You may know “Friendo” fromNo Country for Old Men, specifically a memorable scene involvingOscar-winner Javier Bardemhaving an ominous conversation with an innocent local. Now, “Frendo” is also the name of a clown that terrorizes innocent locals in the buzzy new slasher filmClown in a Cornfield. He’s the latest in a long line of scary clowns on the big screen: Art the Clown returned to action inTerrifier 3last year, and Stephen King’s “Pennywise” scared cinemas with a pair ofItfilms in 2017 and 2019.
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Following its premiere at this year’s SXSW festival,Clown in a Cornfieldhas received praise from audiences and critics, and we’re here to voice continued support. It has the typical pitfalls of a scary movie, with young, underwhelming actors and a climax that loses steam by trying to explain away all the mayhem that’s already ensued. But leading up to said ending, brace for gnarly violence and comic relief, making an entertaining end result. Brace yourself for Frendo.
A (Corn Syrup) Town Divided
Clown in a Cornfield
“Frendo” started as the villain inClown in a Cornfield, a Bram Stoker Award-winning horror novel by Adam Cesare. Filmmaker Eli Craig (Little Evil) then took the reins in adapting it to film. It was only a matter of time because, well,evil clownsare forever trending. And when you combine that notion with cornfields — a terrifying backdrop that has served movies likeSigns(2002) andJeepers Creepers 2(2003) pretty darn well — chances are you’re in for a terrifying treat. Interestingly, the tale of Frendo inClown in a Cornfieldbegins not as a villain, but as a symbol of bygone success: Folks around town don’t fear the daunting mascot as the film opens and introduces us to Kettle Springs, Missouri.
The townies also don’t fear each other, since everyone knows everyone to the point where no one will hesitate to speak their minds as the community becomes divided within itself. It’s all thanks to the local corn-syrup factory burning down, causing the local economy to fall on hard times. As the responsible adults try to bounce back, the rebellious teens would rather just let loose, make prank videos and GTFO once they graduate. The film’s young heroine Quinn (Katie Douglas) catches on to all this once she arrives in Kettle Springs, having just moved with her dad (Aaron Abrams) all the way from Pennsylvania for a fresh start.
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SinceClownis clearly a horror movie, we immediately start to scope out suspects. Who will don the Frendo mask and go on to terrorize the town? For starters, Quinn has an awkward neighbor, Rust (Vincent Muller), who offers to walk her to school and warns her of the troublesome classmates she’ll soon mingle with. That includes Rust’s former pal Cole (Carson MacCormac), who takes a liking to Quinn’s no-nonsense demeanor right off the bat. Cole then introduces Quinn to his rebellious posse, led by Janet (Cassandra Potenza), and they all quickly rope Quinn into their favorite anti-establishment hobby: prank videos that look all too real. This plot device will ultimately backfire in glorious fashion once Frendo starts wreaking havoc.
See It With Your “Frendos”
Interestingly, it seems to be teenagers in particular that Frendo is after, and he might not be alone. Why is that? Maybe this traditional town has had enough of Quinn and her friends' rebellious youthfulness. And Frendo — originally the mascot of the town’s fallen corn syrup factory — wants to assist in returning Kettle Springs to its original ways. The Kettle Springs community, which revolves around a sole institution — the factory — might remind viewers of Eli Roth’sThanksgiving(2023), especially since they’re both grotesque horror films. One could even see both movies playing back-to-back at a special screening.
Of course, fans are forking over their dough to see the hard R-rated violence. But the adult supporting turns are another highlight ofClown. Will Sasso (Mad TV, Loudermilk) has a ball as the disgruntled sheriff, and character actor Kevin Durand (Abigail, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) leans into his local accent as Cole’s burly dad, another pillar of the community. There are other splashes of humor throughout, including the Gen Z brats running for their lives. (Watch as Janet, for example, grabs an old-school dial telephone and tries to push buttons it doesn’t contain, shouting, “What kind of phone is this?!”.) The madness unfortunately loses its edge once the perp(s) are revealed and everything is over-explained, but you’ll stick around since there are always more tricks up both the heroine and the bad guys' sleeves before the final credits roll. And surely, meme-able cinema like this begs for a sequel, no?
From RLJE Films and Shudder,Clown in a Cornfielddebuts in theaters on Friday.
