Clown in a Cornfield (2025)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A teenager moving to a decaying Midwestern town finds herself and her friends targeted by a killer disguised as a local mascot.
The story
In the present, Quinn Maybrook relocates to the town of Kettle Springs, Missouri, where her father has taken a new job as the local doctor. While trying to adjust to her new life and forge friendships with local teens, Quinn becomes aware of the town's dark history involving a burned-down factory and a mysterious mascot. The tension escalates when a series of attacks occur, and the group finds themselves targeted by a murderous killer disguised as the local corporate clown mascot, Frendo. As the town's annual festival begins, the group must navigate a deadly game of survival against a threat that seems to be looming from the nearby cornfields.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1991, two teenagers are killed in a cornfield by Frendo the Clown, the mascot of the Baypen Corn Syrup factory. In the present, Quinn Maybrook moves to Kettle Springs, Missouri, to live with her father, the town's doctor. She befriends a group of local teens, including Cole. While they investigate the local legends, a killer dressed as Frendo begins stalking them. During the town's 100th Founder's Day festival, the group is accused of sabotage and held in jail while one member is killed. Quinn and Cole escape to a farmhouse where they are hunted by multiple Frendos. After a chaotic night of survival, they discover the Frendos are actually local figures—including the mayor and the sheriff—who are trying to silence the teens to protect the town's image. Quinn eventually defeats the local villains in the abandoned factory. A year later, Quinn prepares for college, and the threat of the past remains as she finds a Baypen music box that begins to open.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Eli Craig
- Writers
- Carter Blanchard · screenplay; Eli Craig · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Katie Douglas · Quinn Maybrook; Aaron Abrams; Carson MacCormac; Kevin Durand; Will Sasso
- Genres
- slasher; horror
- Themes
- generational gap; class relations; decline of manufacturing
- Tone and mood
- gore; comedy
- Setting
- Kettle Springs, Missouri in the present day (with a 1991 prologue).
- Premise and plot tags
- slasher; horror; clown
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2020 novel by Adam Cesare
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, though some noted it was a standard slasher with a few unique twists.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 55 · scale: 100 · review count: 15; CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- A sequel was announced in August 2026.; The film was created by a full Canadian cast and crew.; The soundtrack features a mix of 1980s hip-hop and modern electronica.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…