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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!
The Advertiser
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Creepy clown slasher is silly and funny in all the right ways
Clown in a Cornfield (MA15+, 96 minutes) 3 stars Nothing beats the joy of an outrageous, bloody slasher. All you need from the filmmakers is a modicum of self-awareness and you're almost guaranteed a good time. Clown in a Cornfield is definitely self-aware, and features a bunch of ridiculous kills in a snappy runtime. It's exactly what you would expect, and that's perfectly fine. Based on a YA novel of the same name by Adam Cesare, the film is set in a small, rural Missouri town called Kettle Springs. The town is still living in the 90s, with patchy internet and phone service, conservative culture, and a strong sense of tradition. Kettle Springs' biggest claim to fame is its local factory which produces corn syrup. The factory was the town's biggest employer, and its annual parade celebrates the company's mascot: Frendo the Clown. But in recent years the factory's success has dwindled, and it all falls apart when the site is burned down in a suspected arson attack which is tied to a group of local teens. It's these teens that our story focuses on. Quinn (Ginny and Georgia's Katie Douglas) and her doctor dad (Aaron Abrams) are new in town and she quickly falls in with this group. She takes a liking to Cole (Carson MacCormac), son of the town's mayor, and joins his friends when they make little horror videos turning Frendo into a serial killer. So when, during a party at an old barn in the middle of the night, a crossbow-wielding Frendo pops out of the rows of corn, Quinn and her buddies think it's just another stunt for their videos. They couldn't be more wrong. After a few early, more isolated kills, the film turns into an all-out assault on teenagers, and no one is safe. And any weapon will do: crossbow, chainsaw, pitchfork, cattle prod. If it's found on a farm, it's fair game. The kills are always the best part of any slasher, and there are some inventive ones on show here. It's good that this film is coming out ahead of the latest Final Destination instalment, which will surely put any of these deaths to shame if history is anything to go by. Clown in a Cornfield is directed by Eli Craig (son of Sally Field) whose previous work includes the delightful horror comedy Tucker and Dale vs Evil, and the Netflix original horror comedy Little Evil. Like both of those previous films, Craig's work in Clown on a Cornfield is consistently funny and silly. The film is well designed - the clowns are creepy and would have coulrophobics in a tizzy - and the small-town vibe is such an important part of developing the story. Occasionally Clown in a Cornfield attempts to make a little social commentary. These attempts are not particularly successful, especially when the overarching message is "listen to the young people" - nothing groundbreaking there. It also doesn't help that most of the teens are pretty insufferable and, at least from the little glimpse we're given of them, not worth listening to. The performances are pretty decent for the genre, and just on the right side of over-the-top - enough to show us that they're in on the joke, but not enough to take you out of the viewing experience. Kevin Durand (Robin Hood) in particular is hamming it up as Arthur Hill, the town mayor and Cole's dad. He's clearly having a grand old time. Durand and Will Sasso (The Three Stooges) as the sheriff are probably the most familiar of the cast, which is almost entirely comprised of unknowns. Douglas is strong in the lead, giving Quinn great gumption and energy, while still playing with the classic broody teenager shell. She doesn't have as much depth of character to work with as she does in Ginny and Georgia but she's still enjoyable to watch and has believable enough chemistry with MacCormac's Cole. This type of film is best watched in a bustling cinema with plenty of people to laugh at the kills - an ideal watch for a group of friends. Even though on the whole this film is exactly what you expect of a comedic slasher, there's still a few surprises up the film's sleeve. Watch for a good time and, as our group of trusty teens are told early on in the film, "don't f--k with Frendo". Clown in a Cornfield (MA15+, 96 minutes) 3 stars Nothing beats the joy of an outrageous, bloody slasher. All you need from the filmmakers is a modicum of self-awareness and you're almost guaranteed a good time. Clown in