Magnus Martens’ There’s Something in the Barn refuses to compromise on the laughs or gore in what’s set to become an instant classic in the Christmas horror comedy genre. Starring Martin Starr, Amrita Acharia, and Kiran Shah, the film finds the perfect balance between camp and a good time, borrowing the best elements of Joe Dante’s Gremlins and combining it with the Nordic folklore of elves. Heck, in our review of the film, we described it as “the right dose of hilarity, heart, and holiday spirit,” which sums it up succinctly.
Leading the film as the original elf is Shah. For over four decades and counting, the Kenyan-born actor has delighted fans of the world’s most beloved franchises, appearing as Abu in Raiders of the Last Ark, Nambi Ghima in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and Ginarrbrik in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In addition, Shah has also been an in-demand stuntperson, being the double for Elijah Wood’s Frodo Baggins and Martin Freeman’s Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. Now, There’s Something in the Barn allows him the chance to shine in a main role.
Bringing the Christmastime horror cheer
Kiran Shah received the script for the film and knew there was something special from the beginning. “When I read the script, I was laughing my head off in certain points – [the scenes] were quite funny,” Shah said. “Really brilliant the way it was written by Aleksander [R. Kirkwood Brown]; really good.”
The actor didn’t need to audition or read for the part since director Magnus Martens wanted him for the role from the get-go. The two met up in Oslo, Norway, where they discussed the role and tone of the movie further, especially since Shah wouldn’t have a speaking role so they would need to figure out the way to convey his character’s emotions. Once the rest of the actors joined up, Martens explained his vision for the project to them: To make it feel like they were in the 1980s.
In terms of the story, There’s Something in the Barn focuses on both barn and forest elves, as it plays around with elements of Nordic mythology. On top of making use of the mythological experts on set, Shah also did his own research on the topic of elves. “I did [it] over here in London,” he said. “With my brother, I was walking in Kew Gardens and thinking about the movie. We came out of one of the exhibits and in the corridors, they were selling a children’s book about Nordic mythology.” Shah explained how he immediately turned to the section about elves to learn more about the myths of barn and forest elves, even finding out how they made their way from Finland to Norway.
Relating to others
At the centre of the movie is the relationship between Kiran Shah’s elf and Townes Bunner’s Lucas. “Townes was really good to work with,” Shah said, adding how the young actor hadn’t done anything quite like There’s Something in the Barn before and knocked it out of the park. “I spoke to him when we were doing the [screen] test, and I went, ‘Look, I’m not going to be talking to you. But I’m going to do sounds and I’m going to use my hands a lot. I’ll be touching you a lot on your chest or on your face.'” The two actors learnt how to communicate in this unique manner so that their characters could understand each other in their scenes together. Ultimately, it works as their chemistry translates in the final film.
Despite Shah’s history as a stuntperson, he didn’t partake in any stunts this time around. “Magnus would not let me do any stunts,” he said. “Basically, I was there as an actor. And he would say, ‘Kiran, you’re not doing any stunts,’ and I would go back and say, ‘But…’ and he would go, ‘No, you’re not doing any stunts. If you break your bones, what am I going to do?’ I literally didn’t get involved with stunts.” Nonetheless, Shah praised the stunt coordinator and performers for their dedication and execution of the film’s high-risk moments, believing they delivered the goods here.
Generally, these scenes take place in a snowy, cold terrain. However, this wasn’t a case of movie magic and weather machines since the actors were out in freezing conditions. “Minus 25 in Norway,” Kiran Shah revealed the coldest temperature they experienced on set. The film’s third act takes place outdoors in the evening, so the actors spent a lot of time outside in similar conditions. According to Shah, though, they were all looked after with proper thermal wear and body warmers, so they never felt the cold as much as they could have.
There’s Something the Barn 2 – will it ever happen?
The film is also the latest in the line of Christmas-themed horror comedies, such as Gremlins and Krampus, which always find an audience and never seem go out of fashion. But why are these movies so popular to begin with? “It’s a formula that has been tried and tested,” Kiran Shah said. “And that is going to keep on working and working as long as we stick to that. If somebody comes up with a new idea, and new way of doing it, then yeah, we’ll go that way. But at the moment, this formula is working, so why not use it?”
Ultimately, There’s Something in the Barn ends in an open-ended fashion that could easily wrap up the story or explore further sequels somewhere down the line – presumably over Christmastime again (or maybe someone will try to do something over Easter next?). Expectedly, many variables factor into a decision to greenlight a sequel, so it’s a bit too early and premature to get any official announcements. If it does happen, however, count Shah in.
“If they do a sequel and they ask me, of course I’m going to jump back in because this is a good movie,” he said. “It has worked really well. And again, I would love to work with Magnus – and if there’s the same cast and crew, it will be fun.”
There’s Something in the Barn, which stars Kiran Shah, arrives on digital on December 1, 2023.
