Latest news with #EliCraig
Forbes
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Horror Comedy ‘Clown In A Cornfield' Gets Digital Streaming Date, Report Says
Scene from "Clown in a Cornfield." The hit horror comedy Clown in a Cornfield is reportedly coming soon to digital streaming. Directed by Eli Craig ( Tucker & Dale vs. Evil ), Clown in a Cornfield is based on hit young adult novel by Adam Cesare. The film opened in theaters on May 9. The official summary for the film reads, 'In Clown in a Cornfield, Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her father (Aaron Abrams) 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 hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. 'As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time. Welcome to Kettle Springs. The real fun starts when Frendo the Clown comes out to play.' Rated R, Clown in a Cornfield is expected to arrive on digital straming via premium video on demand on Tuesday, June 10, according to When to Stream. While the streaming tracker is typically accurate with its PVOD reports, When to Stream noted that the film's studio, RLJE Films, has not announced or cornfirmed the digital release date of Clown in a Cornfield and it is subject to change. When Clown in a Cornfield arrives on PVOD, it will be available to purchase or rent on such digital platforms as Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Prime Video and YouTube. Prime Video currently has the film available for pre-order for $24.99, which will also be the film's purchase price. Since digital rentals are typically $5 less than purchase prices, viewers can expect to rent Clown in a Cornfield for a 48-hour period for $19.99. Clown in a Cornfield has earned $6.3 million from North American theaters and $257,000 internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $6.5 million to date, per The Numbers. Director Eli Craig said in a Zoom conversation before the film's release that the production budget for Clown in a Cornfield was 'significantly less' than $10 million. Clown in a Cornfield received a 73% perfect 'fresh' rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics based on 124 reviews. The RT Critics Consensus for the film reads, 'Clown in a Cornfield doesn't reinvent the corn-maze, but its clever insights, subversion of expectations, and solid foundation help slash its way to the top.' Audiences gave Clown in a Cornfield a 61% 'fresh' rating on RT's Popcornmeter based on 500-plus verified user ratings. Clown in a Cornfield, which also stars Kevin Durand, Carson MacCormack and Will Sasso, is expected to arrive on PVOD on June. 10.
Otago Daily Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Splatter that splits the sides
Photo: Shauna Townley/IFC Films/TNS Director: Eli Craig Cast: Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Carson MacCormac, Kevin Durand, Will Sasso Rating: (R16) ★★★+ REVIEWED BY AMASIO JUTEL Despite the very silly title, Clown in a Cornfield (Reading) has the feel of a Texas Chainsaw slasher paired with the slapstick sentiment of Terrifier's ridiculously costumed clowns who, without fail, wear size 100, squeaky clown shoes at every killing. A fire in Kettle Spring's maple syrup factory has relegated it to "flyover country" and the town's older residents suspect a group of troublesome teens are guilty of the arson. A masked killer dressed as "Frendo", the maple syrup mascot, has it in for the teens, who've cried wolf too many times for anyone to believe their story. Clown in a Cornfield is a solid entrant into the revitalised contemporary horror/slasher canon of equal parts fright and laughter — think Terrifier and Heart Eyes. Like Texas Chainsaw, highly aesthetic, filmic quality is not lost on the director — like the sunrise-orange horizon shots that scream Days of Heaven. The film is formally innovative (marking its singularity from the first title card) and cinematically creative (maybe my favourite was the long "oner" camera shot kill sequence), but where the film particularly shines is its narrative sophistication — even the "mean girl blonde" has some solid characterisation as a creepypasta horror YouTube director. Although slightly sanitised for an R16 rating, the horror and kill sequences are ferocious and fun. And while the speechifying villain felt extraneous, the formalist flair, narrative excellence, and slapstick humour packed into the short, sweet runtime means one can hardly complain.
Geek Tyrant
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Review: CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD is a Surprisingly Great Slasher Film! — GeekTyrant
I walked into Clown in a Cornfield hoping for the same mischievous energy that director Eli Craig poured into Tucker & Dale vs. Evil . What I got was that and more with a fast, funny, and genuinely tense slasher that treats its clown gimmick as a springboard rather than a crutch. Right from the opening shot of cornstalks rustling under the moon during a teen party in the 90s, Craig announces that the ride will be playful, but he never forgets to keep the blade sharp. The story picks up as Quinn Maybrook and her dad arrive in Kettle Springs, a town half‑frozen in nostalgia after its corn‑syrup factory went up in smoke. Adults pine for 'the good old days,' teens livestream pranks and count the days until they can bail. 'You can feel that resentment humming under every friendly wave, and Craig uses it to wind the tension like a spitfire carnival barker cranking a jack‑in‑the‑box. That culture clash is the movie's real fuel, and Craig stages it like a county‑fair tug‑of‑war where both sides keep slipping in the mud. It's lean storytelling and no scene overstays its welcome, and every grumble between generations tightens the coil before things explode. Enter Frendo, the factory's grinning clown mascot, now stalking the fields and a mission to trim the 'rotten crop' of kids before the town rots for good. Each kill arrives with punch‑line timing followed by a grim sting, as if the movie winks at you right before shoving you off the hayride. Craig lets the kills hit hard without wallowing in them. The film nods to late‑'70s through '90s slashers and while it's self‑aware, it never feels like karaoke. Instead, it treats the genre's greatest hits as a playlist to remix. What surprised me most was the heart beating beneath the splatter. Quinn (Katie Douglas) is a teen exhausted by adults who talk without listening. Carson MacCormac, Aaron Abrams, Will Sasso, and Kevin Durand round out a cast that feels authentically small‑town, tossing barbs one minute and clinging to each other the next. The comedy lands because it's rooted in frustration we all recognize, teen culture versus parental 'make America small again' panic. Is the movie reinventing the the horror slaher film circus? Not really, but it's a riot watching a film that does a great job juggling carnage, commentary, and blood‑soaked camp, and genuine suspense without overstaying their welcome. Clown in a Cornfield begs to be seen with a rowdy crowd, the kind that laughs at one kill and groans at the next. If you've been waiting for a slasher that remembers to have fun without skimping on story, step right up!
