Frendo the Clown in Eli Craig’s ‘Clown in a Cornfield.’ Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
‘Clown in a Cornfield’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
Opening in theaters on May 9th, ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ is the latest entry into an already overstuffed movie genre –– the slasher film, but aims to add its own ideas into the crowded field.
Directed by Eli Craig, the new movie pits a group of teenager against a terrifying corporate logo who stalks the small town where the local industry is dying almost as quickly as Frendo the clown’s victims.
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Initial Thoughts
Katie Douglas in Eli Craig’s ‘Clown in a Cornfield.’ Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
The biggest issue for any movie that tries to offer a fresh spin on the slasher genre is exactly what it can bring that is new.
For a chunk of its running time, ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ bobs along in predictable fashion –– a young woman and her father arrive in a small town where there is a legacy of decaying industry and party-happy teenagers whose lives are under threat from a creepy clown.
But unlike, say, the ‘It’ movies and their grinning demonic presence, this threat appears much more human, and one that the local kids have turned into a horror icon through their own YouTube horror shorts.
It’s a fascinating idea, and a solid layer on top of what is a fairly conventional horror title.
Script and Direction
Frendo the Clown in Eli Craig’s ‘Clown in a Cornfield.’ Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
Director Craig adapted the script alongside Carter Blanchard from Adam Cesare’s 2020 novel and largely faithfully adapt the tome, which follows a similar story of someone moving to a small town and discovering how the place has been fractured along age lines and, to some extent, ethics.
The town, Kettle Springs in Missouri, has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down, and there are heavy tensions in the town. Craig and Blanchard’s script navigates those mostly effectively, kicking off the story with a 1990s-set flashback to a teenage party that ends bloodily when a clown kills victims among the stalks.
And while much of the focus is on the Quinn character, with the others mostly archetypes and cannon fodder for murders, there is enough decent writing, especially among the other townsfolk to hold your interest.
Craig spins a modest budget into a solid slasher movie that has more than just basic horror on its mind. While the actual revelation of what’s going on might be familiar to, say, anyone who has watched 2007 Edgar Wright action spoof ‘Hot Fuzz,’ that doesn’t diminish the power of this film itself.
The slayings might not necessarily be the most memorable aspect of the movie, but there is enough bloody madness here for gore hounds to enjoy.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Aaron Abrams and Katie Douglas in Eli Craig’s ‘Clown in a Cornfield.’ Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
Katie Douglas, probably best known for Netflix series ‘Ginny & Georgia’, carries the weight of the story here as Quinn Maybrook, who is new to town with her doctor father when he accepts a position in the crumbling locale.
Douglas injects the right blend of sarcasm, teen angst and smarts into the role, with a solid line of vulnerability has she tries to fit in and find her place. She’s also effective when the time comes for the running, screaming and fighting back section of the movie.
Aaron Abrams has an understandably smaller role as her father, trying to understand his child’s feelings and does good work when called upon.
Of the local teenagers, Carson MacCormac has the biggest role, playing Cole, who chafes against his family’s privilege and hides his own secrets. He has solid chemistry with Douglas and makes Cole sympathetic even when the situation might suggest otherwise.
Amongst the other adults, Kevin Durand is typically great as the wealthy and slightly smug Arthur Hill, while Will Sasso has a few good moments as Sheriff Dunne, who is doing his best to keep things chill even as the body count rises.
Final Thoughts
Kevin Durand in Eli Craig’s ‘Clown in a Cornfield.’ Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.
While ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ doesn’t exactly re-invent the slasher genre, it does have enough going on under the basic serial slaying surface to maintain interest.
There are issues here of how trauma is processed via pop culture (in this case, YouTube videos) and the clash of ideologies in small town, especially one that has gone from bustling to rust belt within a couple of decades.
If we were to warn anyone away, it might be coulrophobes, who will certainly be triggered by the array of rampaging, brightly-costumed killers to be found lurking here.
“Are you a friend of frendo?”
Showtimes & Tickets
Quinn and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on… Read the Plot
What’s the plot of ‘Clown in a Cornfield’?
Looking for a fresh start, Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her father (Aaron Abrams) move to the quiet town of Kettle Springs. They soon learn the fractured community has fallen on hard times after losing a treasured factory to a fire.
As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning clown emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time.
Who is in the cast of ‘Clown in a Cornfield’?
(L to R) Cassandra Potenza, Verity Marks, and Carson MacCormac in Eli Craig’s ‘Clown in a Cornfield.’ Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder. An RLJE Films & Shudder Release.