The Barn (film)

All Sam and Josh want to do is have fun on Halloween and raise some mischief before they graduate from high school next year. They decide to go to a concert, only for a detour to result in them discovering a deserted barn. However unbeknownst to them, the barn that they've come across has a deadly curse attached to it and soon the teens find themselves at the mercy of three monsters: The Boogeyman, Hollow Jack, and the Candy Corn Scarecrow.

Seaman began planning for The Barn over a period of years and based the movie's script on a small book he wrote when he was eight years old.[1] To achieve an atmosphere reminiscent of horror films from the 1980s, the crew attempted to replicate camera and lighting techniques from that decade.[2] They also tried to minimize the number of scenes shot with a handheld camera.[1] The soundtrack for The Barn was composed by Rocky Gray and the crew signed a deal with Lunaris Records to release the soundtrack to vinyl and cassette.[2]

In August 2015, a campaign was created on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter, in order to help fund post-production and merchandising costs.[2] The funding helped enable Seaman to re-add scenes that had previously been cut from the film due to budget issues.[3]

The Barn premiered on March 12, 2016 at the Fright Night Theatre Film Festival in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.[4] It was then screened at various other festivals, including the Crimson Screen Horror Film Fest in North Charleston, South Carolina on May 15, 2016, and at the Idaho Horror Film Festival in Boise, Idaho on October 15, 2016.[5]

Daniel Kurland of Bloody Disgusting gave the film a mostly positive review, calling it "a love letter to monster movies and the campy decade where they reigned supreme, that's as fun as it is bloody".[6] Matt Boiselle of Dread Central gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, recommending the film "to everyone looking for a fun, retro trip back to the days of grainy, low-budgeted horror yanked directly off the racks of your local video rental shop – this one will sit firmly entrenched in my top 5 of the best horror films for 2016".[7] Kieran Fisher of Scream magazine wrote that the film "has everything a great hack n' slash should have – a back story, wonderful villains, great kills, effective scares and a ghoulish sense of humour".[8]

Albert Nowicki included the film on his list of "best Halloween movies of all time" for Prime Movies.[9]

A video game adaptation of the film was released to mobile devices on May 3, 2016. The game has an 8-bit animation style and follows the film's protagonists as they try to survive Halloween night.[13] Seaman created a commercial for the game, which was stylized to resemble a video game advertisement from the 1990s.[14]

• The Barn at IMDb
• The Barn: The Video Game at IMDb

• Trick 'r Treat (2007) - An anthology film that captures various creepy stories happening on Halloween night.
• Night of the Demons (1988) - Another movie where a Halloween party turns into a nightmare.
• All Hallows' Eve (2013) - This anthology film involves a VHS tape that brings horror to life.
• V/H/S - This is a series of anthology horror films with different sub-genres explored in each segment.
• Tales of Halloween (2015) - This anthology includes ten stories set in an American suburb where ghouls, imps, and aliens stalk the locals on Halloween.
• Halloween (1978) - The classic slasher film that also takes place on Halloween night.
• The Cabin in the Woods (2012) - A different take on the "group of friends in peril" horror trope, with a meta-narrative that dissects horror clichés.
• Evil Dead - A series known for its gruesome horror and sometimes campy humor.
• The House of the Devil (2009) - A throwback to '80s horror, complete with satanic panic.
• Terrifier (2016) - This slasher film features a homicidal clown and is not for the faint-hearted.