasher kills using the traditional effects that many of us grew up watching. The kills are bloody and the effects and camera tricks are spot on. It is almost as if the film was written around the kills scenes. Overall The Barn is a fucking must. You can’t call yourself a horror fan if you don’t own a copy. Check this one our while there is still time before Halloween!
