Clown in a Cornfield
YA adaptation isn't grisly enough for gorehound Alec Toombs.
Film Yap is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
What in the Stephen King Sam Hill is “Clown in a Cornfield” (in theaters beginning Friday, May 9)? While evoking imagery of “It” and “Children of the Corn” this is actually an adaptation of the first novel in Adam Cesare’s horror trilogy adapted by co-writer (alongside Carter Blanchard)/director Eli Craig (son of Sally Field and helmer of the justifiably beloved cult flick “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil”).
Quinn Maybrook (Katie Douglas) is a high school senior who’s moved from Philadelphia to the small town of Kettle Springs, Mo. with her doctor Dad Glenn (Aaron Abrams) after the overdose death of her mother.
Quinn is warned to stay away from the popular crowd by Sheriff Dunne (Will Sasso) and her hick/hunter neighbor Rust (Vincent Muller), so obviously she begins hanging with them. They are rich kid Cole Hill (Carson MacCormac), catty mean girls Janet (Cassandra Potenza) and Ronnie (Verity Marks), Ronnie’s jock boyfriend Matt (Alexandre Martin Deakin) and drummer Tucker (Ayo Solanke).
Cole’s Dad is Arthur (Kevin Durand), heir to the Baypen Corn Syrup fortune. The town’s fortunes have taken a turn for the worse ever since the factory burnt down. The townsfolk assume Cole and his crew are responsible, but they insist they’re innocent. Soon enough Baypen’s clown mascot Frendo turns up to terminate the teens.
There’s a lot I admired about “Clown in a Cornfield” and a lot that should’ve been more assured. I liked it a lot less than Craig’s “Tucker & Dale,” but it’s markedly better than his Adam Scott/Evangeline Lilly Netflix vehicle “Little Evil.” The whole thing’s a tad too “Degrassi” for me in just how damned melodramatic and Canadian it all is, but it did manage to spring a few decent surprises.
The kills are generally pretty good (my favorite involved a barbell and a hacksaw), but they could’ve and should’ve been gorier. (Perhaps this was a budgetary issue?)
My favorite elements of the film are the performances of Douglas and Abrams and the chemistry they share with one another. Quinn and Glenn are the heart and soul of the picture and their relationship is sold with aplomb.
I wasn’t over the moon about “Clown in a Cornfield,” but I’d happily check out sequels from Craig or another creative. I suspect 1980s and 1990s slasher aficionados will find enough to enjoy and it’ll make decent fodder for teenage get-togethers and sleepovers.
This could serve as training wheels to true terror.