Having already dipped his toe in the comedy/horror field with both Little Evil and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, writer/director Eli Craig dives confidently headfirst into the cornfield for a meta slasher of sorts that subverts expectation as much as it plays into tropes of the genre. With a title like Clown in a Cornfield, audiences should know exactly what they’re in for, so it’s to the filmmaker’s credit that the 96 minutes of clown-led carnage is as backasswards as it is.
The set-up reads like slasher 101 initially, with moody teen Quinn (Katie Douglas) expressing her dislike of her new Kettle Springs, Missouri surrounding, having been forced out of her big city life after the death of her mother, with doing-his-best dad (Aaron Abrams) taking a job for a fresh start. At school she quickly finds a friend group with the presumed cool kids (Carson MacCormac, Cassandra Potenza, Verity Marks, Vincent Muller and Ayo Solanke), who, after bonding over a not-entirely-deserved detention session, we learn make viral horror movies about Frendo the Clown, the town’s mascot of sorts.
The fact that they’ve transformed the clown mascot into a serial killer for their viral film amusements means there’s already a built-in level of tension, as our crew of disposable teens – before they realise the severity of their situation – believe that when they’re in his presence, it’s merely one of the friends playing dress up. It allows for the characters to drop their guard for the inevitable kill scene (and there are some doozies here), which speaks to Craig’s handle of genre balance, managing to conjure up bloody horror with genuine humour, with both temperaments existing in harmony together.
As much as the film delights in its carnage and its comedy – and manages to make Frendo the Clown its own entity separate from someone like Terrifier‘s Art the Clown – Craig’s script goes deeper than some may be expecting, with it honing a generational divide temperament that gives Clown in a Cornfield a relevance for its audience. The town’s sheriff (Will Sasso) and Mayor (Kevin Durand) look to the teens at every given moment to blame for any moment of violent disruption – even as they plead their innocence – which allows Frendo to pray on the town in a manner that essentially means he’s slaying in plain sight.
America is a nation divided, and Craig commenting on such with a fighting mind frame between the older generation here pining for “the good old days” and the teens representing inevitable change layers the film with a subtle depth that elevates it beyond from being merely a mindless slasher. That being said, the slasher persona is still very much at the forefront of its intention, and audiences who want their thrills should be satisfied with what Craig conjures here.
With its share of unexpected narrative turns and self awareness, Clown in a Cornfield delivers on both fronts of being horrific and humourous, easily setting itself up as a genre favourite in the same manner as the 70s and 80s slashers it clearly takes inspiration from.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Clown in a Cornfield is screening in Australian theatres from May 8th, 2025, before opening in the United States on May 9th.
