RECENT WATCHES: Something's in the Barn (2023)

Here in America, most of our Christmas traditions have their basis in popular culture. Our vision of the holiday has been shamed more by Clement Clarke Moore, Charles Dickens, and Coca-Cola than spiritual beliefs with deep, cultural roots. While I'm sure this is equally true across the sea, it has been refreshing to discover that Christmas is a little weirder in various enclaves and regions of Europe. Krampus tends to steal the show but a deep dive reveals other odd-ball or macabre creatures associated with the most wholesome of holidays. This has dovetailed with an international revival of interest in folk-horror. While I patiently wait for horror movies about the Mari Lywd or Badalisc, here's a Norwegian take on the idea. “There's Something in the Barn” is a yuletide horror/comedy built around the Nissie (known in Sweden as tomte), little gnome or elf-like creatures with long beards and funny hats. 

Following the mysterious death of a distant uncle, Bill and his family inherit a farm in the snowy Norwegian community of Gudbrandsdalen. Bill does his best to integrate into the new culture but runs into numerous roadblocks. His kids, teenage Nora and tween Lucas, hate the cold and being away from his friends. Though his newly acquired wife Carol practices a positivity-centric form of New Age thought, she too soon cracks under pressure. Lucas, however, makes an unexpected discovery: Living in the dilapidated barn on the property is a Nissie. The boy tries to befriend the elf-like sprite but his family's American Christmas traditions – namely, filling the area with as much light and noise as possible – pisses the entity off. It's not long before the ill-tempered elf calls down his friends to torment the family and take the property back over.

“There's Something in the Barn” is a Norwegian production, so Norwegian that its director's first name is Magnus. Despite that, the main characters are American and the film is mostly in English. You can tell this was a movie made with the goal of finding international audience. That naturally makes “There's Something in the Barn” a movie about culture clash. Bill attempts to embrace his Norwegian heritage, even choking down some lutefisk in one scene. Yet him and his family ultimately find the differences difficult to endure. Something repeatedly commented on is the lack of gun violence in Norway and how Americans are largely perceived there: crime-prone, hyper-violent vulgerians. With that in mind, this becomes a movie about Norwegians goofing on American culture. That the fish-out-of-water antics eventually results in the local little people causing chaos, means the stakes are higher than the usual comedy of this sort.

How amusing you find “There's Something in the Barn's” humor to be probably depends on a few things. Martin Starr – who previously appeared in “Dead Snow 2,” a somewhat similar film –  is actually rather on the dry side here. He plays the neurotic straight man to everything that happens around him. Most of the comedy here is derived from the elves being wacky little assholes. Do you find the sight of lawn gnome looking little monsters drinking, burping, farting, and trying to kill people inherently hilarious? I guess I must because “There's Something in the Barn” made me laugh pretty regularly. I imagine “Gremlins” was a big reference point here and this film captures a similar sort of live-action cartoon appeal. The film definitely veers too hard towards the wacky at times, such as a sled chase sequence. Yet, in its best moments, the film makes its monsters enjoyably ridiculous little bastards. 

Despite how knowingly goofball most of “There's Something in the Barn” is, I did find myself actually caring about the characters before the end. There's this theme running throughout the film that maybe people can put aside their differences and work out an unsteady peace, largely through references to the Oslo Accords. This sets up a typically sarcastic joke in the end but I do think the film's themes are sincere. You also see this in the journey its characters go on. By the end, Bill's kids adapt to their new home and learn to love Norway. I'm especially touched by the way Lucas – played by Townes Bunner, who is ten but acts much younger – tries to befriend the elf before the shit hits the fan. As flippant as the movie is, it's good to know that there's some sincerity when it comes to its ideas.

