You wouldn’t want this elf on your shelf!
There’s Something in the Barn delves into the peculiarities of Norwegian folklore, blending dark comedy, holiday cheer, and a touch of horror to craft a uniquely mischievous seasonal tale. Directed by Magnus Martens, the film draws on the mythology of the Nisse—a small, temperamental creature from Scandinavian stories—to deliver a genre mash-up that charms as much as it unnerves. With echoes of Gremlins, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and the folkloric chills of Rare Exports, the film carves out its own niche as a holiday horror-comedy.
The narrative follows the Nordheim family: Bill (Martin Starr), his wife Carol (Amrita Acharia), and their children, Nora (Zoe Winther-Hansen) and Lucas (Townes Bunner). They relocate from the United States to a remote farmhouse in Gudbrandsdalen, Norway, inherited from Bill’s late uncle. Eager to reconnect with their ancestral roots, the family soon discovers that their new home harbours a Nisse in the barn. Their failure to adhere to local customs regarding this creature leads to escalating mischief and mayhem, forcing the family to confront the clash between modern life and ancient traditions.
Martin Starr brings his signature dry wit to the role of Bill, a man caught up in his dream of a new start for his family and the surreal reality unfolding around him. Amrita Acharia’s portrayal of Carol, a woman displaced and suffering second wife/ step-mom syndrome, offers a pointed counterbalance to Bill’s dreaming. However, it’s the children who drive much of the story’s momentum. Zoe Winther-Hansen’s Nora gives authentic teenage energy to her role, full of roiling resentment and need for acceptance, while Townes Bunner’s Lucas adds a layer of youthful innocence and determination to befriend their resident Nisse.
Director Magnus Martens gamely attempts to balance the humour and horror, clearly aiming for the tone of Gremlins but landing somewhere between Rare Exports and one of the Critters sequels. There’s Something In The Barn struggles to structure its story beats in the best order and build its tension and surprises effectively. Key moments of story progression and escalating peril are clumsily intermingled with goofy slapstick comedic sequences, undercutting the momentum and leaving the sequence of events feeling disjointed.
There’s a reliance on falling back on cultural misunderstandings for humour when the story’s more fantastical elements falter but it grows repetitive over time and can’t avoid the law of diminishing returns. Much of the comedy hinges on the Nordheim family’s obliviousness and failure to respect local traditions, which eventually becomes grating rather than endearing. This repetitive reliance on their “fish out of water” dynamic diminishes the impact of what could have been sharper and more varied humour.
The film’s characters are generally well-realized, but some fall into the trap of being quirky for quirky’s sake. The local policewoman, in particular, feels like a contrivance—her exaggerated eccentricities seem designed more to facilitate the plot than to enrich the story organically. While her presence allows the threat to build more easily, it undermines the overall tone, feeling at odds with the film’s otherwise slightly grounded approach to its blend of horror and comedy.
The Nordheims’ resident Nisse, portrayed by Kiran Shah, is both unsettling and darkly comedic, with his antics escalating from benign pranks to far more savage antics, and although his character has perhaps the film’s best arc, it feels a little bit rushed and underdeveloped in its execution, especially in his evolving relationship with his fellow Nisse. The film’s wintry Norwegian setting enhances the atmosphere, with snow-covered landscapes and rustic interiors that evoke both Christmas coziness and seasonal isolation. The production design thoughtfully incorporates traditional Nordic elements, grounding the supernatural occurrences in a rich cultural context.
Despite structural missteps, There’s Something in the Barn offers an entertaining and offbeat lightweight holiday experience. It embraces its folklore-inspired premise, delivering a blend of laughs and scares that at times feels both fresh and inventive, even if it feels like it pulls its punches a little too often. For viewers fresh off Violent Night seeking another Christmas movie with a darkly comedic edge—and a touch of Nordic mischief—this elf and safety nightmare is perfect for getting all hygge with a mug of cocoa in front of the telly. Just remember to leave a bowl of porridge out for any Nisse in your neighbourhood.