a Cornfield is definitely self-aware, and features a bunch of ridiculous kills in a snappy runtime. It's exactly what you would expect, and that's perfectly fine. Based on a YA novel of the same name by Adam Cesare, the film is set in a small, rural Missouri town called Kettle Springs. The town is still living in the 90s, with patchy internet and phone service, conservative culture, and a strong sense of tradition. Kettle Springs' biggest claim to fame is its local factory which produces corn syrup. The factory was the town's biggest employer, and its annual parade celebrates the company's mascot: Frendo the Clown. But in recent years the factory's success has dwindled, and it all falls apart when the site is burned down in a suspected arson attack which is tied to a group of local teens. It's these teens that our story focuses on. Quinn (Ginny and Georgia's Katie Douglas) and her doctor dad (Aaron Abrams) are new in town and she quickly falls in with this group. She takes a liking to Cole (Carson MacCormac), son of the town's mayor, and joins his friends when they make little horror videos turning Frendo into a serial killer. So when, during a party at an old barn in the middle of the night, a crossbow-wielding Frendo pops out of the rows of corn, Quinn and her buddies think it's just another stunt for their videos. They couldn't be more wrong. After a few early, more isolated kills, the film turns into an all-out assault on teenagers, and no one is safe. And any weapon will do: crossbow, chainsaw, pitchfork, cattle prod. If it's found on a farm, it's fair game. The kills are always the best part of any slasher, and there are some inventive ones on show here. It's good that this film is coming out ahead of the latest Final Destination instalment, which will surely put any of these deaths to shame if history is anything to go by. Clown in a Cornfield is directed by Eli Craig (son of Sally Field) whose previous work includes the delightful horror comedy Tucker and Dale vs Evil, and the Netflix original horror comedy Little Evil. Like both of those previous films, Craig's work in Clown on a Cornfield is consistently funny and silly. The film is well designed - the clowns are creepy and would have coulrophobics in a tizzy - and the small-town vibe is such an important part of developing the story. Occasionally Clown in a Cornfield attempts to make a little social commentary. These attempts are not particularly successful, especially when the overarching message is "listen to the young people" - nothing groundbreaking there. It also doesn't help that most of the teens are pretty insufferable and, at least from the little glimpse we're given of them, not worth listening to. The performances are pretty decent for the genre, and just on the right side of over-the-top - enough to show us that they're in on the joke, but not enough to take you out of the viewing experience. Kevin Durand (Robin Hood) in particular is hamming it up as Arthur Hill, the town mayor and Cole's dad. He's clearly having a grand old time. Durand and Will Sasso (The Three Stooges) as the sheriff are probably the most familiar of the cast, which is almost entirely comprised of unknowns. Douglas is strong in the lead, giving Quinn great gumption and energy, while still playing with the classic broody teenager shell. She doesn't have as much depth of character to work with as she does in Ginny and Georgia but she's still enjoyable to watch and has believable enough chemistry with MacCormac's Cole. This type of film is best watched in a bustling cinema with plenty of people to laugh at the kills - an ideal watch for a group of friends. Even though on the whole this film is exactly what you expect of a comedic slasher, there's still a few surprises up the film's sleeve. Watch for a good time and, as our group of trusty teens are told early on in the film, "don't f--k with Frendo". Clown in a Cornfield (MA15+, 96 minutes) 3 stars Nothing beats the joy of an outrageous, bloody slasher. All you need from the filmmakers is a modicum of self-awareness and you're almost guaranteed a good time. Clown in a Cornfield is definitely self-aware, and features a bunch of ridiculous kills in a snappy runtime. It's exactly what you would expect, and that's perfectly fine. Based on a YA novel of the same name by Adam Cesare, the film is set in a small, rural Missouri town called Kettle Springs. The town is still living in the 90s, with patchy internet and phone service, conservative culture, and a strong sense of tradition. Kettle Springs' biggest claim to fame