‘The Barn’ Review: Why the Film Is a New Halloween Tradition

Over the past couple of years, my love for indie horror has grown immensely. There’s something magical and respectable about creating an original story without a gigantic amount of money, no fancy effects, and limited resources. More and more indie horror films keep popping up, proving that it’s becoming more popular and that audiences want to see them. Indie creators are often fans of the genre themselves, so they go in thinking, “What is a movie that I would like to see?” and then go from there. Creating an indie horror story that takes place on Halloween night is a favorable start, which is exactly what The Barn (2016) did.

Produced by Nevermore Production Films, The Barn was written and directed by Justin M. Seaman. One of the fascinating things about this film is that Seaman has been a fan of horror ever since he was a little kid and began having the vision for The Barn around 22 years ago. A vision that started when he was only 8 years old has finally come true with a fantastic marketing plan, a brilliant screenplay, classic special effects, unique characters, a haunting soundtrack, and a great cast consisting of horror royalty. The film stars Linnea Quigley, Ari Lehman, Mitchell Musolino, Will Stout, Lexi Dripps, Cortland Woodard, Nikki Howell, Nickolaus Joshua, and more.

The story takes place in 1989 on Halloween night, as two best friends, Sam (Musolino) and Josh (Stout), have decided to have the best Halloween ever and enjoy their last Devil’s Night before graduating high school and moving on with their lives. They decide to go to an epic rock concert with some fellow friends, but along the way, they take a detour and discover an old abandoned barn.

They throw their own little party in the middle of nowhere with drinks and old folktales, one regarding the barn and the evil that supposedly lurks inside. When dared, they decided to find out the truth for themselves by knocking on the door and saying “Trick or Treat,” and soon find out that monsters are, in fact, REAL. Will any of them survive the night?

First, huge props must be given for their marketing scheme. They knew The Barn needed to stand out among the other indie horror films, so they took a page from 80’s horror like A Nightmare on Elm Street and used faux merchandise such as video games, board games, and action figures to attract audiences. What a brilliant idea, plus the cover art for the merchandise and film was colorful and detailed, catching the eye of horror fans.

As previously mentioned, the screenplay was written by Justin M. Seaman and had been a vision of his for a long time. You can tell he is a fan of horror and that this movie was indeed a love note to 80’s horror films and their fans. The characters he created are detailed and unique and represent Halloween in every aspect. I personally loved the jack-o-lantern head monster the best. He was one creepy character! Along with this, Dakota Corwin, Jason English, Robert Kuhn, and Sara Kuhn used the right mix of practical and special effects. The effects and makeup were something right out of an old-school horror film, making you question when this film was actually made.

Another huge bonus was the musical score throughout the film by Jason English and Rocky Gray. Rocky is a two-time Grammy-winning musician and former drummer for Evanescence. Not only did he provide most of the hauntingly eerie music for The Barn, but he is also one of the associate producers. The music unquestionably helps set the tone of the film and spices up the intense moments.

Last but not least, as I mentioned, there was some horror royalty in The Barn, which helped give it that nostalgic feel. Although both parts were small it was still a delight to see them as new characters in our favorite genre. First, we got to see the beautiful horror queen herself, Linnea Quigley. She played Ms. Barnhart, a lady who most definitely didn’t appreciate the tricks and treats of Halloween.

Then there was a fantastic performance by the one and only Ari Lehman, aka the first Jason from Friday the 13th. He plays Dr. Rock, and it was the perfect character for him as he is silly, enthusiastic, a bit eccentric, and all about music and spreading the word of rock!

Overall, The Barn went over and beyond my expectations. It most recently just won the award for Best Feature at Spooky Empire’s Film Festival. This doesn’t surprise me as I haven’t seen a Halloween-themed horror story this exceptional in a long time. You can tell it’s a story that wasn’t just thrown together in one night but, in truth, was carefully constructed over the years. Rich in detail, with wonderful characters and the perfect Autumn atmosphere, it’s definitely going to be a new Halloween tradition for many horror fans – especially in my home, as I plan to watch it every year among my other favorites. So tell me, are you guys ready to see what is hiding in The Barn?