Clown in a Cornfield – Film Review
Reviewed by Harris Dang on the 9th of May 2025
STUDIOCANAL presents a film by Eli Craig
Screenplay by Carter Blanchard, Eli Craig based on Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
Produced by Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Isaac Klausner, John Fischer, Paris Kassidokostas-Latsis, and Terry Douglas
Starring : Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Carson MacCormac, Kevin Durand, and Will Sasso
Cinematography Brian Pearson
Edited by Sabrina Pitre
Music by Brandon Roberts and Marcus Trumpp
Rating: MA15+
Running Time: 96 minutes
Release Date: the 8th of May 2025
Clown in a Cornfield tells the story of Quinn Maybrook (Katie Douglas), a socially withdrawn teenager who has moved to the town of Kettle Springs, Missouri, with her father, Glenn (Aaron Abrams), who is the new town doctor. The two are estranged and looking for fresh start to mend their relationship and make new friends by embracing their new lifestyle. On her first day of school, Quinn befriends Cole Hill (Carson MacCormac) and his group of friends, Tucker (Ayo Solanke), Janet (Cassandra Potenza), Ronnie (Verity Marks), and Matt (Alexandre Martin Deakin).
Cole’s group are responsible for a YouTube channel that is about Frendo, an evil clown who lives inside an abandoned factory, which was responsible for Baypen products that were the financial backbone for the town. It is all fun and games for them until some of the townspeople start disappearing. It leads the group to think someone may be impersonating Frendo as a villainous figure starts killing people. The group soon face accusations that they are responsible for the disappearances and passing them off as pranks for YouTube channel views. It is up to them to find who is responsible for the disappearances before they face grave consequences.
With a title like Clown in a Cornfield, one would expect this film to be a farcical piece of work along the lines of Snakes on a Plane (2006) or Sharknado (2013). Adding credence to said expectation is the involvement of writer/director Eli Craig, who is best known for the backwoods horror/comedy Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010). However, Clown in a Cornfield is based on a series of young adult books by author Adam Cesare. It would be hard to take a story with such a title seriously, but it would also not be out of line to expect a story like this to have some credibility, particularly with stories that delve into coulrophobia, such as Stephen King’s IT. Does Clown in a Cornfield deliver the promise of its title while providing a fun horror experience?
Alongside co-writer Carter Blanchard, director Craig takes his time setting up the characters, the setting, and story themes with patience and efficiency. Firstly, the character interactions (especially between the adults and the youth) are amusingly barbed and convincingly heated, which adds to the film’s conflict. Secondly, the settings and production values are immersive enough that the town of Kettle Springs feels out of time. Lastly, the tonal balance of both comedy and horror is kept on an even keel, notably when tension escalates in the third act.
It helps the actors are amiable and believable in portraying their characters. Katie Douglas is a capable lead as Quinn. She makes her presence known with dignity and a distinct resolve. Carson MacCormac does well in conveying a naivety and a rebellious streak with equal aplomb without making the two incongruous. Aaron Abrams lends credibility as the goofy yet struggling patriarch who is working to mend his relationship with his daughter. As for the townspeople, Kevin Durand and Will Sasso are pros in chewing the scenery by playing up their character archetypes.
This then leads us to the film’s humour. There are times the film overplays its hand like in a scene where a character yells in frustration that they are in a bad 80s horror movie. Most of the time, there is an affability to the humour that makes the self-reflexivity feel free-flowing and unforced to the point that it stops the story. The focus on character, sharp timing, the assured pacing (courtesy of editor Sabrina Pitre), clever foreshadowing (a character arc foreshadowed by her inability to drive stick), and genial tone (which gives the film a vibe that feels inviting that hearkens to the young adult origins of the source material) makes the film an entertaining lark.
Cornfield’s only true fault is the explanation of the motives behind the disappearances. Not the actual motive itself (as it makes perfect sense for the narrative) but the execution of the exposition. The dense dialogue and the overdone reveals are so glaring it defeats any sense of mystery or potential food for thought. Leading with one loose end in the narrative, it becomes difficult to surmise if there is anything left to tell (despite having book sequels to play with) since the filmmakers come up with a conundrum of an ending that tries to be both open-ended and conclusive.
While it does not reach the heights of horror classics of old and recent, Clown in a Cornfield nevertheless delivers the goods in providing the requisite slicing and dicing alongside an amiable sense of humour and some acute social commentary about the generational gap.
Summary: Clown in a Cornfield delivers the goods in providing slicing and dicing, an amiable sense of humour, and some acute social commentary about the generational gap.
3.5
Entertaining
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