is its local factory which produces corn syrup. The factory was the town's biggest employer, and its annual parade celebrates the company's mascot: Frendo the Clown. But in recent years the factory's success has dwindled, and it all falls apart when the site is burned down in a suspected arson attack which is tied to a group of local teens. It's these teens that our story focuses on. Quinn (Ginny and Georgia's Katie Douglas) and her doctor dad (Aaron Abrams) are new in town and she quickly falls in with this group. She takes a liking to Cole (Carson MacCormac), son of the town's mayor, and joins his friends when they make little horror videos turning Frendo into a serial killer. So when, during a party at an old barn in the middle of the night, a crossbow-wielding Frendo pops out of the rows of corn, Quinn and her buddies think it's just another stunt for their videos. They couldn't be more wrong. After a few early, more isolated kills, the film turns into an all-out assault on teenagers, and no one is safe. And any weapon will do: crossbow, chainsaw, pitchfork, cattle prod. If it's found on a farm, it's fair game. The kills are always the best part of any slasher, and there are some inventive ones on show here. It's good that this film is coming out ahead of the latest Final Destination instalment, which will surely put any of these deaths to shame if history is anything to go by. Clown in a Cornfield is directed by Eli Craig (son of Sally Field) whose previous work includes the delightful horror comedy Tucker and Dale vs Evil, and the Netflix original horror comedy Little Evil. Like both of those previous films, Craig's work in Clown on a Cornfield is consistently funny and silly. The film is well designed - the clowns are creepy and would have coulrophobics in a tizzy - and the small-town vibe is such an important part of developing the story. Occasionally Clown in a Cornfield attempts to make a little social commentary. These attempts are not particularly successful, especially when the overarching message is "listen to the young people" - nothing groundbreaking there. It also doesn't help that most of the teens are pretty insufferable and, at least from the little glimpse we're given of them, not worth listening to. The performances are pretty decent for the genre, and just on the right side of over-the-top - enough to show us that they're in on the joke, but not enough to take you out of the viewing experience. Kevin Durand (Robin Hood) in particular is hamming it up as Arthur Hill, the town mayor and Cole's dad. He's clearly having a grand old time. Durand and Will Sasso (The Three Stooges) as the sheriff are probably the most familiar of the cast, which is almost entirely comprised of unknowns. Douglas is strong in the lead, giving Quinn great gumption and energy, while still playing with the classic broody teenager shell. She doesn't have as much depth of character to work with as she does in Ginny and Georgia but she's still enjoyable to watch and has believable enough chemistry with MacCormac's Cole. This type of film is best watched in a bustling cinema with plenty of people to laugh at the kills - an ideal watch for a group of friends. Even though on the whole this film is exactly what you expect of a comedic slasher, there's still a few surprises up the film's sleeve. Watch for a good time and, as our group of trusty teens are told early on in the film, "don't f--k with Frendo". Clown in a Cornfield (MA15+, 96 minutes) 3 stars Nothing beats the joy of an outrageous, bloody slasher. All you need from the filmmakers is a modicum of self-awareness and you're almost guaranteed a good time. Clown in a Cornfield is definitely self-aware, and features a bunch of ridiculous kills in a snappy runtime. It's exactly what you would expect, and that's perfectly fine. Based on a YA novel of the same name by Adam Cesare, the film is set in a small, rural Missouri town called Kettle Springs. The town is still living in the 90s, with patchy internet and phone service, conservative culture, and a strong sense of tradition. Kettle Springs' biggest claim to fame is its local factory which produces corn syrup. The factory was the town's biggest employer, and its annual parade celebrates the company's mascot: Frendo the Clown. But in recent years the factory's success has dwindled, and it all falls apart when the site is burned down in a suspected arson attack which is tied to a group of local teens. It's these teens that our story focuses on. Quinn (Ginny and Georgia's Katie Douglas) and her doctor dad (Aaron