Clown in a Cornfield
James Cameron Teaches Filmmaking
Content Advisory: Excessive or gratuitous violence
A group of small-town teens are targeted by a killer clown in Clown in a Cornfield. Quinn Maybrook (Katie Douglas) has moved with her father, Glenn (Aaron Abrams), to the small town of Kettle Springs. Glenn plans to start a new life by opening a clinic in town, though Quinn is not happy about the move. It is also discovered that the town has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down.
Escorted to her first day of school by her odd neighbour Rust (Vincent Muller), Quinn quickly befriends local delinquent teens Matt (Alexandre Martin Deakin), Tucker (Ayo Solanke), Ronnie (Verity Marks), Janet (Cassandra Potenza), and Cole (Carson MacCormac), the latter of whom is part of Kettle Springs’ founding family, currently headed by Cole’s father Arthur Hill (Kevin Durand). As Kettle Springs prepares to celebrate Founder’s Day, a serial killer dressed as the Baypen Corn Syrup mascot, Frendo the Clown, begins stalking the teens one by one.
Clown in a Cornfield Synopsis
Clown in a Cornfield is a slasher film co-written and directed by Eli Craig (Tucker & Dale vs Evil), based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Adam Cesare. The film stars Katie Douglas (Level 16) as Quinn Maybrook, a teenager unhappily accompanying her father Glenn, played by Aaron Abrams (Hannibal, Levels), to start a new life in the town of Kettle Springs. Quinn quickly falls in with a clique of delinquent teens, whose favourite pastime involves filming slasher film-style YouTube videos, imagining the local mascot, Frendo the Clown, as a serial killer. This makes the teens a frequent target of Sheriff Dunne (Will Sasso), who also believes that the teens are responsible for burning down the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory, decimating the town’s economy.
When the teens’ latest Frendo video is posted, Quinn is quick to notice that there is a second individual dressed as Frendo watching in the backgrounds. The teens are also blamed for an incident during the Founder’s Day parade, where someone dressed as Frendo burns one of the floats. Later that night, when the teens gather for a rave in a barn by the cornfield, all Hell breaks loose when a real killer dressed as Frendo emerges from the field.
My Thoughts on Clown in a Cornfield
Director Eli Craig first made his mark 15 years ago with the hillbilly horror-comedy Tucker & Dale vs Evil, though his filmography since has been a bit sparse, with his only other notable film being 2017’s Little Evil, released on Netflix. As such, Clown in a Cornfield, adapting the first in a series of novels by Adam Cesare, can be viewed as an attempt at a comeback for Eli Craig. At the very least, this is a film that cannot be accused of false advertising, since it is named Clown in a Cornfield and that is exactly what we get.
Clown in a Cornfield admittedly takes a while to find its bearings. The film’s first half is constructed to appear like a typical teen slasher film, albeit with flourishes of dark comedy. Each of the central teenage characters is emblematic of a slasher cliche, and the first few kills in the film are done with typical one-on-one stalking.
Around Clown in a Cornfield‘s midway point, the action moves to a rave at a barn surrounded by the titular cornfield (where I have to note features the very unexpected, yet pleasantly surprising record drop of the 2003 hit “Wicked and Weird” by Canadian hip hop star Buck 65). It is here that the plot reveals its full hand, that something more is at play than a simple slasher film. Admittedly, this mid-film twist is easy to guess if you are paying attention, however, the way it plays off makes Clown in a Cornfield a lot of fun to watch.
Clown in a Cornfield is also an incredibly gory film. While none of the kills are as extreme as Art the Clown’s in the Terrifier films, Frendo still gets creative, with weapons including a saw on a barbell, a crossbow, and a chainsaw. In addition, while Clown in a Cornfield is not outright a comedy, the film features some genuinely funny moments, at least one of which also involves a major gore gag.
Clown in a Cornfield is not without its issues and probably doesn’t reach the same highs as Eli Craig’s debut, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. However, once the film reveals its big twist, it turns into a gory good time. Also, there are at least two more books in Adam Cesare’s series, so we can probably expect Clown in a Cornfield sequels in the future.
Trailer for Clown in a Cornfield
