Clown in a Cornfield

Plot Synopsis:

Not long after her mother dies, Quinn Maybrook moves to a small town with her father after he accepts a position as the town doctor. Quinn befriends a group of teens and discovers the town has generational rift between her new friends and the adults of the town. Then, things take a deadly turn when the teenagers of the town are being murdered by someone dressed as the town's mascot, Frendo the Clown. 

Positives: 

This movie is directed by Eli Craig, the man who directed Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and Little Evil. Because of this, the movie does a good job blending horror and comedy. It's also just shot well. I also appreciate the kills. In particular, there's one involving a saw and bench press. A lot of the acting is actually pretty damn good too. I would already expect that out of someone like Kevin Durand. But, I think the best performance in the movie is Katie Douglas as the lead. I wasn't familiar with her prior work, but I look forward to seeing more from her. I really like her relationship with her dad. He's someone who is clearly trying to make the best out of a hard situation. Finally, I love that this movie is only about an hour and a half. It's nice quick runtime.

Mixed Aspects:

This is where I will say I have read the book this movie is based on. Because of that, this is really where I want to address some of the adaptation changes. I don't think they affect the quality of the movie necessarily, but if you're someone who is an adaptation purist, I think they are worth mentioning. So, the opening scene of the movie and the prologue of the book are completely different. In the movie, the prologue of the book is only addressed in passing a couple of times in exposition. It does technically play into the final reveal, but because the movie doesn't show it, I don't know that it packs the same punch. There's another piece to the motive that, to my memory, doesn't really play any factor in the book. A couple of the friends also play very different roles in the book compared to the movie. 

Negatives: 

This is a mostly faithful adaptation, and the main problem I have with the movie is an issue I had with the book. While the first act isn't bad, it does take a little while for things to get going. 

Final Thoughts:

Clown in a Cornfield is a movie that seems to exist to be a fun little slasher. It has a good sense of humor, good kills, and a game cast. If it sounds like it might be your thing, check it out. 

My Rating:

🩸🩸🩸🩸


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