‘Clown in a Cornfield’ review: The fun side of Frendo

The B-movie charm and self-aware commentary of Clown in a Cornfield will make Frendo the Clown your new favorite slasher.

Clown in a Cornfield. The name might sound cheesy, but it’s true to what you’re getting: a killer masked clown slashing its way through angsty teens. When it comes to B-movie horror, isn’t that exactly the type of chaos we hope for and love? Blood, carnage, and a creepy clown that channels all our past nightmares. Clown in a Cornfield from Temple Hill Entertainment and Rhea Films isn’t changing the game for the horror genre. Instead, its unabashedly fun kills and comedic satire make it a light horror entry that’s here for the entertainment, not the elevation.

No laughing matter.

Clown in a Cornfield is an adaptation of the book of the same name, which itself is the first entry in a current book trilogy. Eli Craig (Tucker & Dale vs. Evil) and Carter Blanchard do a good job crafting a story that channels the book’s themes while highlighting the depths of its main characters. Specifically, the complex relationship between our Final Girl archetype Quinn Maybrook (Katie Douglas) and her father (Aaron Abrams).

Clown in a Cornfield follows Quinn and her dad relocating to the quiet mid-west town of Kettle Springs, Missouri. What becomes apparent is that Kettle Springs has fallen into disarray after the recent shutdown and burning of the town’s corn syrup factory. As Quinn starts to make friends with the supposed “troublemakers” in town, someone dressed up as the town’s mascot – Frendo the Clown – emerges to stalk the group and pick off unsuspecting victims one by one.

The strongest character beats throughout Clown in a Cornfield come through Quinn’s complex relationship with her dad. Her frustrations of being forced to move and the unspoken walls built up between them create an underlying tension to the plot that humanizes their characters. Their dynamic strengthens what little plot we get from the rest of the characters, even more so than the group’s YouTube shenanigans or the teen romance. Not many characters in Clown in a Cornfield are fleshed out beyond their horror archetype, but the Maybrooks provide enough weight to their history that it drives you to root for them.

Frendo, foe, or fodder.

Speaking of the characters, Clown in a Cornfield follows the tried-and-true rule of a B-movie slasher: archetype over depth. Specifically, the group of hapless victims (and suspects) only feature surface-level traits with little to no depth. We’ve got the rebellious rich boy/Quinn’s love interest Cole, mean girl Janet, jokester Tucker, meathead jock Matt and his girlfriend Ronnie, and the mysterious farm boy Rust. This group doesn’t even include all the other suspicious teens and adults from Kettle Springs who could be under Frendo’s mask.

In the world of a B-movie slasher film, a high body count is usually the main priority. However, Clown in a Cornfield fails to get you emotionally invested with its cast of characters beyond the key main players. At times, the film’s pacing and structure telegraphed that someone wasn’t long for this world. This “foreshadowing” worked for and against its favor; while we didn’t feel sad when a specific character met their bloody end, we did enjoy the mayhem of their vicious death scene.

And to Clown in a Cornfield’s credit, the movie seemed self-aware of its horror movie structure. One clever scene in particular had a character call this out and acknowledge that they were most likely to die next because of who they were and their archetype. These moments added a comedic lightheartedness that veered the film into satire/horror-comedy instead of a scary slasher. For instance, in a range of clown horror, Clown in a Cornfield fell in the middle between It and Terrifier: not quite serious and yet not quite too outrageous.

Killer clowns from outer Kettle Springs.

At the heart of Clown in a Cornfield, the kill scenes came first. Frendo the Clown sliced, diced, and laughed their way up the body count. Craig, also serving as director, did a good job of balancing a fine line of eerie tension and off-the-walls mayhem. He’s good at crafting both the anticipation of a scene before Frendo arrived to attac, and the never-ending chaos as the film barrels towards its climax. He prefers the latter, as Frendo’s quick succession of kills are for gory splendor instead of teasing what could come next.

Clown in a Cornfield isn’t an outright jump scare-heavy film. Don’t get me wrong, Frendo (and other mysterious happenings) pops out to shake up the mood and tension. However, the film gets into the habit of telegraphing that something spooky was about to happen. For instance, foreshadowing that Frendo was somewhere in the house or someone would die next was presented as the next obvious moment. The set-up didn’t take away from the fun of the death/scene, but it made the progression straight to the point and easy to anticipate.

In a way, this made Clown in a Cornfield an easier entry point for new horror fans to get into the genre. Less terrifying, more humor and shock. And while a less intense entry can be the perfect treat for some, it might not be for others who want a horror film that’s wall-to-wall scares with chills or gore around every corner.

No time to clown around.

Clown in a Cornfield’s simplistic plot could also be a drawback for those who want added depth and turns. As mentioned above, Craig and Blanchard weaved an interesting theme of generational perceptions and horror undertones into a plot about a killer clown. When the film had a stance, the scenes emphasized their position and highlighted how it all tied together. Even going so far as to poke fun at the characters for reinforcing tropes in and out of movies. For example, my theater laughed at one such scene, panicking over a phone!

While this levity added to the fun, it didn’t make up for an underlying issue. The film’s story stayed surface-level and didn’t venture too far out to create memorable moments. This may be a case of the film’s narrative trying to stick close enough to the book’s source material. The structure allowed a faithfulness to follow the book’s pacing, but in turn, Clown in a Cornfield felt strangely too light and fast.

Like, the third act climax and killer confrontation felt rushed and unfinished. We got a satisfying “Why?” of it all and some bloody chase scenes, but at the same time, the ending felt like it was missing something. Almost as if it was too focused on teasing a sequel before trying to wrap up this story with a seamless ending. A conclusion that may have been better expanded on the page than how it was translated to the big screen.

The bottom line.

Clown in a Cornfield is an entertaining B-movie slasher in all the good and bad ways. Its unserious, light approach translates into a slasher that wants to have a good time hacking and slashing its way through its victims. Its self-aware commentary and strong main family dynamics help to round out the spooky happenings and kills of Frendo the Clown. And while its simplistic characters verge on fodder and its plot has glaring issues, it doesn’t take too much away from the overall experience. Clown in a Cornfield isn’t going to change or add anything new to the horror genre; this is a modern horror film inspired by 80s and 90s B-slashers of the past. And isn’t that enough to make Frendo happy? Always remember: never mess with Frendo.

Clown in a Cornfield is now playing in theaters everywhere. Watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of RLJE Films and Shudder. Read more articles by Justin Carreiro here.