Every now and again, there comes along a film that has created quite a buzz for itself. Whether through word of mouth, social media, stellar marketing or all the above. Films that have generated this kind of attention before the movie’s release, are instantly put upon a pedestal. I have been given the opportunity to screen this particular type of film, buzzworthy as they say. The flick has already made some of the indie film festival circuit rounds and has come away with a handful of awards. So, let’s get everything in order. Turn down the lights, crack open an ice cold brew and let’s see if this film deserves to be taken down off the aforementioned pedestal. I’m talking about Justin M. Seaman’s The Barn (2016).
The Barn was successfully crowd funded on 08/17/2015 through Indiegogo. With a meager $15,000.00 goal in mind, they blew through that echelon by raising $23,894.00 with the help with some really badass perks, such as a big box VHS copy of the film. Holy cow!! The movie was filmed over the course of two years, all the while Seaman was fine tuning his little monster of a film to unleash upon the horror masses. Now is that time!
Spoiler Free Synopsis
Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet….. AND DIE!
The Barn follows six teens almost out of high school, wanting to enjoy one last Halloween before they graduate. The kids venture out to find a party and do some harmless trick or treating. They come to the town of Wheary Falls, where nothing seems normal. The co-eds then find themselves outside of a barn on the outskirts of town, a barn that is steeped in local legend. But once the kids step inside, can they defeat what lies beyond and can they make it out alive?
Starring a young cast of Mitchell Musolino, Will Stout, and Lexi Dripps. These youngsters in particular did a fantastic job. You really felt the close friendship between Musolino and Stout. The cast was rounded out nicely with cameos by genre familiars Linnea Quigley (Return Of The Living Dead, Night Of The Demons) and Ari Lehman (Friday The 13th, Rock Paper Dead). The special make-up effects by Robert Kuhn were especially chilling. The gore effects were top notch. The film’s music and score were performed by Rocky Gray. Gray, a former drummer for the band Evanescence really hit the nail on the head with his score. Hard rock, with broody synthwave notes, really drove home the theme of the film.
This movie really floored me. I saw the trailer months ago. It was wonderfully ‘80s. I was already impressed just from the trailer to say the least. But I did not know what the final product would be. Boy was it worth it. You almost get the vibe this film is a parody of sorts from the trailer alone. But, diving into the feature it is no parody, it is so much more than that. This film is played pretty straight for the most part and is chalked full of gory goodness. I love that this flick delves into classic Halloween lore and reinforces that childhood fantasy, allure and meaning of the season. Until you look into the shadows and realize that the shadows may come after you!!
You can pre-order your DVD copy of the film along with a lot of other badass fucking stuff like a big box VHS copy, the soundtrack on CD of vinyl and even an NES game based on the film. WHAT!?!?!?! I am sold. How about you?
Set to release December 15th 2016, you can pre-order you copy here : thebarnmerch.com
IMDB: 7.8/10
ZombiSurvivor: 8.0/10
Needless to say, this film deserves the pedestal it was given and more!!!!
Thanks for reading boils and ghouls!
STAY SCARED!
-ZS
