Captivation Clown Carnage

3 ½ stars

I’ve never been coulrophobic; just the opposite. While those suffering from that particular phobia may experience an intense and persistent fear whenever they see a clown or even the image of one, I immediately feel … happy. Horror movies also make me happy. So I will at least look at any horror movie with a clown in the trailer, on the poster, or in the title.

Unfortunately, most clown movies suck, because all the filmmakers bring to the project is the idea that there are a lot of people in this world who think clowns are creepy, if not downright debilitating terrifying. They dress up a bunch of people in deranged clown costumes, crank the splatter up to 11, and call it a day. Character and story be damned.

That’s why Clown in a Cornfield is so much fun. It is filled with creepy clowns and features plenty of gore and some inventive kills. Still, it also has a strong story, thanks to the novel it is based on by Adam Cesare, brought to life by a talented cast of young actors like Katie Douglas (Lazareth) and Carson MacCormac (Shazam!) and veteran character actors like Will Sasso (The Three Stooges) and Kevin Durand (Abigail).

Clown in a Cornfield is the story of a dad and his daughter who move from Philadelphia to the small town of Kettle Springs seeking a fresh start following the death of the wife/mom from a drug overdose. While dad (Aaron Abrams) busies himself opening his new medical practice and trying to fit in, daughter Quinn (Douglas) tries to rebuild her social life with a group of new friends she meets after getting detention on her first day at her new school.

It’s clear from the start that Kettle Springs is on life support because its only industry, the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory, was destroyed in a suspicious fire. The factory may be gone, but the town still celebrates its mascot, a clown called Frendo, at its annual Founder’s Day Parade. Quinn’s first experience at her new hometown’s tradition turns into a disaster, setting off a series of events that bring out Frendo and his fellow clowns to play an increasingly deadly game.

Genre fans will get a big kick from how director Eli Craig and his team fill the screen with over-the-top ways for the clowns to kill the kids. It builds slowly, but the absolute carnage of the film’s final scene makes the wait worthwhile. Kudos to whoever came up with it for adding a toy Frendo-in-a-Box gag that will have you jumping out of your skin with anticipation when the toy’s handle starts to crank and the music begins to play. 

For most movies like this, that would be enough to entertain the masses. Clown in a Cornfield raises the stakes by making the characters in the story, at least Quinn and Cole, more than just obnoxious stereotypes standing in line waiting for Frendo to arrive. And that, in turn, makes it much more satisfying when they fight back against the clowns.

True coulrophobics should avoid Clown in a Cornfield—the film, the trailer, and the incredibly creepy poster—like the plague. Multiplexes are filled with movies that people can watch without any visceral reaction. More adventurous viewers should give it a shot, especially if their knee-jerk response is that they “don’t like horror movies.” Sure, it’s scary at times, and there is a LOT of blood, but it’s also funny, well-written, and well-acted.