Netflix Horror Comedy Is An Enthralling Yuletide Slaughter
Every once in a while, an excessively violent Christmas-themed horror-comedy comes around that reminds you what family is all about. There’s Something in the Barn is one such movie that makes you want to bust out the eggnog, get cozy around the fire, sing Christmas carols, and make sure you’re armed to the teeth just in case your house becomes infested with murderous elves because you inadvertently violated an unspoken peace treaty, making them incredibly angry.
Beneath its violent veneer, There’s Something in the Barn is almost heartwarming because a family that’s hanging on by a thread has to put their differences aside if they want to make it through the winter holidays.
Dad’s Trying His Best
The troubled family dynamic in There’s Something in the Barn isn’t anything new, but rather follows a tried-and-true formula to get the exposition out of the way. Widowed father Bill Nordheim (Martin Starr) decides it’s best if everybody gets a fresh start by moving to the family farm located in Gudbrandsdalen, Norway, leaving their life in the United States behind in favor of living in “the happiest place on Earth.” Joining Bill is his new wife, Carol (Amrita Acharia), his son, Lucas (Townes Bunner), and his daughter, Nora (Zoe Winther-Hansen).
Nora, playing the role of the devastated teenager who misses her “real” mother and friends back home, takes to recreational drinking to pass the time, while Lucas befriends an elf that’s hiding beneath the floorboards of the family barn. Carol, a motivational speaker, tries to keep everybody in good spirits, but several unexplained acts of vandalism occur on the property, putting everybody in a terrible mood.
Establishing The Elf Rules
Meanwhile, There’s Something in the Barn establishes the elf rules, which we learn when Lucas talks to a local about what he thinks he saw lurking around in the barn that Bill hopes to convert to a bed-and-breakfast.
Lucas tells everybody that elves don’t like loud noises, bright lights, or their home being changed, and that they get hostile when they experience any combination of those things. Writing off Lucas’ claims as a figment of his overactive imagination, Bill throws a housewarming holiday party in the barn with DJ music, flashing Christmas lights, and a healthy amount of drinking and merriment on the part of the townsfolk he’s trying to befriend.
That Escalated Quickly …
Lucas’ efforts to maintain peace with the elf come to a head in There’s Something in the Barn when the barn gets trashed, and the local sheriff assumes that the party just got out of hand. Everything changes when the rest of the elves living under the barn decide to murder the Nordheim family for disturbing their peace. When it becomes obvious that Lucas is telling the truth, the family realizes what they’re up against, and they take matters into their own hands after the elves reveal their propensity for violence.
Top-Notch Holiday Violence For The Whole Family
There’s Something in the Barn has all the elements of a family Christmas drama, but presents itself as an over-the-top horror-comedy. Much of the humor in this film comes from a culture clash, as the Nordheim family’s American way of life often baffles the citizens of Gudbrandsdalen.
On more than one occasion, Bill expresses his concern over the fact that nobody has firearms, which is met with incredulous laughter because why would anybody need guns in such a peaceful winter wonderland?
As it turns out, easy access to any form of firepower would have made things a lot easier for the Nordheim family, who spend most of the second and third acts of There’s Something in the Barn left to their own devices as elves swarm the place, ready to take no prisoners. Knowing that they need to fight their way out of their new home with whatever found weapons they can get their hands on, an all-out war breaks out, and things get rather dicey.
Stream There’s Something In The Barn On Netflix
GFR SCORE
I didn’t know what to expect when I decided that late summer was the best time to fire up There’s Something in the Barn, a Christmas movie, but I was pleasantly surprised by its production values. I’m not a huge fan of massive amounts of gore, but the violence is so expertly paced and ridiculous (making explosive devices out of Christmas ornaments filled with moonshine, for example) that this movie felt like an updated version of Home Alone more than anything else; people are getting seriously injured, but it’s funny.
At its heart, There’s Something in the Barn is about a family coming together and realizing that they should put their differences aside and make the best of their situation. This movie isn’t high-art, but it’s gloriously unhinged and over-the-top, and I’ll be watching it every year for the foreseeable future between Halloween and Christmas. If you’re looking for a healthy dose of Yuletide horror, you can stream There’s Something in the Barn on Netflix.
