Clown In A Cornfield (15)

Seventeen-year-old Quinn Maybrook relocates to the economically ravaged Missouri community of Kettle Springs with her father Glenn, the new town doctor. They arrive as Mayor Arthur Hill and the residents prepare to mark a century since the creation of the town's sticky sweet lifeblood, Baypen Corn Syrup. A psychopath dressed as the company's clown mascot, Frendo, goes on the rampage and Quinn is marked for a grisly demise.

LondonNet Film Review

Clown In A Cornfield (15) Film Review from LondonNet

Coulrophobes traumatised by the Terrifier film franchise and the two-part big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s It take heed. Director Eli Craig’s slasher horror, adapted from Adam Cesare’s novel by the filmmaker and co-writer Carter Blanchard, introduces another demonic killer with bright face make-up, squeaky oversized shows and a rictus grin to give comical circus performers a bad name. Clown In A Cornfield overdelivers on the promise of one deranged killer harvesting human organs among the crop fields in a community proudly rooted in tradition, hard work and small-town values…

Unfortunately, Craig’s picture fails to deliver on the promise of devilish irreverence in the midst of carnage and some of the gallows humour is uncomfortably mistimed and misjudged. One character’s impassioned and timely speech about America’s bright future resting in the hands of an ecologically conscious, compassionate and tolerant new generation would resonate if tonal gear changes between slaughter and laughter had been successfully established in the opening hour.

The script strives for Scream-like self-mockery and occasionally comes close. “Is he dead?” asks one wary survivor, staring at the body of a lifeless clown, which horror film convention dictates could spring back to life for an obligatory jump scare. “I don’t think he’s meditating,” deadpans a gal pal. Regular bloodletting with sharp blades and a chainsaw ensures audiences won’t be napping, nor will they care about a faltering big reveal at the end of 96 minutes of gleeful dismemberment.

Following her mother’s death by overdose, 17-year-old Quinn Maybrook (Katie Douglas) relocates to the economically ravaged Missouri community of Kettle Springs with her father Glenn (Aaron Abrams), the new town doctor. The Baypen Corn Syrup factory, which provides jobs to locals, has recently burned down and Quinn and Glenn arrive as Mayor Arthur Hill (Kevin Durand), his son Cole (Carson MacCormac) and residents prepare to mark a century since the creation of the town’s sticky sweet lifeblood.

Cole and his authority-flouting entourage, Janet (Cassandra Potenza), Matt (Alexandre Martin Deakin), Ronnie (Verity Marks) and Tucker (Ayo Solanke), befriend Quinn and enrol her in their film-making club, which posts homemade horror videos online featuring Baypen’s clown mascot Frendo as a frenzied killer. A psychopath dressed as Frendo goes on the rampage and the new girl is marked for a grisly demise. Socially awkward teenage loner Rust (Vincent Muller), who loves to hunt wildlife, is the obvious prime suspect.

Clown In A Cornfield pokes fun at genre tropes but ultimately embraces them, delivering pedestrian thrills and spills we have seen countless times before. Douglas’s grief-stricken heroine works hard to earn our affection and sympathy as the local mortuary overflows with eviscerated neighbours. The wonky wheels come off in the final 30 minutes. Send back the clowns.

– Kim Hu