Adapted from the book of the same name, 2025’s Clown in a Cornfield aims to follow the classic tropes of your average horror slasher but with a slightly clever spin of generational commentary. Director Eli Craig attempts to utilize the same comedic subversion techniques seen in his 2010 feature Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, but to much more poorly plotted and often derivative results.
Still, there’s just enough fun for a horror fan to find here; with strong kills, a fascinating group of characters, and a blast of a third act that fully leans into all the best staples of the genre, Craig proves that even through tangled outcomes, he can still deliver a somewhat sturdy picture.
After a punchy cold open showcase of Frendo’s wrath in 1991, we cut to modern day and meet high schooler Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her father, Dr. Glenn (Aaron Abrams). The duo has moved into the town of Kettle Springs after Quinn’s mother died of an overdose, but where they hope for a fresh start, they only come to find a fractured and bitter community.
Their local Baypen Corn Syrup Factory was burned down, and many suspect it was arson from a group of local teens led by Cole Hill (Carson MacCormac). These same teens also introduce Quinn to the town legend and mascot, Frendo the Clown, and the killer clown version that they manifested of him through videos on social media, only for them to discover there’s a real Frendo out there, slashing up all the teens one by one.
I sensed the film is book-based because the entire setup of the movie feels page-by-page written, from how much the first 2/3rds drag here. The build to the movie’s climax is inherently interesting, pitting Gen Zers against Baby Boomers and millennials, the entire crux of the narrative. Still, the same slasher tropes that can be used as an advantage can also be a detriment when the build feels too long for a 90-minute feature.
Even when the film is playing around more with its commentary, while it is a clever spin, it often is only at the shallow end of what it’s trying to accomplish. The story, in most of its spurts, says the same joke of ‘ha ha boomers’ or ‘ha ha silly Gen Zers,’ and while it’s never truly grating, it is frustrating that it can never rise above that during a large portion of the runtime.
All of this rings true until Craig really delves into what can make a slasher so much fun in the film’s back half. Obviously, when we get staples like a final girl circuit run or scenes where our characters have to hide from the titular killer, slashers become more engaging, but here, Craig fully leans into the silliness that was only present in small bursts in the first half.
When the film can let itself loose and even implement the divide between generations in clever ways, like a joke where Quinn and Janet (Cassandra Potenza) attempt to use a landline phone to call for help, it finds its stride and sticks with it. The entire concept of a clown killer that is famous on social media ends up being real should be taken in a somewhat silly manner, and this satire works a lot better in the film’s third act and almost saves it entirely.
Clown in a Cornfield as a whole can never fully amount to a truly unique experience as a slasher and often plays it to plain for too long leading to a mixed outcome, but for those willing to wait till its second half to get the bloody chaotically funny carnage that was promised, it passes as a good enough teenage target horror picture to watch in theaters.
Review Courtesy of Joshua Mbonu
Feature Image Credit to RLJE Films and Shudder via The Wrap