Clown in a Cornfield (2025) Review: Overlook Film Festival

The title of this film tells you everything you need to know about it. Adapted from Adam Cesare's book series, Clown in a Cornfield is Eli Craig's take on the modern slasher, and it almost hits the mark. Complete with bloody kills and carefree teens living in a small town, the film has the recipe for everything a horror fan should expect from a slasher. Yet, the overarching theme of the story is its biggest hindrance. 

Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her father (Aaron Abrams), have just moved into the Midwestern factory town, Kettle Springs, where her father has gotten a job as the town doctor. The town is on the decline after the factory closed and was later burned due to arson. That arson was attributed to the friend group that Quinn soon finds herself associated with. Cole Hill (Carson MacCormac) and his friends, Matt (Alexandre Martin Deakin), Tucker (Ayo Solanke), Trudy (Daina Leitold), and Janet (Cassandra Potenza) are the most popular kids. Still, they are also on the town's shitlist. After the loss of her mother, Quinn has a "don't give a shit" attitude and just wants to escape. Katie Douglas (Ginny & Georgia) delivers an effective performance as the film's final girl, giving snarky teen but reaching for emotion when needed. 

After Quinn and her new band of friends serve a The Breakfast Club-worthy detention together, they introduce her to their YouTube channel and the town's mascot, Frendo. Once the face of the town's corn syrup factory, the teens now make viral YouTube videos about the clown being a violent killer. Though Quinn is warned by her father, Dr. Maybrook, and a neighborhood boy named Rust (Vincent Muller) to be careful hanging out with this group, Quinn sneaks out to a party where things climax.

Without getting into spoiler territory (because you are going to want to experience it all on screen), this group of teens has done enough damage to cause a retaliation, and things get bloody. These kills get insane, which ultimately causes a noticeable shift in the tone. Craig, known for his horror-comedy, Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010), turns the dial up on the comedy and at some points, toes the line with cheesy. Co-written with Carter Blanchard (Independence Day: Resurgence), the themes are ramped up, and it almost feels like an ad by just how hard it's being pushed. It's hard to share exactly what those themes are without spoiling anything, so please forgive the cryptic explanation. But the film is not cryptic at all, as everything is dumped on you in one long monologue. And let's not get into how a couple of the on-screen deaths are a bit more exaggerated and brutal than others. 

The best things about Clown in a Cornfield are its cast and just how far Craig was willing to go to tell Cesare's story. Its meta moments are a standout, and it's clear that Craig and horror-comedy go hand in hand.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Clown in a Cornfield was covered during Overlook Film Festival. Check out the rest of our coverage here.