Clown in a Cornfield
Shudder
Clown in a Cornfield is a fun little exercise in playing with expectations. The title itself lends towards being fairly self-aware, but also understanding exactly what is necessary to deliver. Do we get a clown in a cornfield? Absolutely. Do we get more than one clown in said cornfield? Who’s to say? But, this is without a doubt some of the most fun horror crazed audiences are going to have in 2025, and it very unabashedly puts all of its cards on the table in the opening few minutes.
The film itself isn't chock full of household names, and its reported budget of less than one million dollars is stretched as far as the eye can see, so considering those limitations, the talent on display here is surprisingly abundant. The opening sequence prepares the audience for exactly what's in store for them in the film's brisk runtime, and is fairly fun in how it goes about that. The standout performance here is, of course, Katie Douglass, our “final girl”, and she is given a surprising amount to do. Unfortunately, the film itself is very predictable in how it expresses its themes of generational trauma, and while that can be off-putting, when it leans heavily into its offbeat premise, it exceeds expectations.
While the film is based upon a YA horror novel of the same name, it does not hold back in its portrayal of violence and grisly kills. The romantic subplot that appears as a through line in the movie is ultimately unnecessary, but does have a fun and endearing resolution. While there is plenty of fun to be had during Clown in a Cornfield, the results are unfortunately more mixed than expected, due to some budget restraints and a stretched-thin premise.
The director of the film, Eli Craig, has his roots firmly planted in horror/comedy/satire genre. For better or worse, Craig does bring his A-game to the table, but if the script you're working with is cliche-riddled madness, and the budget is minuscule even by horror standards, there are bound to be some unavoidable issues. Clown in a Cornfield does work better than Craig's last endeavor, the almost unwatchable Little Evil, a particularly bad satirical approach to The Omen franchise.
In the end, Clown in a Cornfield does not do much to play with your expectations and is by no means a perfect slasher by any right, but with audience expectations in check, and maybe a few drinks, this can be a very breezy, fun time at the movies. The clown makeup, in particular, is quite effective.