Abrams) are new in town and she quickly falls in with this group. She takes a liking to Cole (Carson MacCormac), son of the town's mayor, and joins his friends when they make little horror videos turning Frendo into a serial killer. So when, during a party at an old barn in the middle of the night, a crossbow-wielding Frendo pops out of the rows of corn, Quinn and her buddies think it's just another stunt for their videos. They couldn't be more wrong. After a few early, more isolated kills, the film turns into an all-out assault on teenagers, and no one is safe. And any weapon will do: crossbow, chainsaw, pitchfork, cattle prod. If it's found on a farm, it's fair game. The kills are always the best part of any slasher, and there are some inventive ones on show here. It's good that this film is coming out ahead of the latest Final Destination instalment, which will surely put any of these deaths to shame if history is anything to go by. Clown in a Cornfield is directed by Eli Craig (son of Sally Field) whose previous work includes the delightful horror comedy Tucker and Dale vs Evil, and the Netflix original horror comedy Little Evil. Like both of those previous films, Craig's work in Clown on a Cornfield is consistently funny and silly. The film is well designed - the clowns are creepy and would have coulrophobics in a tizzy - and the small-town vibe is such an important part of developing the story. Occasionally Clown in a Cornfield attempts to make a little social commentary. These attempts are not particularly successful, especially when the overarching message is "listen to the young people" - nothing groundbreaking there. It also doesn't help that most of the teens are pretty insufferable and, at least from the little glimpse we're given of them, not worth listening to. The performances are pretty decent for the genre, and just on the right side of over-the-top - enough to show us that they're in on the joke, but not enough to take you out of the viewing experience. Kevin Durand (Robin Hood) in particular is hamming it up as Arthur Hill, the town mayor and Cole's dad. He's clearly having a grand old time. Durand and Will Sasso (The Three Stooges) as the sheriff are probably the most familiar of the cast, which is almost entirely comprised of unknowns. Douglas is strong in the lead, giving Quinn great gumption and energy, while still playing with the classic broody teenager shell. She doesn't have as much depth of character to work with as she does in Ginny and Georgia but she's still enjoyable to watch and has believable enough chemistry with MacCormac's Cole. This type of film is best watched in a bustling cinema with plenty of people to laugh at the kills - an ideal watch for a group of friends. Even though on the whole this film is exactly what you expect of a comedic slasher, there's still a few surprises up the film's sleeve. Watch for a good time and, as our group of trusty teens are told early on in the film, "don't f--k with Frendo".
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Clown in a Cornfield' Review: Stalkers
'Clown in a Cornfield,' a new teen slasher film from the writer-director Eli Craig, is both silly and as sincere as an honor student's term paper. To its credit, it uses horror to examine the economic woes of the deteriorating Midwest and the emotional shortcomings of the working-class Gen X-ers and baby boomers who never left there. What it could have used is the kind of whip smart satire that made Craig's superior film 'Tucker and Dale vs. Evil' (2011) a horror-comedy paragon. The film is set in a small Missouri farming community that was once home to, and defined by, a thriving corn syrup operation with a clown mascot known as Frendo. New in town are Quinn (Katie Douglas, terrific) and her doctor father (Aaron Abrams), who quickly discover how damaged the town became after a mysterious fire crippled the company. Just as Quinn starts to make friends, along come some psychopaths who dress like Frendo and kill select young folk to prevent them from leaving town and achieving their dreams. Or something like that. It's hard to discern: In adapting Adam Cesare's novel, Carter Blanchard and Craig have crafted a screenplay that focuses more on grisly (and often gnarly) slaughters than on providing answers to the killer cabal's motivations. A gay romance provides a sweet if underdeveloped detour. A lackluster horror movie gets points if the leading villain is a real bugaboo. But the Frendos, alas, look like poser versions of Pennywise, Art the Clown and other, scarier horror bozos.
