Haunting Adventure in Cornfield: Clown Fulfills Expected Thrills
In the heart of rural Missouri lies the small town of Kettle Springs, famous for its corn syrup and annual celebrations featuring Frendo the Clown, the Baypen Brand mascot. However, the idyllic setting is about to be shattered by a chilling horror in Eli Craig's latest slasher film, Clown in a Cornfield.
The story follows Quinn, played by Katie Douglas from "Ginny & Georgia", and her father, who move to Kettle Springs and take up residence as the town's doctor. Quinn quickly befriends the local YouTube group but is not thrilled about living in the small town. But the town's festivities take a sinister turn when a serial killer dressed as Frendo goes on a murderous rampage, turning the town’s celebrations into a bloodbath.
The film engages in sly misdirection about the killer's identity, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats. Frendo, the killer, is ruthless and furious, using various implements of destruction, including chainsaws, crossbows, and cattle prods.
Clown in a Cornfield is less of a comedy than expected, although it does offer a funny scene involving a crisis with a rotary phone. The movie is a mostly straightforward slasher film with pleasingly gruesome gore.
The underlying message of the film centers on generational conflict and community breakdown. The film reflects tensions between the town’s local adults, who exhibit intolerance toward the younger generation (notably prank video-making Gen Z teens), and the youth, who are caught in a deadly situation. This dynamic symbolizes a deeper societal commentary on the lack of community, care, and protection for children, highlighting how neglect and failure to support each other can lead to the destruction of families and society as a whole.
The script for Clown in a Cornfield is by Eli Craig and Carter Blanchard, adapted from the novel by Adam Cesare. The movie stars Kevin Durand, Will Sasso, Carson MacCormac, Vincent Muller, Cassandra Potenzo, and Verity Marks. It will be released in theaters on May 9.
Local teens have been using Frendo's image in horror shorts they post on YouTube, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the town. The company's mascot, a clown named "Frendo", is still a prominent symbol in Kettle Springs, despite the town's struggles since the Baypen Brand Corn Syrup factory closed.
In essence, Clown in a Cornfield uses its slasher framework to explore how superficial social facades and unresolved generational divides contribute to real horror. Eli Craig plays with genre conventions straightforwardly—not subverting but embracing them—to deliver a chilling story with sharp dialogue, gore, and humor, while emphasizing the dangers of ignoring youth and communal responsibility.
- Gizmodo might review Clown in a Cornfield, a movie that uses its slasher framework to explore social facades and unresolved generational divides, with a chilling story, sharp dialogue, and pleasingly gruesome gore.
- The technology-focused site, IO9, could appreciate the unexpected shift in Clown in a Cornfield, a movie that offers a funny scene involving a crisis with a rotary phone, despite being mostly a straightforward slasher film with a deeper societal commentary about generational conflict and community breakdown.
- Movies-and-TV reviewers on IO9 might find Clown in a Cornfield fascinating, as it engages in sly misdirection about the killer's identity, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats while also addressing themes of neglect and failure to support each other, leading to the destruction of families and society as a whole.
