Clown In A Cornfield (2025)

When it comes to movie titles, Clown In A Cornfield is probably up there with Snakes On A Plane when it comes to something that succinctly explains the film, yet also sounds a bit ridiculous. That's pretty much where the similarity ends. Despite how you might feel about the title, Clown In A Cornfield is a surprisingly straightforward slasher movie that makes use of well-known genre trappings and, of course, the pervasiveness of coulrophobia that has only been exacerbated by horror icons such as Pennywise, the Killer Klowns (from outer space), and Art.

Quinn Maybrook (Katie Douglas) is the new girl in town, having been forcibly relocated with her father, Dr. Glenn Maybrook (Aaron Abrams), after the death of her mother. It isn't long until Quinn makes some friends, but they may not be the best people to hang around with. They seem okay to Quinn though, and are able to give her the background on the town, and the background on a mascot named Frendo the Clown, before everything starts getting quite bloody.  

Based upon the novel by Adam Cesare (and there are also a few sequels that may end up being adapted after this delivered a decent return on such a relatively small budget), this was written by Carter Blanchard and director Eli Craig, who both do well enough to make the most of the imagery conjured up by the title, as well as the expected slasher movie deaths. There's a sense of fun throughout most of the film, although the ending eventually grinds to a halt for viewers to sit through the big reveal that gives us a sadly grounded explanation for all of the mayhem. 

Douglas is a decent lead, but the rest of the younger cast members alongside her - Carson MacCormac, Vincent Muller, Cassandra Potenza, Verity Marks, Ayo Solanke, etc - don't make much of an impression. In fact, I wish we'd had more screentime for the grown-ups, including Abrams, Kevin Durand, and Will Sasso. That divide between the old and the young is where the best stuff lies, in between the set-pieces that have clowns murdering their victims anyway.

It's all good fun without ever being great, but I could easily rewatch this and not be too bored. I'd also check out any sequels we may get. It's just a shame that Craig didn't decide to lean even further into the horror. This keeps things light and fun, which makes sense considering Craig's filmography, but also holds back on the gags. That ultimately gives viewers something too tame to be a great slasher and too restrained to be a great comedic horror. 

I AM tempted to read the book series now though, and I'm sure that's a good result for Cesare. 

6/10

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