Gizmodo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Clown in a Cornfield Lives Up to That Tremendous Title
Clown in a Cornfield is such a succinct yet evocative title for a horror movie. Your villain and your setting are right there, plus all the awful connotations your imagination can whip up regarding both. Eli Craig's new slasher has a lot to live up to with a title like that, but the director of Tucker & Dale vs. Evil knows what he's doing. He's got all the ingredients: appealing characters, a small town with a huge secret, a ghoulish killer, and an underlying message that makes sure the film is about more than just a killer clown splattering victims around a cornfield—though rest assured, there's still plenty of that. After a preface set in 1991 that immediately delivers—kids partying in a cornfield are ambushed by a maniac with very large shoes—we cut to the present day and get a closer look at Kettle Springs, Missouri, a farm town that's fallen on hard times since the Baypen Brand Corn Syrup factory closed. The company's mascot, a grinning clown named 'Frendo,' still looms over the town as a reminder of more prosperous days. More recently, desperately bored local teens have cast him as the masked killer in horror shorts they put out on YouTube. The sleepy rural community soon adds two new residents: Quinn (Ginny & Georgia's Katie Douglas) and her father (Aaron Abrams). He's accepted the job of town doctor, figuring that after the sudden loss of Quinn's mother, the pair could use a fresh start. Though she quickly befriends the YouTube clique, Quinn's not thrilled about relocating to Nowheresville, especially as she picks up on how hostile the older residents are toward the local teenagers. But there's not much time to marinate on that as things get going; Clown in a Cornfield takes place over just a few days and nights, and a good amount of screen time is given over to red-nosed, red-wigged terror, wielding chainsaws, crossbows, cattle prods, and other conveniently available implements of destruction. Despite that title, and despite Craig being the guy behind the cult-beloved Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, Clown in a Cornfield is actually less of a comedy than you might think. There are witty, self-referential lines—the script is by Craig and Carter Blanchard, adapted from the novel by Adam Cesare—but Frendo is not to be fucked with, as one character cautions Quinn. Whoever's under the mask is ruthless and furious, and Clown in a Cornfield engages in some sly misdirection about the killer's ID as more and more bodies pile up. Throughout the film, Clown in a Cornfield pulls on the threads of that generation-gap conflict and even brings technology in as part of it. Quinn's new friends love making videos and being online, but they're surrounded by adults who don't see the point of even the most basic progress. (One of the funniest scenes, teased in the film's trailer, is a crisis that occurs when the only way to call for help involves a rotary phone.) The motivation behind Frendo's slaughter ties into this divide, and if the pieces don't quite completely fit together at the end, Clown in a Cornfield has by then built up a lot of energetic goodwill. It ultimately proves itself to be a mostly straightforward slasher film—complete with many of the expected tropes, including pleasingly gruesome gore—with some clever and subversive jabs along the way. Clown in a Cornfield also stars Kevin Durand, Will Sasso, Carson MacCormac, Vincent Muller, Cassandra Potenzo, and Verity Marks. It hits theaters May 9.
Sydney Morning Herald
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Actually, what this crazed clown movie needs is fewer half-baked ideas
CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD ★★½ (MA15+) 96 minutes When you buy a ticket to a horror movie called Clown in a Cornfield, you might reasonably assume you know what you're getting. The director Eli Craig delivers on these expectations in the opening scene, where the clown dispatches a couple of hapless youngsters who have sneaked into the cornfield to have sex. From there, things get more complicated. The clown, named Frendo, has the standard creepy-clown look (red nose, miniature pork-pie hat, chainsaw). Still, when he isn't thinning the ranks of the new generation, he's presentable enough to serve as the mascot for Baypen Corn Syrup, formerly the major industry of the rust-belt town of Kettle Springs, where the young heroine Quinn (Katie Douglas) unwillingly moves in with her widower dad (Aaron Abrams) who's desperate to start anew. Following a fire at the Baypen factory, the syrup is now made elsewhere, perhaps in China. But Frendo remains the town mascot, his beneficent influence celebrated every year with a parade on Founder's Day, with local dignitaries keen to ensure the clown isn't disrespected. Nothing suss there, clearly. Still, the cult is resisted by some, notably a handful of local teenagers rumoured to have burned down the factory in a prank gone wrong, a group that includes Cole (Carson MacCormac), the charming but troubled heir to the Baypen fortune, whose younger sister died around the same time as Quinn's mother. To the dismay of her dad, Quinn is quickly befriended by these troublemakers, who collectively resemble Mystery Inc from Scooby-Doo, and who initiate her into their practice of staging hidden-camera stunts involving an evil version of Frendo, which have gained them a considerable following on YouTube. In classic boy-who-cried-wolf fashion, this means no one will believe them when another evil version of Frendo goes on the attack, echoing a chain of murders from decades earlier. Got all that? Good, because now you're ready for the big twist halfway through. All of this may have worked better in Adam Cesare's original 350-page novel, but at a little over 90 minutes the movie is all set-up and no payoff, too lacking in internal logic to deliver much in the way of laughs or scares. There's nothing wrong with using a teen horror movie to comment on the generation gap, class relations and the decline of the US manufacturing sector. But it helps if the plot isn't so cluttered with half-realised ideas that the climax winds up being cluttered further with long speeches explaining what the message was meant to be.
