Clown in a Cornfield Review: A Nostalgic Slasher!
Movie villains are one of the greatest staples for horror in cinema. For all of their violence and devilish deeds they commit, it is just as encapsulating to watch these monsters feast on the lives of their victims as it is watching the final girls “defeat” them by the end. It has been a while since a character has risen to fame to level with icons like Michael Myers, Chucky, Freddy Kreuger, or Jason Vorhees.
We have just recently witnessed a new addition to the group in Art the Clown as part of the Terrifier movie franchise, which was the first new icon in a while. Especially with a new clown on the horizon it is even more unlikely that another monster would gain recognition so quickly after Art, let alone another clown.
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Clown in a Cornfield is a film adaptation of the 2020 novel of the same name written by Adam Cesare. From the title alone it sounds like the audience knows what they are in for, a slasher with a group of teenagers and a killer clown tormenting them. While it is impossible for this assumption to be wrong, Clown in a Cornfield is one of the greatest and best surprises to come out of SXSW this year, promising just as much as the title suggests while elevating the film to a new height in its gnarly kills, entertainment value, and unexpected and exciting turns. Frendo the clown makes his first appearance and becomes a star in the making.
Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her father Dr. Maybrook (Aaron Abrams) move to a new remote town after the death of Quinn’s mother. Her father takes a new job as the town doctor. Quickly she befriends the cool and rebellious group of kids including Cole (Carson MacCormac), the son of Arthur Hill (Kevin Durand) the town’s founding family. The group loves to create Youtube horror shorts featuring the town’s Baypen Corn Syrup mascot Frendo the Clown. As Quinn starts to believe there is another person dressed as Frendo lurking around, the group begins to experience a world where their videos come to life and Frendo the Clown may be out to get them.
Early reviews for #ClownInACornfield are in from #SXSW – currently it’s Fresh at 92% on Tomatometer, with 13 reviews: https://t.co/VqCu54Rl7f pic.twitter.com/UFjAMvgG2Y
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) March 12, 2025
Clown in a Cornfield, a slasher film at its core knows how to amplify every element that makes slashers one of the most beloved subgenres. The friend group Quinn joins feels lived in, as the group clearly has history together and share their love for pranks and video making in a town that doesn’t have that much fun to offer otherwise. The town, as stated by Quinn, feels stuck in the 90s with the adults maintaining their small town values and traditions that do not allow for the teens to branch out as the upcoming generation.
It becomes clear that the film is taking on the older generation’s fear of the new, terrified of the possible dismantling of their traditional, yet outdated, outlook on life. The film never hides what it is going for and wears its themes on its sleeve, but is never overbearing because of how insanely fun this movie is throughout.
Cornfields are scary, especially in horror films. It is a common trope used, having teenagers running away from the killer into a cornfield thinking it will hide them from danger. It sounds like the perfect setting to house another modern slasher. It would be simple to use this location as a place for mass murder to occur but Clown in a Cornfield allows the trope to work in its favor thematically and physically. Baypen is a place stuck way deep in the United States where it almost feels like it lives on its own island.
‘CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD’ (2025) 🤡🌽 pic.twitter.com/zW0QrunLlv
— kyler ☏ (@slshers) February 20, 2025
Because of this, author Cesare and screenplay writers Carter Blanchard and Eli Craig utilize the film’s small town setting to expand on how it is easy for power to be maintained and contained in a small space, keeping its members in their own ideological bubble. Small scale brainwashing becomes simple when those leading are its only source of information and trust among those living there. The concept of, every once in a while, a season’s crop failing insinuates the older generations dismay upon seeing their values be challenged by the youth. As a result, the movie uses its setting to holistically expand on a familiar trope.
Clown in a Cornfield reaches perfection in its balance between comedy and slasher antics, always maintaining the danger the teenagers are facing while allowing for obvious moments of giggles upon their situations. Kevin Durand, who plays the equivalent of the mayor and family founder of Baypen, is having the time of his life while the group of relatively up-and-coming actors and actresses fuse together amazingly as a group. Some of the typical stereotypes are present but have no impact on the intrigue or excitement of watching them together and individually, during some of their deaths.
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Clown in a Cornfield knows when to mirror the slashers of the 90s and when to break free of its chains and be modern and nostalgic all at once. Therefore, some of the choices the filmmakers make are able to fit into either category and also play together with ease. The movie is yet to become one of the highlights of 2025 and will without a doubt become a classic for millennials and the new generation to feast on.
‘Clown in a Cornfield’ Rating – 4/5
Follow Steph (the Author) on IG – @cinemasteph_7
- Clown in a Cornfield Review: A Nostalgic Slasher! - March 13, 2025
- Mickey 17 Review: An Explosive Adaptation! - March 5, 2025
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