‘Clown in a Cornfield’ Review: Scream Queens and a Killer Joker Slash Their Way Through Clever Horror Throwback [B] | SXSW

The horror genre is arguably the most forgiving genre when it comes to reinventing the chainsaw, as in you really don’t have to do much for horror to be a good time. All it takes is one switch-up or a slightly different point of view and it all feels fresh again. For a title as openly obvious as Clown in a Cornfield, you get a pretty good idea of what it’s like. But thanks to director and co-writer Eli Craig (Tucker & Dale vs. Evil), this clown still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve.

Based on the 2020 novel by Adam Cesare, the film begins like most slasher movies – teenage girl Quinn (Katie Douglas) moves to the small factory town of Kettle Springs, Missouri, after the passing of her mother. Her dad (Aaron Abrams) just got a job as the new town physician. As in he’s the only town physician. Kinda like how a small town’s got that one single sheriff.

It’s clear from the neighborhood, the buildings, and the downtown streets that Kettle Springs is not doing well financially. The town’s once thriving Baypen Corn Syrup factory burned down in an arson incident. Quinn’s classmates and new friends, however, don’t seem to be that bothered. They stir trouble around the town, pull pranks on the locals, and most of all, they run a YouTube channel where they portray the town’s mascot – Frendo the Clown – as a serial killer. Naturally, things escalate to bloody heights when a mysterious figure begins running around as Frendo, killing our teenagers one at a time. As the marketing suggests, “you don’t fuck with Frendo.”

In a slasher flick, you always will have your cliches – teenagers who run off alone to get some action are totally dead meat, characters will at-first be in denial about what’s happening, and most of all, nobody is going to believe our protagonist when she’s screaming and calling for help. Even the design for Frendo himself makes a point. He’s the most generic-looking clown costume ever, and the filmmakers know it. Clown in a Cornfield naturally has all of these tropes front and center, but with just the right amount of change in context for them to feel logical again. Take a victim who just got stabbed, dripping with blood. Naturally, our main cast is not going to take it seriously. After all, they stage and film these kinds of things all the time on YouTube (think Ben Stiller’s lead character in Tropic Thunder). It’s a neat new take on a cliche while also being a nod to how fresh new filmmakers emerge in today’s social media environment.

And just when you think the movie is about to run out of steam, an early twist kicks it into high gear and Clown in the Cornfield becomes a full-on entertaining circus show. Craig provides the gnarly decapitations and bloody spurting you would expect, but they’re often mixed in together with visual gags or a dose of self-awareness to maintain that sense of fun. We’ve all seen teenagers struggle to make a phone call and call for help right? Well, how about it’s because these kids – who are clearly Gen-Z, by the way – don’t know how to use a rotary phone? These are not only really funny ideas, but they help contribute to the theme of a town’s old culture dying off and being at odds with the new up and coming generation.

Katie Douglas turns in a fantastic performance that will be celebrated as a new scream queen, and surprisingly, the film makes room for her to share good chemistry with Abrams for father/daughter moments. Unlike most other movies in this subgenre, the protagonist’s dad also has plenty to do. As for the supporting teenagers, they range from intentionally forgettable to hilariously idiotic to surprisingly likable – with one particular character reveal that is a very welcome surprise.

One of the distributors for Clown in a Cornfield is Shudder, and on the surface, the film does look like that one horror movie you come across as you scroll on a streaming platform, looking for something to watch. But there’s something to be said about how upfront and forward the filmmakers are here, as they tap into a specific kind of experience that drew moviegoers into the theater back in the days of Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Clown in a Cornfield takes advantage of feeling like a throwback while also having an opinion on what that means and where we should go from here. 

Grade: B

This review is from the 2025 SXSW Film and Television Festival. RJLE Films and Shudder will release Clown in a Cornfield in U.S. theaters on May 9, 2025.