One Star Classics : Clown in a Cornfield

Clown in a Cornfield

Oct 01, 2025 / Clown Horror

It’s tempting to call Clown in a Cornfield Temu Terrifier, unfair as it may be: The movie was adapted from books written before Art kicked off our current clown-isance. Still, that Shudder wants to ride the wave with Cornfield is obvious, and I’d be fine with that, had they delivered something that was at least somewhat interesting. In the grand scheme of things, this is a clown movie that falls flat, and Fredo – bless his little heart – is a third-tier rent-a-clown who lacks any and all of Art’s charisma. It’s a whole lot more Jester than it is Terrifier. (Don’t watch Jester.)

The story, as far as there is one, follows Aaron and his daughter, Quinn, who recently moved to the small town of Kettle Springs. The locals are weird, still reeling from their economy tanking after the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. Almost as soon as Quinn arrives, Fredo appears and starts taking down her friends, one by one. Why? Who knows – there’s some explanation toward the end that feels more like an afterthought. What we really have is an excuse for a clown to chase down teens.

The best way I can describe the first hour of Cornfield is generic. Or, more appropriately, boring. Not much happens, and we sit through character setups that go nowhere. All respect to the actors, but it’s hard to portray compelling high-schoolers when you are conservatively in your mid-twenties. Will Sasso tries his damndest as a small-town sheriff, but has no material to work from. Only Kevin Durand is able to add some juice as the town’s unhinged mayor.

That’s the first hour. Bafflingly, the last thirty minutes feel like they’re from a different movie. The jokes fly, and even work at times. The kids trying to operate a rotary phone? Genuinely funny. There are even plot twists that work.

For some, that could be enough – sitting through a slough-y hour might be worth it for a fairly entertaining last third. I don’t think I can get on board with that. The movie is never scary or tense, and the story remains a big fat nothing through and through.

I don’t know if I can recommend Clown in a Cornfield to anyone, though that’s neither here nor there. The movie did well at the box office, and there are two more books just waiting to be adapted. Good for everyone who worked on the film. I’d like to say I wouldn’t catch the sequels, but let’s be honest: My completionist impulses will drag me back in, if only to complain about it.

By Remi, Oct 01, 2025

Letterboxd summary: Quinn and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time.