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| Images Courtesy of RLJE Films & Shudder |
Eli Craig's (Tucker
and Dale vs. Evil) latest feature Clown in a Cornfield is an
uninspired miss. Adapting Adam Cesare's beloved 2020 young adult horror
trilogy, Clown feels synthetic in almost every aspect, from its
uninventive kills to its woefully mishandled "twist". Featuring
adequate visuals and bloody special effects, a script that eschews horror and
sex in favor of zeitgeist and humor, and an overall sterile ambiance, this is a
tragic endeavor.
Quinn and her father move to Kettle Springs, MI in the wake of a tragedy when
her father accepts a position as the new town doctor. As she becomes
friends with local YouTube rebels, Quinn is drawn into a murderous plot
involving Frendo, the town's Corn Syrup Factory Mascot, who has begun stalking
the town's youth. Craig co-wrote the screenplay with Carter
Blanchard, and while it is an adaptation, it is also divergent. Where the
source material is deadpan with an undercurrent of sarcastic dissent, the film
dives almost immediately into the action, glossing over the motivations of the
villain in favor of getting to the next gory kill.
Katie Douglas
does an admirable job with the material she is given as Quinn, but it is in the
interplay with the adults, particularly Will Sasso's sheriff and Kevin Durand's
(woefully) underused Mayor that dampens the mood. Laws are seemingly
non-existent in Kettle Springs and only the teens seem to know it. While
this was most likely intentional, it only drives the vibe further towards
comedic absurdism rather than upping the tension.
If there is a tragedy it is that there is a remarkable story waiting to be told
here. The concept of a generation consuming another in favor of economic
prosperity while embracing a romanticized version of the past is ripe for the
picking, especially given the current divide among the American people, and yet
Craig barely scratches the surface, opting to go for the next ludicrous
exchange between the clown and the kids. Beyond this there are
several plot holes which make zero sense and threaten to upend the film's
fragile framework.
There are moments of genuine hilarity dappled throughout, particularly with respect to Aaron Abrams' Glenn, Quinn's traumatized father who is trying to do the best he can. Another gag involving a rotary phone also brings laughs, but these are so superficial it saddeningly reminds one that beyond the kills and an admittedly fresh take on the teenage love triangle, there is not much here. Slashers for slasher's sake (ie The Terrifier) are welcomed, but Clown spends its entire runtime trying to decide what it wants to be, and never commits.
Now playing in theaters, Clown in a Cornfield is an emblematic byproduct of studio mediocrity that lacks enough creativity to even self-parody. The gore is what you would expect and the cast seems to be having fun, but the overall product feels like a stale Blumhouse production, lacking any sense of the risqué underpinnings that make this genre so great.
--Kyle Jonathan