The other reviews on “There's Something in the Barn” have been mixed, as far as I've seen. I don't think the movie lives up to its awesome premise or title. (Though “Don't Go in the Barn!” would've been an even better title.) If you're looking for a Christmas-themed horror/comedy about evil elves from Scandinavia, this doesn't come close to topping “Rare Exports,” its most obvious counterpart. And if you're looking for a folk-horror tinged homage to “Gremlins” in 2023, you'll do better checking out “Unwelcome.” Yet “There's Something in the Barn” isn't bad either. If the tomte are going to become a regular part of American Christmas iconography – and it seems to be getting a major push lately – then I fully support there being a horror movie version of it as well. [7/10]

RECENT WATCHES: The Sacrifice Game (2023)

In 2018, Jenn Wexler would direct “The Ranger.” Though it's hard for a retro-leaning slasher movie to stand out in our modern indie horror landscape, Wexler's film managed to put her own twist on the premise, largely by bringing a punk rock energy to the proceedings. A woman making a name for herself in horror usually attracts attention. I'm sure the momentum of her career was paused slightly, thanks to COVID. However, Wexler is finally back with her second feature, “The Sacrifice Game.” And, hey, what do you know, it's a Christmas set fright film. This “Game” dropped on Shudder earlier in the month, where horror nerds can judge where this falls in the Christmas mayhem canon. 

In the mid-seventies, a quartet of killers are terrorizing a small town in the weeks leading up into the holidays. They enter homes and butcher people in ritualistic manners. The looming threat terrifies Samantha, a young girl left at Blackvale Academy as Christmas approaches. The only other student stuck at the school is the mysterious loner, Clara. The Christmas Killers show up on the academy's steps, worming their way inside by faking an injury. Soon, they trap both girls and a teacher in their twisted game. The murderers intend on summoning a demon with their bloody ceremony, as Christmas Eve slowly turns into Christmas morning. However, who the victims are and who the monsters are in this scenario is not immediately apparent...

When most Christmas horror movies are slasher films or anthologies, it is refreshing that “The Sacrifice Game” goes in a slightly different direction. For the first half of its runtime, this is unmistakably a twist on the home invasion movie. Granted, it's a mostly empty school being invaded by a band of roving psychos, not a home. Yet the intent is the same. The killers don't just murder their victims and get out. They tie them up, force them to participate in a twisted Christmas dinner, and play a number of psychological games with them. You can see the DNA of “Funny Games” or “The Strangers” here, though “The Sacrifice Game” isn't as sadistic or purposely intense as either of those. Largely because the murderers are a bit too exaggerated to take seriously, especially Mena Massoud as vamping ringleader Jude. It's also because “The Sacrifice Game” foregrounds its Christmas ambiance so much, creating an obvious ironic contrast to the violence on display here. 

When I saw that “The Sacrifice Game” is set in the seventies, my first assumption was that this is simply an aesthetic decision. Filmmakers like Wexler often set out to emulate the look and feel of retro movies, simply because they love them. Yet I do think “The Sacrifice Game” does invoke the decade in ways that aren't so superficial. Jude and his gang bring to mind Krug's family from “The Last House on the Left,” which was naturally inspired by Charles Manson and his inner circle. This reflects the lingering fears of the hippy subculture, of the changing cultural tide, still relevant at the time. One of Jude's group is also a Vietnam veteran, radicalized by his time overseas. While it could never do this the way actual movies from the seventies did, “The Sacrifice Game” does earn points for working the anxieties of its time period into its script. 

Unfortunately, the film takes a big narrative turn about half-way through. The home invasion premise essentially plays out to its logical end point. The story then continues pass that, slowly turning into a supernatural horror movie. This simply isn't as compelling, largely because the film feels the end to explain the mechanics of its demonic ritual a little too much. The movie really does feel like it's filling time until the finale, splitting characters up and leaving certain parties off-screen until the plot needs them. That last act features some really goofy attempts at scares, via monsters leaping into frame or a very mouthy villain. Wexler is attempting to turn audience's expectations and sympathies on their heads, via switching around who are the victims and who are the monsters. Yet it doesn't land, simply because none of these people are that well defined and the situation is too exaggerated to generate much tension.  

