Slashers are a genre that has already gone through several lives: from «Halloween» and «Friday the 13th» to the ironic «Scream» and the ultra-violent «The Expendables». But Clown in a Cornfield decided to take a different path — not to become a new shock, but rather to return the viewer to the familiar swamp of screams, blood and teenage stupidity, where something terrible is hiding in the corn. The film is based on a young adult novel of the same name and has every chance of appealing to those who are nostalgic for the era of VHS slashers but want something a little more recent. The latter is important because the movie is centered around a provincial town again, schoolchildren, parties, and, of course, a clown.
Genre slasher, comedy, …
Director Ali Craig
Starring Katie Douglas, Kevin Durand, Cassandra Potenza, …
Premiere May 8, 2025
The film «Clown in a cornfield» takes place in a typical American town with an equally typical set of problems: decay, boredom, teenagers with phones, irritated parents, and a horror story about a former corn factory mascot — Frendo the Clown.
All of this is the perfect backdrop for a film that, at first glance, looks like a classic slasher from the 90s, but in fifteen minutes reveals its true face — not a clown face, but a rather cunning one. Because what could be better than another story where someone is chopped up in the middle of a field? Unless it’s a story that realizes that its plot is a meme and makes the most of it.
The story — centers on a high school student named Quinn. She and her father move to a small town after a personal tragedy. And while the girl is trying to adapt, the town begins to reap a bloody harvest. Someone wearing a Frendo mask hunts schoolchildren, and the viewer tries to guess whether this is a serious movie or a satire. The answer is somewhere in between.
The film does not hesitate to show ripped open stomachs, but it is all presented with such a level of self-awareness that in some places you want to give the screenwriter a «five» just for the impudence.
The closest analog is — «Scream» with teenagers with YouTube, and a little bit provincial «Texas Massacre». Only here everyone has smartphones, but not always brains.
The characters are — caricatured but not annoying, they are functions rather than heroes, but they work within the genre. The protagonist, played by Kathy Douglas, is sympathetic and doesn’t try to be a superhero, which is her plus. Her Quinn is not a clichéd girl with nerves of steel, but simply a person who is forced to fight back and wants only one thing: to survive.
Visually, the film looks good: dark locations, cornfields, night scenes with flashlights — all familiar, but presented well. The editing is without unnecessary chaos, and there is plenty of blood, but not enough to make you nauseous.
It’s not «The Terrifying» and it’s definitely not Art with its vivid and damned detailed carnage. «Clown in a cornfield» teeters on the edge of black comedy rather than trying to scare the living daylights out of you. Most of the scenes evoke not «oh my gosh» but «well, okay», and this predictability works in the movie’s favor in a strange way — it’s like watching it again on VHS, and that’s part of the fun.
Music and sound are purely for the background. I can’t stand it, but I don’t remember it either. Not exactly the part you want to talk about, but it keeps the rhythm. And most importantly, the movie doesn’t drag on. There’s enough going on in the movie to keep the viewer engaged. There is really not much here that you wish to rewind.
This is an ideal option for an evening when you want something «fun», rather than a deep dive into the psychology of the killer.
The cast works exactly as a good slasher should: without excessive depth, but with a clear understanding that their characters are more archetypes than full-fledged characters.
Katie Douglas as Quinn holds the viewer’s attention and manages to be both a victim and a heroine, even when the script forces her to make decisions like «let me go into the dark barn alone.» The rest of the young people are typical, but likeable. You can feel that no one is trying to play ultra-deeply, but at the same time they are not overacting, which is a great victory for the masks, blood, and screams genre.