Clown In A Cornfield (Steelbook) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Eli Craig

Cast: Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Will Sasso

Release Date: September 9, 2025

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 7.5/10
Disc Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

Quinn and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time. Welcome to Kettle Springs. The real fun starts when Frendo the clown comes out to play.

‘Clown in a Cornfield’ joins teenager Quinn and her father who arrive in the quiet town of Kettle Springs where they hope to start anew after her father secures a job as the town doctor. As Quinn becomes familiar with the town and its inhabitants, she befriends a group of teens and starts to see some glimmer of a future in the town. But an annual party at a secluded home surrounded by cornfields turns deadly when Frendo the clown (the mascot of the town’s iconic Baypen Corn Syrup Factory) arrives and begins to brutally kill the teens one by one turning a night of fun into a fight for survival as the town’s dark secrets come to life.

Directed by Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale vs Evil, Little Evil) from a screenplay written by Carter Blanchard (TV’s Good vs Evil) and Eli Craig, based upon the novel of the same name by Adam Cesare, Craig does a great job at the helm of ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ guiding along the fun ride with style, brutality and even a bit of dark humor throughout. The film’s cast includes Katie Douglas (TV’s Ginny & Georgia), Aaron Abrams (TV’s Blindspot), Carson MacCormac (Shazam! Fury of the Gods), Vincent Muller (TV’s Watson), Kevin Durand (Abigail), and Will Sasso (TV’s Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage), with the majority offering capable or at least quite decent performances for the most part in their respective roles.

‘Clown in a Cornfield’ delivers a bloody and incredibly enjoyable horror slasher that honors the legacy of beloved ‘80s slasher films while throwing a few surprises and fun twists at the audience at the same time and forming into a familiar yet still unique slasher that knows precisely what it wants to be and does a commendable job of delivering just that. It does a capable job of allowing us some time to become at least moderately familiar with the key characters before things get overly chaotic and violent, while also nicely establishing the tone and overall aesthetic of the town’s world and its key individuals which contribute to the story as a whole and allow for more uncertainty once things go off the rails.

This isn’t a complex film or tale by any means, but that’s in no way a bad thing as it allows for a more carefree and easily entertaining experience that won’t leave you lost if you don’t stay razor focused on every detail. As many are surely aware, the film is based upon the novel of the same name by Adam Cesare (which also expanded in multiple sequel novels) but as I haven’t had the pleasure of the book I’m unable to offer any direct comparisons between the two. Although I must admit being highly intrigued at this point and will likely check it out in the foreseeable future.

Overall, ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ is a fun, bloody and twisty ride that delivers heaps of fun and even a fair bit of dark humor amidst a gory and very ‘80s reminiscent slasher that has many familiar attributes for the genre but repeatedly finds fun and surprising ways to change things up and keep the viewer engaged, with the capable guidance of director Eli Craig to guide it along and a fairly decent cast to back it all up. If you’re a genre fan that appreciates the slashers of decades prior or that simply enjoys a fairly clever and graphic slasher that knows exactly what it wants to be, then ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ is definitely recommended and worth taking the time to give a whirl. It may not be perfect and it gets a tad goofy at times but it does a tremendous job of keeping true to its goals and offering a wild, bloody and undeniably fun time throughout.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation, presented in its original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks very good as a whole and delivers a clean, sharp and richly detailed presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any notable troubles or faults to be uncovered along the way. Detail is sharp and solid throughout and everything from character specifics to town streets, building interiors and the expansive cornfield look clean and easily discernible at every turn, with rewarding black levels that remain deep and rich. The one element that may disappoint some is the absence of any form of HDR included, although those familiar with RLJE’s releases will have come to expect as much over the years and the presentation still holds up well even so. Overall, this is a very nice Ultra High Definition presentation in most respects that should satisfy fans of the film as well as newcomers.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack makes a great compliment to the onscreen fun and terror and provides a crisp, clean and fairly immersive audio presentation throughout. It frequently utilizes all five available channels in order to send music, action, vehicle and nature effects, plus crowd noise and plenty more throughout the various speakers whenever appropriate, while always ensuring that any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously remain sharp, clean and fully audible at all times. Overall, this is a solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that repeatedly contributes to the viewing experience and shouldn’t disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ includes an ‘Audio Commentary with Director Eli Craig, Clown in a Cornfield Author Adam Cesare, Carson MacCormac (Cole Hill) and Katie Douglas (Quinn Maybrook)’ on both discs, along with Collectible magnets included within and Steelbook packaging (you can view a beauty shot of the packaging below).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 7.5/10
Disc Rating: 7/10

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‘Clown In A Cornfield’ Arrives on 4K Ultra HD Steelbook, Blu-ray & DVD September 9, 2025 & is Now Available on Digital from SHUDDER & RLJE Films

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You can purchase ‘Clown In A Cornfield’ on 4K Steelbook at Amazon HERE!

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