Directed by Magnus Martens and written by Aleksander Kirkwood Brown, the film tells the story of an American family that, after moving to Norway, encounters murderous elves.

He thought that Martens struggled to "strike quite the right balance between the two genres", and ended his review with, "but the film's conclusion is full-bore gore, and there's a certain amount of fun to be had as the festive frights turn a dark shade of claret".

[13] Cath Clark writing for The Guardian gave the film a score of two out of five and wrote, "It's a silly horror that's not as good, or as bad, as you'd hoped: neither funny enough nor ever properly scary.

[14] Rafael Motamayor of /Film wrote, "There's Something in the Barn doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it offers a fun Christmas horror movie with cultural authenticity, and a great companion to Krampus and Rare Exports".

[15] Digital Spy's Ian Sandwell gave a positive review, "If you've ever watched Gremlins and thought, 'This would be really good with murderous elves', There's Something in the Barn is the bloody, festive treat for you".

He ended his review with, "It doesn't all work perfectly, as there's an overdone running gag about US gun culture, as well as an ill-timed joke about the Oslo Accords between Israel and Palestine.