There's Something in the Barn (2023)

January 5, 2024 2:12 AM

Clark Griswold Bill Nordheim takes his wife Ellen Carol and their children Russ Lucas and Audrey Nora to Norway to fulfill his dream of moving back to the home country after inheriting a remote cabin in the mountains. Christmas becomes complicated when it turns out the home comes with an angry, demanding barn elf.

Starring Martin Starr (Freaks and Geeks) as Bill (naturally).

Directed by Magnus Martens.

Rated 78% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently available for digital rental in the United States.

posted by DirtyOldTown (3 comments total)

My review is kind of in the description. This feels like someone cast the guy who played Bill on Freaks and Geeks as the new Clark Griswold and then had him move his family to Norway, only for the to activate a horror (well, horror comedy) scenario with an angry barn elf. It isn't bad.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:13 AM on January 5

So nice to see you back, DoT!

I really, really wanted to like this, but at every turn I just felt a bit flat about it all. Bill is a shade too pathetic to give us a Clark Griswold level of self-delusion that pulls us through the comedy beats; the barn elf(ves) just aren't that scary and the tone is kind of wildly all over the place in terms of horror vs. comedy.
posted by Shepherd at 4:03 PM on January 5 [1 favorite]

The family really needed to be that one extra level of awful, didn't they?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:27 AM on January 8