The Barn Part II review.
The Barn Part II picks up the story threads from the original to deliver another Halloween treat. The pesky barn demons return…and they’ve brought back-up.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
The Barn Part II
Directed by Justin M. Seaman
Written by Justin M. Seaman
Starring Diana Prince, Linnea Quigley, John Bloom, Lloyd Kaufman, Doug Bradley and Ari Lehman
The Barn Part II Review
It doesn’t take long for The Barn Part II to set viewers’ minds at ease. Right from the jump you know that you are in for more of the faux period piece fun the original movie provided. I guess saying it sets viewers’ minds at ease is a weird way to say it. Like its predecessor, The Barn Part II opens with some good old fashioned child murder. It’s done in the same seasonally appropriate way that horror movies set in the spooky season should, however. If you enjoyed The Barn…I have no doubt that you will enjoy this sequel.
Another Halloween…another barn. The Barn Part II picks up three years after the events of the previous film. That would set this movie in 1992…but like many a Friday the 13th before it…the aesthetic remains the same regardless of time jump. It doesn’t feel like a 1992 movie. It doesn’t appear to be commenting on 1992 horror either. 1992 saw the release of Candyman. The Barn Part II is content in channeling the first movies 80s feel instead. With two movies in the series, we’d probably be better off referring to it as The Barn aesthetic than attempting to attribute it to the period the films are set in.
Whatever your preference, The Barn Part II looks vintage. Like the first chapter, it succeeds more in evoking the feel of the Halloween season than it does a specific time. The previous survivor Michelle (Lexi Dripps) returns to do battle with the barn demons (and their two new friends). She’s trying to move on from her traumatic experience with the help of her sorority sisters. That, of course, means…throwing a Haunted House party in a local barn. The sorority aspect provides the opportunity for more kills than the first movie offered. An opportunity that The Barn Part II does not waste.
There aren’t just more kills in The Barn Part II there are more elaborate, fun kills. There are also zombies. Just in case 5 costumed demons weren’t enough mayhem. There are so many antagonists roaming through the haunted house that the movie wisely splits another character (Heather played by Sable Griedel) into her own parallel adventure. Mostly though…sorority sisters are served up for fodder. We wouldn’t want it any other way.
Fans of the original will be happy to know that the ambiguous fates of Sam and Josh are dealt with in The Barn Part II. In the spirit of sequels…everything culminates in an exciting climax as the demons show their final form. Well…I hope not “final” final…the world can always use another Barn story. The Barn Part II does a good job building to the finish line by packing the movie with gore and fun character moments. There is a bit of touchy CGI but for the most part we’re looking at practical effects.
There is also a boatload of celebrity cameos for horror fans to enjoy. Many of them feel a bit out of place…clearly tacked on to the story. But if you can get Joe Bob Briggs to do a scene as a drive-in operator who breaks down that day’s feature like only he can…you have to do it. Linnea Quigley and Ari Lehman reprise their roles from The Barn. They’re joined by Briggs, Darcy the Mail Girl (Diana Prince), Doug Bradley and Lloyd Kaufman. There aren’t a lot of better options for delivering exposition than to hand it to Doug Bradley and get out of the way.
The Barn Part II ups the ante in ways that all sequels should. Setting the latest murder spree inside of a Halloween haunted house provides things with the appropriate amount of fun. Good gore effects, fun cameos, and a unique look make this an even better trip to the barn than the original.
Scare Value
While The Barn Part II boasts plenty of genre cameos…it’s the nature of the basic plot that makes it a winner. A haunted house set inside another barn? The story doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel to provide the kind of slasher fun the spooky season needs. The movie pays off loose ends from the original…but mostly just gives us another slew of fun kills. And there’s never anything wrong with that.
3/5
The Barn Part II Link
Streaming on Screambox
