The adaptation of author Adam Cesare’s Clown in a Cornfield recreates what makes the young adult novel and its subsequent sequels so special: it speaks to a younger generation about the frustrating generational divide while never sacrificing the horror. This slasher movie knows the best way to a budding horror fan’s heart is through gratuitous violence, cheer-worthy kills, and a batch of root-worthy characters that lament the frustrations that come from being disregarded by adults. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil director Eli Craig tackles the mostly faithful adaptation with aplomb, bringing the right balance of gore and comedy for a zippy, lean slasher.
Bypassing the novel’s cold open with something of a more traditional slasher opener, Clown in a Cornfield introduces protagonist Quinn Maybrook (Katie Douglas) and her dad, Dr. Glenn Maybrook (Aaron Abrams), as they arrive in their new hometown of Kettle Springs. It’s a middle of nowhere Midwest town akin to Children of the Corn’s Gatlin, and it’s clear that the grownups here have a major bone to pick with the youth.
That means that Quinn quickly finds herself drawing the ire of the authority, especially as she befriends a particularly rebellious group that includes love interest Cole (Carson MacCormac), mean girl Janet (Cassandra Potenza), Ronnie (Verity Marks), Tucker (Ayo Solanke), and Matt (Alexandre Martin Deakin). It doesn’t just appear to be the grownups that have a bone to pick with the teens, though, as the eerie clown mascot that represents the town’s past success returns and begins culling the younger generation.
Craig, who adapts the screenplay with Carter Blanchard, streamlines Cesare’s novel into a quick-moving slasher that strikes the right balance between gory carnage and raucous fun. The kills are mean and bloody, but humor is never far behind to ensure maximum fun. If it were strictly a lean, meat-and-potatoes slasher aimed at teens, it’d already be a success, but fans of Cesare’s novel will know that there’s a lot more on Clown in a Cornfield’s mind than that. A third act twist unleashes a furious bloodbath that lets the teens test their mettle and wits, serving as a rallying cry for adolescence as it tackles timely topics.
The cast is fantastic, led by Douglas’ feisty, intelligent, and level-headed Quinn, with Vincent Muller poised to become a fan favorite as the written-off “redneck” Rust. Will Sasso’s Sherriff Dunne serves as one of the more frustrating horror movie cops to come along in a while, intentionally so, but luckily gets far more screentime than the underutilized Kevin Durand as the town mayor. While this is a teen slasher that puts its teens first, the adults are noticeably underdeveloped for the sake of storytelling expediency. That also applies to most of the teens, though many get at least a quick moment or sharp-tongued zinger to shine.
Clown in a Cornfield puts most of its focus on the friction between Quinn and her father, who relocate to the nowhere America town after a tragedy, but there’s not enough time in the brisk runtime to fully resolve their open wounds. Still, Craig and crew do offer a tidy and violent conclusion and do enough right to earn a continuation of Quinn’s story. Cesare does have the path forward already mapped out, after all. What begins as a straightforward slasher deftly shifts gears, tackling heady topics with infectious snark and bloodletting. It’s a rare film that speaks directly to its teen audience while refusing to water down the horror; Clown in a Cornfield knows its demographic is resilient enough to handle the terror just fine.
Clown in a Cornfield premiered at SXSW and releases in theaters on May 9, 2025.
The post ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ SXSW Review – A Lean, Mean Teen Slasher appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
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