Retro Horror Review: ‘The Barn’ is a Love Letter to Halloween Lore and 80’s Slashers

The Barn is now streaming for free on TubiTv. Reader Beware Spoilers Ahead!!

During the season of Halloween, scary stories and legends are passed down from generation to generation. These tales have become a collection of do’s and don’ts for surviving the night when the veil between the spirit realm and ours is thin. Writer/ director Justin M. Seaman created a love letter to our favorite holiday with his 2016 horror-slasher film The Barn. 

Opening on All Hallows Eve in 1959, a couple of kids venture away from the small town of Wheary Falls festivities to a nearby barn that was said to be off-limits. With a jack o lantern outside its doors (which means there is candy), the little girl decides to knock and say “Trick or Treat” three times. Bad idea. After a quick pickaxe to the head, cut to 1989 and away we go. 

Sammy (Mitchell Musolino) and Josh (Will Stout) are seven months away from graduation and all they want to do is have some fun, get some candy, and cause a little mischief on Halloween night. Taking the rules of the season a little too far, the two of them scare the new town preacher Ms. Barnhart (Linnea Quigley: Return of the Living Dead), and get themselves into some trouble. They will now be collecting canned goods for the church when they should be trick or treating on Halloween night. 

While visiting friends Russ (Nickolaus Joshua) and Michelle (Lexi Dripps), Sam’s secret crush, at the local roller rink, the two catch their favorite program the “Rock Block” with Dr. Rock (Ari Lehman: Friday the 13th). During a surprise reveal, they realize their favorite band ‘Demon Inferno’ will be playing a special hometown show. Just one thing, how will they get there? 

Recruiting rocker girl Nikki (Nikki Howell) and her boyfriend, party boy Chris (Cortland Woodard) at the local drive-in, the gang is now complete, and they have their transportation. The last Hoorah is planned and ready to commence. But a detour through a mysterious town makes a night to remember, into a night the group will never forget. No matter how much they might want to.   

Making a pit stop in front of a familiar rustic barn, they start a fire and have a few beers. When pressed, Sam tells the story that got him so obsessed with the Holiday in the first place. Caught up in the mood of their surroundings, the gang makes the costly mistake of knocking on the door three times and saying those famous words, “Trick or Treat”. They awaken the long-dormant legends with deadly intentions and unleash the three terrors unto the unsuspecting town and themselves.  

[Related] ‘The Deeper You Dig’ Family of Filmmakers Flip the Ghost Story on its Severed Head

There are many modern movies set in the ’80s that almost become a parody at times. However, The Barn is a true homage to the era and feels authentic to the films that it pays tribute to. Based on a story that the director wrote in the third grade, which quickly prompted a parent-teacher conference, this was a passion project that he had to make. Luckily, he eventually surrounded himself with people who shared his vision and believed in what he was trying to create. 

One of my favorite things about horror movies such as Trick R Treat, or Scream, is when there are rules that one must follow to survive. What The Barn does so brilliantly is set up rules that Sam has created over the years from passed down traditions and books he read. due to fear of the boogeyman that has haunted him since his youth. Then placing them into the story and playing off each one at the right time in the narrative, just shows the clever nature of the script.  

There’s a nursery rhythm that Freddy Kruger would be proud of which further develops the lore: “The Boogeyman wants to crack your back, cut you into pieces to carry in his sack. The pumpkin man Hallowed Jack wants to carve out your head, slash you with his vines until you’re dead. And if you get scared, don’t you cry, or the Candycorn Scarecrow will surely eat your eyes.” 

The cast does a fantastic job portraying typically 80’s horror kids. Their decisions are not typical of traditional fodder for the killer (for the most part) and the personal growth of the survivors is unique to the genre. Each actor plays it straight and delivers an authentic performance.  Musolino and Stout, who play the co-leads, feel like old friends and their silly character troupes are handled with an empathy one can only acquire from growing up alongside someone and accepting their quirks.  

The score was composed by Rocky Gray, formally of Evanescence fame. His heavy metal soundtrack captures the raw sounds that played over the carnage of the era. Fans of gratuitous violence that filled the screens of the classics will not be disappointed. Through decapitations, eye gouging, gut spilling and more the practical effects are quite impressive despite the limitations the budget put on production.

The Barn was plagued with production issues and a poor special effects department who were out of their league. When a decision was made to reshoot nearly 50% of the film after the initial edit, the cast and new crew rallied behind the passionate filmmaker and wound up making a classic that will be a Halloween staple for years to come. I came to this one late, but I’m glad I found it. I will be keeping it in the holiday rotation from now on.  4/5

★★★★

The Barn is now streaming for free on TubiTV, you can check out the trailer below. Be sure to follow ScaryNerd for more of al things horror, sci-fi and more.

About Post Author