Clown in a Cornfield (2025) – A Slasher That Never Finds Its Scare

I really wanted to love Clown in a Cornfield. The concept had all the makings of a good, old-school slasher: small-town paranoia, a creepy masked clown, and a group of teens trapped in a nightmare. Unfortunately, what I got felt more like a stitched-together collection of horror clichés that never fully delivers on any of its promises.

The setup is decent enough—Quinn and her dad move to Kettle Springs for a fresh start, only to find the town boiling over with anger at its own younger generation. Enter Frendo, the killer clown who begins picking off teens at an annual party. Sounds fun, right? It should have been. But the execution left me cold.

The biggest issue? Pacing. The film drags through the first act like it’s trying to convince you to care about characters who are, frankly, hollow stereotypes. When the kills do start, they lack creativity. I’m a slasher fan—I don’t mind violence, but I expect it to be at least memorable. Here, most of it felt oddly restrained or off-screen, which just doesn’t work in a movie that leans on its body count.

The atmosphere also fell flat. Cornfields at night are inherently creepy, yet somehow Clown in a Cornfield never captures that dread. The tension fizzles out before it ever really builds. I will give credit to the cinematography and Frendo’s design; the look of the killer is the best thing about this movie. But style alone can’t save a story that feels half-baked.

By the time the third act tries to tie everything together with a heavy-handed “generational divide” message, I was already checked out. It’s a shame, because the ingredients were there for a fun, nasty little slasher romp. Instead, it lands somewhere between forgettable and frustrating.

Clown in a Cornfield feels like a missed opportunity. It’s not bad enough to be fun and not good enough to be memorable. Slasher completists might give it a look, but for most, it’s a pass.