Clown in a Cornfield is an American slasher directed by Eli Craig (Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil), adapted from the 2020 novel of the same name by author Adam Cesare. Clown in a Cornfield benefits from some clever subversions of the horror genre that it plays with to some success, and also a strong leading performance from Katie Douglas (Ginny & Georgia); though ultimately it tests patience with preposterousness that doesn’t scare, and a slightly languid pace despite only a 96 minute runtime. 

 

Quinn (Katie Douglas) is a highschooler who recently moved with her father Glenn (Aaron Abrams) from LA to Kettle Springs, where Glenn has taken on the role of the town doctor. Quinn quickly falls in with the wrong crowd, much to the chagrin of the town Sheriff (Will Sasso). It doesn’t take long for Quinn to see that something is wrong with Kettle Springs; that the adults are all weird. When teenagers start dying, the truth about Kettle Springs is brought to light.

 

Katie Douglas gives a great performance as a disaffected teenager extricated from her life in the big city due to family tragedy. She helps Clown in a Cornfield try to keep it’s momentum when it  otherwise slows down and meanders. Supporting cast members Will Sasso as Sheriff Dunne and Kevin Durand as Mayor Hill are both excellent and help bring attention back to why things are the way they are in Kettle Springs, even if the film’s presentation of this isn’t as scary as it thinks it is. 

 

Clown in a Cornfield enjoys subverting familiar tropes of the horror genre, even attempting an element of social commentary. However instead of a clear vision executed with craftsmanship like Jordan Peele, Ari Aster or Robert Eggers, director Eli Craig loses some steam by introducing interesting ideas but not making them key to the story, but instead incidental to it. This could be forgiven if the film was more focused on scares, but it doesn’t do this with consistency as the core threat reduces in effectiveness the more it is explored on screen.

 

Clown in a Cornfield is a slasher that attempts to explore some larger views of society while reducing the teenaged population of Kettle Springs. However, director Eli Craig’s efforts aren’t as effective as his earlier excellent work Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil, though some great performances help keep Clown in a Cornfield’s momentum up at times.