There’s Something in the Barn is out in selected cinema and digital on demand any and we are so excited for you to get to witness this totally bonkers and fun Christmas movie with a horror twist!
Nordic Watchlist first saw the film at Fantastic Fest a couple of months ago and are excited to share that the film is coming to UK, USA, and Canadian audiences in the upcoming weeks. Alex spoke to the director, Magnus Martens, about the film.
The director has an incredible portfolio when you check out some of his previous work. His decision to work in TV allowed him to experience a wealth of different genres and worlds including the likes of Banshee and Fear the Walking Dead.
Speaking from his home on the outskirts of Oslo, Magnus gets me up to speed on the premiere of the film in Norway which has seen it shown all over the country with a fantastic pre-opening weekend. Some places went the whole hog by organising screenings out in the snow, and there was even a barn party screening too (well played the PR team behind that one).
Magnus Martens: It is probably important to do something a little bit different. With cinemas struggling to get audiences it is fun to do something a little special and different – I totally applaud that.
His film is certainly one to enjoy with as many people as you can so a cinema screening is definitely the way to go to fully appreciate the Christmas madness that unfolds. So what is it all about?
Well, I am not the only one who saw quite a similarity between the Griswald family from National Lampoons and Gremlins. It is also an added bit of excitement to share that Joe Dante, director of Gremlins, shared a positive review about the film which must have made Magnus’ day!
The story is this: an American family re-locate to Norway, arriving just in time for Christmas. Things seem almost perfect, at least for the ever-postive father (played brilliantly by Martin Starr), but things begin to take a turn for the worst when the family manage to piss off a cute little barn elf. Only he’s really not that cute. Christmas chaos ensues which is both comical and bloody!
I wonder, what are some of Magnus’ go-to Christmas films which might have inspired him?
Magnus Martens: You kind of have to see Christmas movies in order to get in the mood, it is just tradition isn’t it? My movie isn’t exactly a Hallmark Christmas movie though, my girlfriend has been watching those and I can only watch a couple of minutes.
For some, like me, Hallmark Christmas movies are probably where the real horror lies at this festive time of year.
Magnus Martens: I am a Home Alone kind of guy but also I’ve been watching Bad Santa too.
For me I am a big fan of Black Christmas (full of all the joys of Christmas that one) but a slightly lighter favourite is National Lampoons Christmas Vacation -which is perhaps why I enjoyed There’s Somethig in the Barn so much. It feels silly to ask whether there was direct inspiration from this film or not?
Magnus Martens: Oh, absolutely, I mean from the get-go. We really wanted to do something that felt like the eighties and the kind of Christmas movies that we grew up watching.
Originally the story was going to be an all-out horror story but a decision from Magnus and the team saw them mix the genre up a little bit to make it a bit more accessible for anyone.
Magnus Martens: We felt like maybe it would be much better to do something that’s a lot of fun. The barn elves kind of resemble Gremlins in the way they are small and annoying creatures. So we kind of merged the ideas of that film and the Griswalds.
Gremlins had this Chinese folklore mixed into it and we have done the same with the whole barn elf mythology.
Norwegian mythology is certainly big on various stories that have had massive influences on all sorts of films worldwide. But the barn elves were something that as kids people were afraid of.
Magnus Martens: We learn really early on that the barn elf is quite a grumpy character. Not only that, if he doesn´t get what he wants, he can be dangerous. So kids in Norway have huge respect for the elf, and we wanted to incorporate that into our movie and also make it fun at the same time.
Despite the film having some dark undertones in it, the film certainly is a lot of fun!
Magnus Martens: There used to be so many movies like this back in the 80s and 90s but we just don’t seem to get them. I think there is real hunger for it – when you were a kid you always sought out films aimed at a higher age than you are. You always wanna watch something that’s a little tougher, a little darker, and a little scarier.
So much has changed in this day and age – the era of video nasties, pirate videos, and the sheer amount of what you can watch (and get traumatised by) is immeasurable now. In the 80s you’d wait for the moment some guy covered in acid gets run over by Robocop or watch Predator wreak a load of muscleheads – there was a handful of ‘key scenes’ you would seek out as a kid to see but it wasn’t easy back then. I wonder what Magnus’ own kid thought about the film?
Magnus Martens: He thought it was super funny, but is not necessarily scary for him because the stuff that kids are watching online these days is probably way scarier.
We turn our attention to the cast in this movie which is certainly an eclectic one. Without having the budgets for big US stars, Magnus turned his attention to some really interesting stars to get the right fit for the family – most notably Martin Starr (who some might recognise from shows such as Party Down or Silicon Valley).
Magnus Martens: We were so excited to get Martin onboard for this, he was great in Silicon Valley and something we had not thought of was his appeal from all the Spiderman fans as he plays Mr Harrington, Peter Parker’s teacher.
Martin also had a Norwegian connection as he appeared in a Norwegian film earlier in his career – the sequel to cult classic Dead Snow, Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead.
Magnus Martens: He (Martin) felt a strong connection with Norway due to having a cousin who lives in Oslo.
Joining Martin is Amrita Acharia who some might recognise from Games of Thrones but will find a very different character here. Known for her comedic talent and also having a connection herself with Norway, she grew up in Tromso. Their two kids in the movie are played by Zoe Winther-Hansen (Catch & Release) and Townes Bunner (a debut performance from him)!
Those of you who are familiar with your Norwegian stars will be delighted to see the likes of Henriette Steenrup appearing as the local police officer.
So if you are looking to get in the festive mood a little differently then There’s Something in the Barn is the perfect detour from those Hallmark movies. Get the family together, like you did (or certainly I remember mine doing) when you first watched Gremlins, grab some popcorn, mulled wine and strap yourself in for a fun Christmassy ride – what could possibly go wrong?
There’s Something in the Barn is out in selected cinemas and digital on demand from the 1st December!
