Over the past decade, we've gotten numerous horror movies centered around clowns, but the two biggest examples are the IT movies and the recent Terrifier franchise. Although the newest addition, Clown in a Cornfield, is neither as scary or good as either of those franchises, it is a welcome release within the horror realm.
Adapted from a book by Adam Cesare, Clown in a Cornfield is a movie that you should see with low expectations. This isn't the type of movie that'll blow you away with the acting or production value, but it's an easy watch and features numerous kills that could only be deemed as silly.
During an interview with the A.V. Club, director Eli Craig spoke about how the movie was meant to be entertaining and not bash us over the head with any political messaging, and it's for the betterment of the film. Although it's not as silly as his directorial debut Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, it still results in a fun ride.
The movie starts with a jolt as we see two teenagers murdered by the town's unofficial mascot, Frendo, and from there it spirals into a mix of creative kills and several laugh-out-loud moments.
Jumping into present times, we meet our main character Quinn (Katie Douglas), who recently moved to Kettle Springs with her dad Glenn (Aaron Abrams). Abrams is arguably the biggest name in the entire film as the rest of the cast is fairly unknown including the rest of the main cast.
One could argue that having the unknown cast is for the viewer's benefit as we truly have no sense of who may or may not survive. As Quinn meets other students at her school, she quickly falls into a group with Cole, Janet, Matt, Ronnie, and Tucker. The group fits numerous stereotypes we've seen in horror movies before including the jock and the beauty queen, but this is interweaved with a constant reminder that these are Gen-Z times.
The group is constantly checking their phones and filming new content for their subscribers. We've seen movies provide viewers with these cliches throughout the history of horror, but this feels like one of the first aimed at the TikTok crowd.
As the kills start racking up throughout the movie, we not only lose several members of the main clique mentioned above, but are also led in several different directions on who the true killer may be. Luckily Craig avoided going for a PG-13 rating and focused more on making the best version of this movie, so we see severed limbs, lots of blood, and some true joys for slasher fans.
The film also smartly doesn't reveal its hand too quickly, even though it becomes fairly obvious who the killer is before the big reveal. By investing more time in the main group of characters—and the outcast Rust—it becomes easier to cheer for all of them to succeed, even if they don't seem like great people.
As the movie makes the big reveal, it does peter out a bit and doesn't wrap up as nicely as I'd hoped. Horror movies always have a history of struggling to stick the landing once the big twist is revealed to the viewer, but thankfully it doesn't completely ruin the viewing experience for this specific film.
Even though Quinn ends up surviving the night, Craig does a good job of leaving the room open for a potential sequel and a chance to continue adapting more of Cesare's work. With only a $1 million budget, there is room for a big profit with this film, and positive reviews from both critics and audiences may help Clown in a Cornfield not only become a sleeper hit, but also a franchise similar to IT and Terrifier.
Clown in a Cornfield is now playing in theaters.