Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Phil's Halloween Horror Watch: THE BARN (2016) from Nevermore Productions Films - October 3, 2017

THE BARN Poster (2016)
THE BARN
Starring Mitchell Musolino, Will Stout, Lexi Dripps, Cortland Woodard, Nikki Darling, Nickolaus Joshua, Ryan Nogy, Linnea Quigley, Ari Lehman
Written by Justin M. Seaman
Cinematography by Zane Hershberger
Edited by Justin M. Seaman
Produced by Justin M. Seaman, Rocky Gray,  Sebastian Page, Christopher Vertosick, Lee Walker, Lee Walker
Directed by Justin M. Seaman
Released by Nevermore Productions Films

Hello again and welcome back to my Halloween Horror Watch marathon. There's been a lot of hype about today's film! It's garnered rave reviews from a plethora of media outlets for it's homage to 80's slasher films with it's authenticity towards visuals, scares, gore and poster artwork. So let's all take a trip down to THE BARN and see what's inside for us, shall we?

The film's official synopsis: It's Halloween 1989, best friends Sam and Josh are trying to enjoy what's left of their final Devil's Night before graduating high school. But trouble arises when the two pals and a group of friends take a detour on their way to a rock concert, finding an old abandoned barn and awakening the evil inside. Now it's up to Sam and Josh to find a way to protect their friends and defeat the creatures that lurk within "The Barn."

The film's visuals and ascetics contribute to the feel of nostalgia for this reviewer. It looks and sounds like it was ripped from 1989! I had to pinch myself while watching the film to remind me that it wasn't the 80's again! When doing a retro-styled horror movie, it must trick the viewer into thinking that it's from that particular place and time and this fright flick accomplishes this in spades!

Writer/director Justin M. Seaman does a tremendous job of recreating that late 80's slasher vibe by having a smart script, interesting characters, sympathetic protagonists, terrifying monsters and awesome gore and bloodshed to make the horror hounds happy. He loves horror films, and his film is the perfect example of how it should be made, look and sound. His compositions are that from classic 80's horror films, appealing to this viewer's love of the genre. He is able to set the tone within the film's first five minutes, which is not an easy feat to accomplish. But Seaman does this without breaking a sweat and gives us one hell of a movie!!

The whole cast is fantastic in their respective roles, especially our two male leads Mitchell Musolino and Will Stout as Sam and Jeff, respectively. Their on-screen chemistry is solid and I had a blast watching these two guys play off with one another. Nikki Darling is just stunning hot as Nikki Howell. Lexi Dripps shines as Michelle, who has this down-to-earth personality that you just want to fall in love with. Also appearing in the film are Scream Queen icon Linnea Quigley as the extremely nagging Ms. Barnhart and Ari Lehman, the screen's very first Jason from the original FRIDAY THE 13th, as the local television horror host Dr. Rock.

I also wanted to do a quick shout out to the entire art department, special effects make-up team, costume and set designers for re-creating that awesome 80's look! Another ingredient that takes me time to that era is the film's poster, designed by the talented Marc Schoenbach of Sadist Art Designs! His work is just outstanding!! Make sure you check out the rest of his artwork at sadistart.blogspot.com!

THE BARN is the most horrifyingly radical, gore-filled, bad ass, retro-slasher film of the year!! There's a reason that the movie has garnered so much acclaim! This is one entertaining horror film that you all should definitely see!! My horror pick for every Halloween season to come!! 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!! 


THE BARN is currently available on DVD and it was just announced that it will be released on Blu-Ray very soon! To order your copy of the film, along with other cool merchandise, visit the film's website at thebarnmerch.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

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