The Barn (2016) Reviews

• An Alright Flick

  CohenForthright2018-02-22

  Just see this movie for yourself and draw your own conclusion. The Barn is a movie that you will either like or not. There's no pretense with this movie. It has a strong marketing strategy that has worked in their favor, and it worked! Personally, I enjoyed the movie. The acting was what you expect from a low budget indie film, but the cinematics and the mastery of nostalgia are what solidify this movie as a strong flick.

• DIY 80s slasher where the cover art is it's best quality

  Brewgnar2017-01-17

  I really wanted to like this movie more... I've been eyeing this for sometime while it was being crowdfunded on indiegogo. Finally got a chance to watch and was very disappointed. Here are my issues. My biggest draw to the film was that it was hyped on being a perfect 80s throwback to the VHS era of slashers. They do an OK job with the music, but I wasn't convinced with the film actually taking place in the 80s. The actors just look like modern kids going to an 80s party and they picked out 80s clothes as best as they could from a thrift store. The film itself has cheesy 80s filters that do not not feel genuine. The practical effects were ehhh. Obviously done on an extremely low budget. Mix of practical and digital that reminds me of movies like Thankskilling. Appreciate the effort though. Acting was pretty flat and I didn't care for any of the characters. Again super low budget. Even has a cameo with Linnea Quigley who's a seasoned scream queen, but you would have guessed this was her first time on screen. The story, to be fair has some cool concepts, but gets drawn out way too long. I honestly think I would have been way more excepting of The Barn if it was just a quick short film or part of an anthology. The only reason I gave this 2 stars was for the movie artwork and merchandise they put out. The art is awesome and alludes to a well polished/stylized film. It is enough to make you want to watch it, but that's about where it ends unfortunately. To wrap... this is more than just low budget, it's DIY. Many of the other reviews seem like they are connected to the film and are obviously biased. If you are OK with DIY then you may be able to look past a lot of it's flaws, but be warned there are many.

• Tonight we're gonna Halloween-party like it's 1989!

  Coventry2016-11-13

  Judging by the recent plenitude of (horror) movies - and even entire TV-series - that are either taking place during OR unmistakably paying tribute to the 1980s, I think it's safe to say that a whole new generation of filmmakers suffer from "homesickness" (by lack of a better term) towards the decade in which it was so much easier and more fun to produce and watch horror movies! There's noticeably an immense longing for the good old times when stereotypical characters and clichéd plot lines weren't world-widely criticized on the Internet before the movie got properly released (what Internet?), when dumb teenage protagonists were still getting into physical trouble rather than belittling each other via social media, and when horror victims were still being massacred by killers & monsters with hideous make- up effects rather than by digitalized computer creations. "The Barn" obviously also belongs in this trend and, although not as popular or hyped as "Stranger Things" or "The Final Girls", it's definitely worth checking out for fans of old-school splatter as well as amateurish yet enthusiast low-budget film making. It's almost Halloween in the year 1989, and the 19-year-old but still very immature buddies Sam and Josh are petrifying the neighborhood children and annoying their teacher (cameo of none other than Linnea Quigley). The next day, on their way to a Halloween concert with a few more friends, they stop at a godforsaken barn where according to an ancient local legend three sinister Halloween monsters lie buried. Against the will of firm legend-believer Sam, the group knocks at the door and thus awakens the Boogeyman miner, Hallowed Jack-o-Lantern and Candycorn Scarecrow. The monsters promptly go on a killing spree in the nearby town Helen's Valley, with as gory highlight the extermination of nearly the entire village during the annual Halloween dance. Writer/director Justin Seaman has a lot of heart for the genre and many bright ideas, and therefore you also gladly forgive the lack of style and the many directorial defaults. There are too many overlong dialogues, redundant sequences and questionable performances, but it doesn't matter all that much because this is a full-blooded Halloween feature and highly recommended for the fans. Too many gore-highlights to choose from, including decapitations, eye- gouging, pickax in the head, etc… There's also a good soundtrack and – like it was the case in the 80s - even a bit of totally gratuitous nudity.

• Top notch Halloween fun!

  salwiththegal2018-12-09

  One of the best new Halloween themed films. It's fun, original and a complete homage to the golden era of horror. Well done!

• Finally an 80's throwback worth the watch!

  steviesteve-298992016-07-12

  So I have to admit that I have been following this film for a long time (years its seems like), but luckily I was able to finally see it on the big screen at it's Texas premiere at the Alamo Drafthouse last week. I won't ruin anything from the film, but I must say from the story line and trailers (which are great BTW) I assumed this film would be a straight parody of 80s horror films. But to my surprise it was not like that at all. If you're looking for straight scares, you won't find it here- as this is much more of a love letter to those retro films. Yes it certainly feels like it could have been released in 1989, but the film doesn't poke fun at the genre at all nor does it feel self aware that it is indeed a "horror film". The cast was surprisingly good for being comprised of relatively unknown actors and the characters they portrayed were very likable. The Special FX were far better than I imagined they would be and the music was killer. This film had every opportunity to go the complete "cheese" route, but it didn't. It walked that fine line of fun/silly but authentic with sometimes a serious tone in the story arc. You could tell the production team must really have a soft spot for 80s B Movies. If you love films centered around Halloween, Monsters, and Rock music... then I highly recommend you track down this flick!