Clown in a Cornfield (2025) Review

Adam Cesar’s 2020 novel, Clown in a Cornfield, is finally adapted for the big screen! Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil director Eli Craig brings Kettle Springs and its dark legacy to life, expertly translating the novel’s themes and definitely not skimping on the blood. Coming to theaters May 9th, I expect this to become a regular in summer slasher and horror comedy lineups.

The film follows Quinn Maybrook as she adapts to the small midwestern town of Kettle Springs. As she befriends the town trouble-makers, who are really just teens being teens, the oppressive nature of the town elders grows heavier, complicating her already strained relationship with her father. In this struggle to find some normalcy, she and her new friends are plunged into the deadly bizarre when their high school party is ambushed by corn syrup mascot, and town icon, Frendo the Clown.

While Craig couldn’t include all of the inventive kills in Cesar’s novel, what he does include is more than fit for slasher lovers. The mix of tried and true setups, like a chase through a cornfield, and youthful, quotable humor gives this a unique feel that both horror experts and novices can enjoy. Clown in a Cornfield follows familiar slasher “rules,” but Cesar and Craig made it a point in their respective mediums to incorporate modern themes that speak to younger generations. I think that this formula created a shining example of a slasher/horror comedy for the newer generation.

The theme of an older generation meant to protect and prepare their successors, abusing them for their differences is an idea that hits close to home with current crises, like climate change, and the overall shift to “traditional” ideals. Younger people feel unheard and unsupported right now, and how will they handle it? It’s a tough topic to broach, but the over-the-top nature of the horror genre makes it oddly easy to explore. The idea of an entire town fabricating a false narrative of what is “normal” and “good” and enforcing those ideas by donning clown costumes and hunting down nonconformists is a surreal caricature of what many groups around the world are facing right now.

Clown in a Cornfield is a slasher that has suspense and humor while also having substance and heart. It encapsulates a particular feeling of justified angst and outrage that fuels change. While some may see this as just another chaotic teenage bloodfest, and bloody it is, others are sure to find this a welcome addition to the new generation of horror films.

I had the privilege of watching this in the Prytania Theater at the Overlook Film Festival, and it was electric. The crowd was enthusiastically attentive and reacted to all the right scenes with such great energy. If you have the opportunity to see this in theaters, I highly recommend you gather some friends and go enjoy it!

Also, this movie only covers the first novel in the Clown in a Cornfield series! Frendo continues to frighten the youth of Kettle Springs in the Clown in a Cornfield trilogy by Adam Cesar. The killer clown could make a return to the screen, but in the meantime, you can add some horror books to your #TBR list…

Movie Rating:

Clown in a Cornfield trailer