‘Clown in a Cornfield’ juxtaposes dying small town traditions with the brutal deaths of the town’s progressive teens.
Being the new kid in town can be challenging. Younger children often find it easier to make friends, while teenagers have the more intricate task of trying to break into established groups and hierarchies. There’s also a yearning for the friends and activities they’ve left behind, and perhaps an adjustment after moving from a big city to a small town. Small town traditions can be difficult to understand and may involve parades, costumes or the customary cinematic sacrifice. In Clown in a Cornfield, the new girl makes fast friends but finds herself in the middle of a horror movie come to life.
Quinn’s (Katie Douglas) father (Aaron Abrams) accepted the position as a small town’s resident doctor after a brief, mostly rhetorical consultation with her. She’s less than thrilled to be forced to complete her graduating year at a new high school, but finds solace by quickly falling in with a group of kids considered troublemakers by the rest of the town. Their membership includes Cole (Carson MacCormac), the youngest generation of the family that founded the factory, which, until recently, was the town’s main source of employment. The group is shooting a slasher movie on their phones, featuring the corn syrup plant’s mascot, Frendo the Clown. But as their crew grows mysteriously smaller, they realize they’re being targeted by someone making their film a reality.
Though the film begins with a flashback from more than 30 years earlier, those events don’t have a lot of bearing on the present-day narrative — they’re not even mentioned by the teens who are making a movie that could have been inspired by the tragedy. While cinema’s rule of thumb is typically “show, don’t tell,” this is a fact that didn’t need illustration. A more intriguing opening scene may have been a clip from the student film that appears to be depicting a murder and is later revealed to have been staged. The slasher picture within the film is of good quality, using authentic costumes, savvy editing, cut-aways and mood lighting to achieve the right look and feel… though audiences may question if it looks too polished based on their resources.
Who knows when clowns got a bad rap, but there’s a reason they feature in so many horror stories. Frendo doesn’t appear very friendly, but that didn’t stop the company from putting him all over their branding and merchandise, including a rustic little jack-in-the-box that makes some key appearances throughout the picture. The kills mix creativity with clues about who might be responsible for the recent string of murders, gradually becoming more brutal as the big finale approaches. There are lots of suspects to choose from and the narrative keeps audiences guessing.
The script and its delivery are a bit uneven. There are interactions between the teens that seem very superficial because either the dialogue rings false or the actors fail to make it sound believable. For instance, Cole has a couple of monologues that serve the story, but are somewhat too coherent for the situation. Yet, these instances are balanced by scenes that are genuine, creepy or funny. There’s an especially hysterical moment in which their ability to call for help is hindered by their inability to grasp an older technology.
The title is unsurprisingly literal as both the clown and the cornfield represent the town’s former prosperity. Now that the world is moving on, these symbols of tradition threaten the young people who are championing progress and demanding change. The factory’s closure draws a clear line between the adults and teens, who regularly feel targeted by their supposed protectors. Between their constant persecution and frequent pranks, the kids don’t even grasp the gravity of their situation until they’re looking death in the eye. There are plenty of signs that point to the eventual last act, but that doesn’t prevent it from being a mostly amusing film.
Director: Eli Craig
Starring: Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams and Carson MacCormac