Geek Tyrant
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL Director Blames David Zaslav for Killing TV Spinoff: 'The Slayer of All Cinema' — GeekTyrant
It's been 15 years since Tucker & Dale vs. Evil flipped the horror comedy slasher genre on its head, and fans have been hungry for more ever since. Now, director Eli Craig has revealed he was developing a spinoff series and shed new light on why it hasn't happened. In a recent interview with /Film, Craig revealed that the series was set up at TNT/TBS and it would've seen Tucker and Dale become hilariously incompetent detectives. Unfortunately, that concept never made it to air, and Craig puts the blame squarely on the former Discovery CEO, David Zaslav. 'We almost did a TV show with it that was on TNT/TBS, and you'll be happy to know that David Zaslav, the slayer of all cinema [laughs], came in and put the final nail in the coffin for Tucker and Dale as we were about to go to series, and just cancelled all production.' The original 2010 film starred Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine as two sweet-natured hillbillies who are mistaken for bloodthirsty killers by a group of panicked college students, who then proceed to accidentally kill themselves in absurd and hilarious fashion. It became an instant hit with genre fans and currently boasts an 86% critic score and 85% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, despite its cult status and strong international performance Craig says the lackluster domestic box office, just $223,838, has made it hard for Hollywood to take the property seriously. Craig joked: 'Tucker and Dale 2 has died more deaths than the college kids in Tucker and Dale. 'We've had so many versions that have almost got off its feet or, for one reason or another, have gotten killed. It really does set us back that people can't look at the box office, the actual box office, of the movie.' The axed TV series would have been a fresh and fun twist: 'It would have been more like Tucker and Dale, but detectives. Detective Tucker and Dale, like, stupidly trying to figure out what's happening in a world where they're always getting it wrong and people are dying around them.' Despite all the false starts, Craig hasn't given up hope, saying: 'I've never completely let go of the idea we'd make a sequel. And part of the reason people want to see a sequel is because it's set up for it. ' Tucker and Dale , when I wrote it, there were these elements I wanted to follow, like Chad is still alive, Allison and Dale's story.' Craig wrapped the conversation with a message to fans: 'Hollywood is a slayer of great ideas. But stay alive, fans! Because there's always a possibility.' So while the TV show may be officially dead, the dream of more Tucker and Dale chaos lives on. Just maybe don't expect it to happen while Zaslav's still swinging the axe.
Forbes
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
When Is Horror Comedy ‘Clown In A Cornfield' Coming To Streaming?
Frendo the Clown in "Clown in a Cornfield." RLJE Films/Shudder Clown in a Cornfield — a horror comedy from Tucker and Dave vs. Evil diector Eli Craig — is new in theaters. When will the movie be available to stream at home? Rated R, Clown in a Cornfield opened in theaters on Friday. The summary for the film reads, 'In Clown in a Cornfield, Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her father (Aaron Abrams) 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 hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. 'As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time. Welcome to Kettle Springs. The real fun starts when Frendo the Clown comes out to play.' Based on Adam Cesare's acclaimed book of the same name, Clown in a Cornfield also stars Kevin Durand, Carson MacCormack and Will Sasso. The screenplay for Clown in a Cornfield was adapted by Craig and Carter Blanchard. Clown in a Cornfield is an RLJE Films and Shudder release. The first stop for the film in the home entertainment marketplace will be on digital streaming via premium video on demand. Generally, it takes about three weeks to a month before RLJE Films releases arrive on PVOD. For example, the Nicolas Cage horror thriller Arcadian opened in theaters on April 12, 2024, and arrived on PVOD 19 days later, on May 1. More recently, RLJE Films' sci-fi horror thriller Ash opened in theaters on March 21 and made its debut just over a month later on April 22. If Clown in a Cornfield follows the same pattern, viewers can expect the film to arrive on PVOD anytime between May 27 to June 10, since new films are generally released on digital streaming on Tuesdays.' When Clown in a Cornfield debuts on PVOD, viewers will be able to purchase or rent the film on PVOD on such digital platforms as AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Prime Video and YouTube. Since Clown in a Cornfield is an RLJE Films and Shudder production, Clown in a Cornfield will debut on streaming video on demand on Shudder. Shudder, of course, is a horror film and television series-based streaming platform that has first hosted other RLJC Films productions. Previously, there was about a three-month window between the time RLJE's Arcadian debuted in theaters on April 12, 2024, before it debuted on Shudder on July 12. In additon, the RLJE horror comedy Bloody Axe Wound opened in theaters on Dec. 27, 2024, and arrived on Shudder just shy of three months later on March 21. If Clown in a Cornfield follows that same pattern, then viewers can expect the film to debut on Shudder sometime around Friday, Aug. 8. Clown in a Cornfield is new in theaters.
