The Reel Review
Shortly after moving with her father to the quiet, corn-producing community of Kettle Springs, Missouri, Quinn comes up against a sinister grinning clown, a demented version of the mascot for the now-closed corn syrup plant, that seems intent on killing the town’s young people. Katie Douglas, Kevin Durand and Will Sasso star in this horror/thriller adapted from Adam Cesare’s 2020 novel.
Clown in a Cornfield smartly leans into the ridiculousness of its goofy premise, with co-writer/director Eli Craig (Tucker & Dale vs. Evil) showcasing some lame-brained decisions by its social media-obsessed teenage victims as well as some creative, increasingly gnarly kills. There is even a small-town parade homage of sorts to 1999’s Drop Dead Gorgeous, which also starred Sasso. There’s lots of blood to please the gore hounds.
While the film falls short of being truly scary or even that funny, the breezy hour-and-a-half runtime and twisty, nothing-is-as-it-seems ending – especially the romantic part – is at least a fun subversion of horror genre tropes.
REEL FACTS
• Clown in a Cornfield director Eli Craig is one of Oscar-winning actress Sally Field’s (Norma Rae, Places in the Heart) three sons.
• Clown in a Cornfield set a new opening record for distributor IFC, making $3.7 million in its opening weekend.
• Although set in Missouri, Clown in a Cornfield was filmed in Winnipeg, Canada.
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