Is there something as reliable as the Slasher formula? He waits, declines and makes a path through cultural cycles but he leaves; Malleable but robust, high or low (generally low), requiring only a few key elements: some adolescents and a masked killer. A small town would be good. Change costumes and weapons and it practically writes. Enter “clown in a cornfield” of “Tucker & Dale vs Evil” Director Eli Craig.
This slasher does exactly what he says about the tin: a murderous clown emerges from the Kettle Springs corn fields, Mo. and Mauls driving bad lambeaux. In an opening prologue which takes place in 1991, Craig signals the stupidity with which we should enjoy the film: a future victim marvels the size of a imprint in wet soil and the clown shoes give it with a grunning while it stacks our unhappy soul.
What distinguishes this particular film is its origin, adapted from a 2020 horror novel by Adam Cesare. This literary origin gives this genre also light and disposable a little more weight, although the background and the generational history which has mentioned are not entirely explored on the screen. Craig and Carter Blanchard collaborated in the adaptation of the script, and the film is based on the kind of revelations and twists and turns that the public would expect from this kind of thing.
Craig is self-conflicting while being respectful of tropes of the genre. The nearest recent comparison would be from Eli Roth “Thanksgiving,” Another scandalously costumed killer film, and although Craig has no joyfully sadistic creativity of Roth with regard to the killed, his teenagers are a little more fun to be there, in particular the Snarky Quinn (Katie Douglas), which moves to Kettle Springs with its Doctor Dad (Aaron Abrams) Office YouTube. About their city mascot, Frendo, the corn syrup plant.
Quinn begins to crush Cole (Carson Maccormac), the founders of the city. Each year, they celebrate tradition with the parade of the founder's day, highlighting the emblematic face of Frendo. But it seems that as soon as Quinn presents himself, things are starting to go wrong. Adolescents are starting to get dead, evil clowns are starting to turn their chainsaws. It is initially difficult to say what is real and what is an elaborate farce.
There is a theme that derives through “clown in a cornfield” on adolescents and their phones and how we live our lives through omnipresent screens and cameras, but Craig has never fully threads this needle. At a time when it is increasingly difficult to discern what is real and what is not, especially on our phones, that more sophisticated history is never told, in favor of blood -style blood and poor quality speeches.
“Clown in a cornfield” is fun, of course, but feels about as substantial as a puff of corn. Douglas is sufficiently attractive with its humorous performance and savings, and Maccormac continues capable with it. Will Sasso and Kevin Durand are welcome by supporting the players as an ancient animals of the strangely aggressive city. Although things become a little too “scooby-doo” sometimes, Craig keeps it intelligently in motion: it is a light and windy affair with a few unexpected twists, social comments that do not fully see and not enough to remain power to be really memorable. Ah, well: Cesare already has two novels in a row published, so there is already much more Frendo the clown ready to be harvested.
Katie Walsh is a film critic from the Tribune Information Service.
'Clown in a cornfield'
Class: R, for bloody horror violence, the language throughout and the consumption of adolescents
Operating time: 1 hour, 36 minutes
Playing: In the wide version of Friday May 9
