Clown in a Cornfield

A name like "Clown in a Cornfield" promises the kind of pulp-like over-the-top violence and self-awareness that made director Eli Craig's Tucker and Dale vs. Evil so much fun. What we got is something tame and forgettable. Something that isn't nearly as smart as it thinks it is. It tries to be a combination of Children of the Corn, IT, Scream, and others but comes away as less than the sum of its parts.

The story plays like a lesser version of Eli Roth's Thanksgiving. Group of kids being picked off by a masked killer for some perceived crime. But the characters aren't nearly as well defined as Roth's were. There's little suspense built up as the Clown just keeps popping up. Plenty of gore, but no particularly memorable kill. Frendo is pretty tame as a slasher killer, doing nothing to stand out. Not helped by the fact that the Terrifier series has so completely cornered the market on creepy clown villains.

There's some playfulness with the main group playing pranks on each other for YouTube, TikTok, etc. But this largely becomes an excuse to dismiss characters not being around after they have been killed.

The acting is okay at best. Will Sasso seems to be hamming it up. Kevin Durand is doing his usual good job. But the kids are unremarkable.

Then there's the ending. The kind of lousy finale all too common with the latter Scream films, with the mask coming off and the villain monologuing about their motives giving the heroes time to escape. Worse, the dialogue is far too on-the-nose like was taken from a Tumblr rant.

It promises lots of fun but ultimately is forgettable once the credits start rolling.

This flick was based off on recent horror related young adult fiction by Adam Cesare and was just average. It offers some good practical and cgi gore effects, full of tongue-in-cheek humor.

It offers an inclusive grouping of characters probably that the current administration wouldn't approve of. One of the characters kinda looks like Elon Musk!

The only that original is the intergenerational jokes between older and younger characters. Things like a rotary dial phone, etc. Comes off pretty funny. The clowns were not a creepy as many reviewers have claimed.

The acting chops were not above average, but not horrible. The film is most likely coming at a time where producers are responding to clown with extreme violence like the recent success of Damian Leone's "Terrifier" franchise.

This film has probably got popularity of a new generation of filmgoers trying to feel the 80s/90s straight to gore films. In the way, their new interest is probably to chase folk horror and more subtle horror like "Midsummer" and "The Witch" away

I guess this film by Eli Craig should be indebt to "Terrifier"-crowd funders and independent horror supporters. It's need to be said that Craig is also a trendsetter with horror comedy like "Tucker and Dale vs Evil" (obviously inspired by "Evil Dead" franchise).

I'm a big fan of the book and was hoping that the movie would stick to it. It's a fun movie, I enjoyed the comedic elements but if you are a fan of the book and think it will represent the book 100% you might not like this. The movie felt rushed in some parts with not much character development. If they make a sequel please stick to the book more.

I just watched the movie today and honestly had a blast. It did keep me entertained I will tell you that, but it was sort of all very cliche so you knew what was coming. Some of the lines were just straight up cringey. There was a pretty funny plot twist for a character which I enjoyed a lot. The entire idea of it was great. It was more of a comedy than an actual horror. So I think it is basically good for the genres that it does generally fit which is dark comedy and a teen slasher. I would not add horror to it. Could have been way scarier honestly. The scariest part was the dad jumping out of nowhere into the frame lol.

If you love your slashers bloody, self-aware, and just a little bit unhinged, 'Clown in a Cornfield' is an absolute must-watch. It delivers that nostalgic, small-town horror vibe straight out of an '80s nightmare, but with a modern edge that keeps things fresh and fun. Frendo the clown is instantly iconic - equal parts terrifying and absurd - and the kills? Gory, creative, and satisfyingly brutal.

What really surprised me, though, was how funny this film is. It doesn't take itself too seriously, leaning into the ridiculousness of its premise in a way that totally works. The script is sharp, the characters are likable enough to root for (or scream at), and there's a surprising amount of heart buried beneath the bloodshed.

By the time the credits rolled, I was already googling the books. If they're anything like the movie, I'm in for a wild ride. Easily my favorite slasher of 2025 so far.