In all honesty, garden gnomes are creepy little suckers. In fact, I’m shocked no one’s ever made a horror movie featuring the diminutive clay creatures. Think about it: We’ve been scared out of our seats by the likes of leprechauns, evil clowns and possessed dolls. Why not base a movie on demented garden gnomes?

Hollywood may not have gotten the message, but Ikea sure did. As part of its campaign highlighting outdoor living solutions, the Swedish furniture manufacturer released a short film that tells the story of a couples’ battle with mischievous garden gnomes. The video—available in 2-minute as well as 60-, 30- and 10-second versions—depicts a couple renovating their backyard with IKEA outdoor pieces, including Solvin Den solar-powered lights, an Arholma outdoor sofa and a Karso gazebo. But the yard’s previous tenants, an army of garden gnomes, are in no way ready to be replaced. As the gnomes attack, the couple struggles to reclaim its yard.

“To us, gnomes symbolize the lackluster state of the nation’s gardens. They are tired, old fashioned and uninspired. So we imagined the gnomes’ reaction to a family installing new, exciting, modern garden furniture into their territory. It sparks a turf war, quite literally,” said Freddy Mandy, creative director at Mother London, the firm that created the commercial for Ikea.

Samantha Lile

Samantha Lile is a 2002 Missouri State University graduate of journalism and mass media. She has served as a reporter and editor for various newspapers throughout her journalism career. She made the leap into writing full-time after working for a major financial institution since 2000.

Because of her banking background, Samantha is knowledgeable in finance reporting, but is also strong in commentaries, personal profiles, youth studies, horticulture, history and entertainment-related works.

Samantha lives in Ozark, Mo. with her husband of nine years, four dogs and two cats.

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