Film Review: ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ is a Slasher That Gives You Exactly What it Promises

There is very little burying of the lede with Clown in a Cornfield. You know exactly what you’re being offered, while the filmmaker knows exactly what to deliver. Now, is the final product anything to go wild over? No. At the same time, is it done a bit better than you might expect? It sure is. This winds up being a solid little horror film that offers up a few little differences to allow it to slightly stand out from the pack.

Clown in a Cornfield is sort of a poor man’s Thanksgiving, in that some of the elements that Eli Roth utilized for his slasher are in evidence here. Roth’s movie is the superior one for a number of reasons, but this flick certainly has its charms. It’s not trying to be over the top like the Terrifier franchise (mostly just sharing a clown element), instead going for something a bit on the throwback side of things instead.

Quinn Maybrook (Katie Douglas) and her father Dr. Glenn Maybrook (Aaron Abrams) have just moved to the quiet little town of Kettle Springs looking for a fresh start. The former is starting a new school, while the latter is the town’s new doctor. What they find, instead of just a new start, is a community that has fallen on hard times after the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down, resulting in a real feeling of hopelessness. Quinn makes friends with some of the local kids, finding a community, though her father thinks they’re up to no good. In short order, a bigger problem will emerge.

As the townspeople continue what seems like years of bickering, with the adults turning a glowering eye towards the teens, a sinister clown emerges from the cornfields of the town. Frendo the Clown is here, once the town’s mascot, but now the harbinger of death for all who stand before him. As Quinn and her friends try to survive, the body count rises, while questions remain about just what is going on in Kettle Springs?

The acting is about what you usually get out of a slasher movie, though no one is outwardly bad. Katie Douglas is your garden variety scream queen, doing exactly what’s required. Aaron Abrams is fine, though mostly doing the sort of horror dad things as well. The supporting cast, teens and adults alike, include Kevin Durand, Carson MacCormac, Verity Marks, Vincent Muller, Cassandra Potenza, Will Sasso, Ayo Solanke, and more, mostly existing as fodder for Frendo.

Director Eli Craig takes a no frills approach to the fright flick. The same goes for the script he penned with Carter Blanchard and Adam Cesare, save for the economic despair that gives the bones of this one something a little unique. The gore is solid, there’s a mild twist towards the end, and some unsettling images. What more do you want out of a standard issue slasher? The movie gets in, gets out, and likely leaves you satisfied.

Clown in a Cornfield is pretty much what you expect, with a few interesting bits towards the end to give it a little more personality. The film is more or less just doing its job, so if you want to watch a murderous clown, that’s exactly what you’re going to get. It’s not the extremes of Terrifier, sure, but who is Art the Clown’s equal these days anyway?

SCORE: ★★★