It's a bummer that “The Sacrifice Game” peters out so harshly before it's over. I was really enjoying the earlier sections, how it balanced a grim tension with a campier sense of throwback horror fun. “The Ranger” did that too, so clearly it's something Wexler is good at. Yet I think the script was trying too hard to be too clever, by subverting audience's expectations and catch us off-guard. If it wanted to do that, it probably shouldn't have foreshadowed its own twist quite so much. Still, I've got to give credit where it's due. The film looks good, has a solid cast, and works quite well before it starts to go off the rails. Of the roughly twenty Christmas horror movies that get made every year, this still isn't anywhere close to being the worst one in 2023. [6/10]

RECENT WATCHES: It's a Wonderful Knife (2023)

Despite only coming out six years ago, “Happy Death Day” has proven to be a surprisingly influential film. That film's success proved you really could put a horror/comedy spin on a classic movie premise and people would show up for it. Since that slasher movie take on “Groundhog Day” came out, we've gotten the inevitable sequel, a gory take on “Freaky Friday,” and a masked murder version of “Back to the Future.” And now, unsurprisingly, here's the Christmas version. “It's a Wonderful Knife” was assuredly conceived as a title first and a screenplay second. However, when I saw that Tyler MacIntyre, of the delightful “Patchwork” and “Tragedy Girls,” was in the director's chair for this one, I was intrigued. Once “It's a Wonderful Knife” started to win some decent reviews, I knew I had to add it to my December watchlist. 

Winnie lives in the town of Angel Falls. Her dad, David, works for land developer Henry Waters, who hopes to build a fancy shopping center. An elderly home owner – the grandfather of Winnie's best friend – is the sole holdout on he deal. On Christmas Eve, a maniac in a white robe murders the man, Winnie's friend, and several more people. Winnie defeats the killer, who turns out to be Waters. A year later, her family is more successful than ever but Winnie is heartbroken. She blames herself for everything bad that has happened and wishes she was never born. Her wish comes true and Winnie awakens in an alternate version of Angel Falls where no one knows her. Waters is mayor, her family is full of drug addicts, and the town is in squalor... In addition to the murderous Angel still roaming the streets, claiming more victims than ever. Now Winnie must find a way back home and unravel the mystery behind the murders. 

The most famous part of “It's a Wonderful Life,” George Bailey seeing what the world would be like if he had never been born, tends to overshadow the rest of the movie. That truly only occupies the last third of a two-hour runtime, in a story that details a man's entire life up to that point. “It's a Wonderful Knife,” meanwhile, lasts a brisk 87 minutes. Michael Kennedy's script has to set-up a similar amount of narrative legwork as Frank Capra's classic. There's a whole subplot about an evil land developer and various dramas involving Winnie's brothers and friends. “Knife” definitely feels a bit top-heavy, overwhelming viewers a little bit with an excess of characters and storylines right out of the gate. And that's before the slasher shenanigans even begin. I'm all for keeping movies like this as quickly paced as possible but maybe a little more room for all these developments to breathe, before we even get to the alternate universe events, would've been a good idea.

Luckily, like MacIntyre's previous horror/comedies, “It's a Wonderful Knife” does have a fairly likable set of leads. Jane Widdop, who has mostly done television up to this point, plays Winnie. Widdop has an adorable energy throughout that makes it easy to like her. Considering she got into this crazy situation through no fault of her own, the determination Widdop brings to Winnie, her drive to put right what has gone wrong, is especially a winning combination. Widdop also has strong chemistry with Jess McLeod as Bernie, the outcast that she befriends on this journey. I'm not sure why Justin Long – who mugs horribly, adopting a weird voice as Waters – was cast in that part when Joel McHale, whose natural smarminess is leashed as a fairly forgettable role as a dad. 

We associate the slasher genre with elaborate bloodshed. MacIntyre certainly proved he was capable of just that with his past films. Yet “It's a Wonderful Knife,” despite what the title might make you think, is focused more on stylishly displayed violence than gouts of blood arching through the air and bodily dismemberment. An axing scene is set against the flashing lights of a Christmas display. A movie theater proves to be a good location for a chase sequence, while a stabbing against a glass door is another notable moment. The film also manages to find a cool holiday theme for its masked murderer that doesn't go back to the often visited well of a killer Santa Claus. A white shrouded killer, with an indistinct face, brings both an angelic tree-topper and a ghostly spectre of death to mind. They give the killer a cool weapon too, a knife with handles like an angel's wings.

