The Barn (2016) *Quickie*

'The Barn' is a wonderful throwback to the 80's, with lots of simple but fun special effects, lots of gore & nudity, and the right kind of tongue in cheek attitude. The film is like many of the era: A group of teens unleash an ancient evil from an abandoned barn and must now try to survive Halloween night. Let's be honest, the story isn't meant to be anything original and in the wrong kind of hands being a bad movie on purpose can lead to disaster. But 'The Barn' plays with its cheesiness well, even if the jokes or inside references aren't always the most clever. I love the creativity and research thrown in here too. Horror back then was more about how unique the killer was and the over the top gory kills he provided and 'The Barn' goes this route as well. The overall film has a deliberate cheap look to it, while in contrast the three killers all have elaborate makeup and backgrounds. The gore scenes are also fun and excessive without that serious bite of modern day horror. In fact, I'd say that a lot of the kills feel like something out of a Troma movie and I love it.

As for its visual style 'The Barn' succeeds where others tend to falter. While I loved the movie 'Grindhouse', I felt it was trying a little too hard with the scratched up film and missing reel gags while 'The Barn' pulls off the aged look with subtle little bits here and there. Even the DVD box is decorated to look like those old big box VHS tapes from the video store. I feel that for many new to horror, this film won't do much for you. Even I will admit that if it weren't for my love of movies I likely wouldn't understand what the director is trying to do here, and just brush it off as a crappy B-Movie. If you see 'The Barn' with the modern eye, you'll hate it but for those who grew up during the best decade of horror this is candy for you. 'The Barn' doesn't try to be anything different nor does it try to stand out among the crowd. It's a fun throwback for you and some friends to enjoy with some beer and junk food. It's one of the best Halloween films to watch this season.

5/5