Take Two: ‘Clown in a Cornfield’

You might do a double take during “Clown in a Cornfield’s” prologue.

We watch a pair of randy teens prepare to “get it on” when a murderous clown interrupts their plans.

Is this 2025 or 1985?

“Clown in a Cornfield” offers some nods to slasher-film tropes, delivering a few yuks along the way. It’s not as committed to the bit as expected. That leaves a credible shocker with a likable lead and, of course, a killer clown.

Some formulas are bulletproof for a reason. Right, Art?

Young Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her widowed father Glen (Aaron Abrams) leave Philly behind for the modest charms of Kettle Springs, Miss. The small town lost its mojo after a fire gutted its signature business, The Baypen Corn Syrup Factory.

Life has been grim since the blaze, but local teens make do with hormone-friendly diversions.

Quinn quickly falls in with some fellow high schoolers, the teens some blame for the blaze. She bonds with handsome Cole (Carson MacCormac) and avoids the “Mean Girls” stare of bottle-blonde Janet (Cassandra Potenza).

Her new friends are obsessed with creating viral videos casting the factory’s mascot, a clown dubbed Frendo, as a Jason-style killer. It’s oh, so meta and delivers some droll jump scares.

The real scares will soon follow.

Director Eli Craig, who previously gave us the cult favorite “Tucker and Dale vs. Evil,” has a winner in Douglas. She’s scrappy and relateable, two key traits in any Final Girl candidate.

The actress’ bond with her pappy is equally strong. She resents some of his choices but has a big enough heart to understand life isn’t easy without her mother (and his wife).

The film’s “kills” are suitably grisly, and the film upends its own formula mid-movie. That makes the clown threat far more menacing, but it also makes sussing the big mystery a breeze.

The town’s mayor (an under-used Kevin Durand) is as obsessed with tradition as most locals, adding texture to the film’s small-town template. The old-school sheriff (Will Sasso, trading his comic brand for something more menacing) feels oppressive in ways that make Kettle Springs far from an oasis.

That kind of depth matters in a genre romp, even though it might not seem that way.

Credit Craig for creating a bond between the young stars. Sure, it’s Teen Formula 101, but horror movies do best when actors lean into their genre roles.

“Clown in a Cornfield” never goes full parody, and its winks to classic horror moments (including an homage to that “Friday the 13th” score) feel random. The film’s heart, however, is in the right place (an odd thing to say about a slasher flick, but we’re sticking to it).

And good luck finding a dull moment.

HiT or Miss: “Clown in a Cornfield” gets the genre job done thanks to a solid Final girl and, of course, our collective fear of all things clowny.

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