“It's a Wonderful Knife” is also proudly queer, featuring several gay characters in relationships and even going in a surprisingly frank direction in its last third. In other words, “It's a Wonderful Knife” has all the ingredients to become a cult favorite... Which makes it odd that I didn't love the movie more. Honestly, that rushed first act and Long's irritating performance really put me off. Maybe the film will grow on me more with repeated seasonal re-watches. The world isn't wanting for Christmas-themed horror movies but it is wanting for good Christmas-themed horror movies, so I imagine I will revisit “It's a Wonderful Knife.” [7/10]

OSCARS 2023: The 2023 Oscar Nominated Live-Action Short Films

An Irish Goodbye (2022)

Following the passing of their mother, Turlough is planning on selling the family farm. This is much to the consternation of his brother, Lorcan, who wishes to keep the farm. Lorcan has Down’s Syndrome and Turlough plans to leave him in the care of their aunt. After returning from the funeral, Father O’Shea mentions that the coroner found a list in their mother’s jeans before she passed. It was a list of things she hoped to do before she died. Lorcan becomes determined to achieve every one of these goals, dragging his mother’s ashes along for each activity, no matter how impractical. Turlough reluctantly agrees. 

I’ve seen people complain that “An Irish Goodbye” is cutesy or cloying. This surprises me, as the short’s humor struck me as nicely surreal and refreshingly vulgar. The last wishes the brothers fulfill include such sights as doing Tai Chi with an urn, sending it on a balloon ride (which nearly gets away from them), and posing for a still life painting with the container. Solidifying 2023 as the year the Academy noticed Irish profanity, the word “feckin’” and “dick” are thrown around frequently. I really appreciate how the brothers’ relationship is depicted. Lorcan is not reduced to a caricature or an inspirationally disadvantaged plot point. He’s rough-around-the-edges, creative, funny, and self-determined. Overall, “An Irish Goodbye” made me laugh a surprising number of times. I mean, how many Oscar-nominated short films include fart jokes and then attempt to make them a part of the story’s emotional center? 

But, yes, this is a sentimental story. It’s about two brothers, in a stressful time, choosing to stand by each other when all they really want is to be left alone. That means it’s about love, which we also see in the central premise of the boys’ attempts to complete their mom’s journey. The acting is effective all around, the cinematography is nice, and the soundtrack is pretty. This one worked for me. [7/10]

Ivalu (2023)

Set in an Inuit village in the mountains of Greenland, “Ivalu” follows Pipaluk, a young girl living with her father and grandmother. Her sister, the titular character, has mysteriously vanished. Ahead of a visit to her school by the Queen of Denmark, Pipaluk sets out to find Ivalu. She is guided by visions and dreams of a black bird, seemingly inspired by her sister's fascination with local mythology. As she journeys into the snowbound wilderness, Pipaluk reconsiders her own memories of the last few days.

It seems every year, at least one of the Oscar-nominated live-action shorts features an endangered or dead child. “Ivalu” is entry in this inexplicably common occurrence. I'll say this about the short. The cinematography is lovely. The aerial shots of the snowy Greenlandic mountain ranges or ice-covered lakes are very pretty. The way memories, dreams, and reality interweave create a nicely contemplative feeling to the proceedings, which further supported by Pipaluk's narration and a sparse musical score. Rooting so much of the story in native mythology creates a sense of cultural specificity that I enjoyed.

However, this is another example of a short using a horrible, real world issue more as a plot point, than as an earnest attempt to bring attention to this topic. It doesn't even make sense within the logic of the short. Pipaluk already knows the information that is revealed to us, the audience, near the end. It's kept from the viewer until the most dramatic point. Which, when it comes to a sensitive subject like child abuse, borders on the tactless in my eyes. It also leads to a rather dramatically limp conclusion, that seems to suggest there's nothing much that can be done about these things. It's a disappointing conclusion to a short that starts off strong and clearly has an interesting point of view. [6/10]

Night Ride (2020)

This Norwegian film, set around Christmas time, begins with a short woman named Ebba standing in the snow at a train station. After the train stops, the driver tells her he can't let her on alone. Undeterred, Ebba climbs in and begins driving the tram herself. Awkwardly stopping at the next station, a transwoman is among the people who climb aboard. After an abrupt stop removes the woman's wig, she begins to be harassed by another passenger. Ebba can only watch for so long before she feels the need to intervene. 

“Night Ride” starts off well enough. Director Eirik Tveiten and cinematographer Vegard Landsverk display a strong visual sense, the snowy nighttime setting immediately establishing a certain feeling and tone. I also like Morten Rognskog's quirky musical score, which sets up quickly enough that this story is going to take an unexpected turn. 

