FILM REVIEW: CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD (15) ESP RATING: 3/5

A fine off-season horror snack – fast, loud, and soaked in blood.

With a title like Clown in a Cornfield, you’d be forgiven for expecting something cheap, cheesy, and a little bit dumb. And you’d be absolutely right – in the best way possible. This self-aware slasher, adapted from Adam Cesare’s cult-favourite YA horror novel (the first in a trilogy), is a very bloody slice of genre fun that delivers exactly what it promises: violent kills, a creepy clown, and not much else.

The story is familiar territory: small town, local legend, teens getting picked off one-by-one – almost unashamedly capitalising on recent horror successes like The Terrifier and IT.

It sees young adult Quinn (Katie Douglas) – and her father (Aaron Abrams) – move to the quiet Missouri town of Kettle Springs to start over. Instead, she finds a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after its treasured corn syrup factory was burned down. But as the locals bicker, a sinister figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens – one bloody victim at a time.

But what it lacks in originality, it makes up for with energy. The kills are gruesome and sometimes impressively inventive, with a flair for the theatrical that fans of the genre will appreciate. The characters are mostly flat, but again, that’s fine – they’re slasher archetypes, not Oscar hopefuls. You’re not meant to care too deeply – you’re meant to enjoy the spectacle.

There’s a clear affection here for classic horror tropes, and while the film never takes itself too seriously, it doesn’t tip into parody either. It rides that fine line between scary and silly – a killer clown in a cornfield should be ridiculous, and this movie knows it. That self-awareness keeps things moving at a brisk pace, and it’s hard not to have fun with it.

Will we see a sequel? It’s hard to say, but with two more books waiting in the wings, the groundwork is certainly there. And honestly, I’d be up for another round.

In the end, this flick isn’t trying to be more than it is. It’s a scrappy, gory, knowingly dumb slasher that does exactly what it sets out to do.

Sometimes, that’s exactly what’s required.

ESP Rating: 3/5

Mike Clarke

 Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough & Odeon Luxe Peterborough, Out Now

Cast: Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Carson Maccormac, Will Sasso & Kevin Durand

Running Time: 1 Hr 36 Mins

Director: Eli Craig

Film Review Venue: Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough

For all the latest film information & showtimes at Peterborough’s Showcase Cinema De Lux & Odeon Luxe Cinemas go to www.showcasecinemas.co.uk and www.odeon.co.uk