Reel Review: Clown In A Cornfield Is A Genre Love Letter With A Modern Twist
Quinn and her dad move to a quiet town after the loss of her mother looking for a fresh start. As she starts her new life, a group of killer clowns come out of the cornfield threatening the lives of the small town teens.
While Clown in a Cornfield pays homage to a lot of typical horror slasher tropes, it brings in new and exciting spins on many of the classics. The cast is quite fresh with most of the leads being rather unknown or only having a few roles under their belt. It feels like a true indie with great effects, impeccable comedic timing, and interesting dynamics.
For most of the first act, the theories around who the killer clown is are focused on Quinn’s new friend group and peers. The group who makes fake horror videos for YouTube attempt to parody what ends up happening in real life. It begins to skew more so that one of Quinn’s love interests are to blame, either the guy she’s been seeing or the one she met her first day in town.
However, as this stereotypical barn party gets going, it’s clear that none of the teens are personally involved in any real crimes. The culprits to blame are the local adults who are stuck living in an age that no longer exists. The town built upon corn and corn syrup is now being bashed by the new generation who cannot wait to escape.
One of the best parts of this film is the comedy. A lot of it comes down to timing for the more gory and horror moments. The real unique and hidden gem though is the generational comedy commentary. From not knowing how to drive stick shift to not knowing how to dial a number on a rotary phone, the best moments were tied to the generational divide between boomers and Gen Z. While Gen Z is extremely tech savvy, we do lack a certain skill for more physical skills that were boundary pushing for their time.
Clown in a Cornfield is based on a book series, giving a big opportunity for potential sequels to come along. The theatrical release did not generate a ton of conversation, but this has a lot of potential to get traction on streaming.
Clown in a Cornfield is playing in theaters now.