Unfortunately, that turn is towards clueless social commentary. “Night Ride” is yet another example of a well-intentioned but ultimately oblivious attempt at trans representation. The obvious problem here is that we never learn anything about the transwoman at the story's center. She exists solely to define the cisgendered main character, to teach her a lesson about kindness and responsibility to her fellow humans. I think there's some point here about how, as a little person, Ebba can relate to the passenger's status as an outsider or something. It's clumsy, is my point. And it doesn't help that the script focuses a little too much on the abusive language the harasser on the train throw around. As nice as “Night Ride” looks, during a time when trans people are more persecuted than ever, we really don't need films like this that frame their struggles only in the context of how it effects cisgendered people. [5/10]

Le pupille (2022)

Perhaps the most high-profile of the live action shorts is “Le pupille,” which is directed by acclaimed Italian director Alice Rohrwacher, produced by Alfonso Cuaron, and received a plum release on Disney+. It takes place at a strict Catholic school during World War II. As Christmas approaches, the nuns attempt to organize the girls for the yearly nativity play. Yet the girls, one rebellious soul named Serafina in particular, keep getting distracted. They hear a pop song on the radio by accident, the racy lyrics lingering in Serafina's head. An eccentric woman barges into the school to prayer. The Mother Superior has prepared a decadent cake after Christmas dinner, as part of a moral lesson. Serafina doesn't go along with the crowd.

By far the cutest of this year's nominated shorts, “Le pupille” is definitely attempting to capture a certain anarchistic, child-like spirit. There are multiple scenes of the girls talking directly to the camera, singing songs that explain some of the set-ups and location. This returns for the coda. These are interspersed with shots of hand-drawn notes, counting down the days to Christmas. All the characters are somewhat exaggerated, with one of the nuns getting a cartoonish mustache drawn on their face. It's very whimsical, which is reflected in the naturalistic performance the film gets out of the young girls playing its characters. There's even a cute dog that plays a key role. 

It's well assembled, with some excellent production design and cinematography. The main takeaway I got from “Le pupille” is its reflections on Catholic guilt. Mother Superior makes a demand of the girls to teach them a lesson in charity and humility. Yet anything they sacrifice is just being done to impress a church elder. By rebelling against this standard, Serafina shows a more humanistic approach tot he idea of charity. One that's based not in guilt and spiritual responsibility but merely in helping people out. It's a good lesson, even if it can't do much to keep the short from feeling rather wispy and overlong, even at only 38 minutes. [6/10]

The Red Suitcase (2022)

A teenage Iranian girl arrives at a Luxembourg airport, a distinctive red suitcase being her only piece of luggage. Inside are countless illustrations and drawings. On her cellphone are messages from her father, saying that “her husband” is waiting for her. She soon spots the older, hirsute man carrying a bouquet of flowers. The girl lets her hair down, in hopes that her husband-in-waiting won’t notice her. She continues to make her way out of the airport, towards a bus outside, attempting to avoid detection by the man she has been promised to the entire time. 

“The Red Suitcase” is an economic little thriller. It puts us directly in the headspace of its young protagonist. From the minute we see her cowering from the baggage checkers, we are on her side. We never learn too many details about this clearly arranged marriage she’s found herself in, though it seems evident that it wasn’t her idea. From what we see of her father’s messages, he genuinely cares about her… But still seems content to practically sell his daughter – the proposed husband mentions money a lot during his enraged phone calls – and to keep her imprisoned in a patriarchal system. This set-up allows the film to comment on the social issues facing women in countries like Iran without being too heavy-handed about it.

The short film is also well directed by Cyrus Neshvad. The camera remains tight on our heroine’s face, as she often hides out or just barely misses being detected by the man. I suppose it pushes plausibility that the would-be husband is always just over her shoulder, nearly spotting her every time. Yet it does keep the suspense rolling high, while also getting us to relate strongly with her plight. I also like that Neshvad decorates the airport with images of western woman, usually in some state of undress, selling make-up or bras. As if to contrast with the protagonist, a girl from a culture who can’t even show her hair. This comes into focus in the final shot, following a sad but not hopeless ending. Well done. [7/10]