Clown in a Cornfield
IFC Films | Release Date: May 9, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMay 8, 2025
Clown in a Cornfield will never be ranked among the classics of our time, but there are aspects of it that are worthy of admiration. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineRoss McIndoeMay 7, 2025
Eli Craig’s film works precisely because it plays things straight. Read full review
75
Film ThreatJason DelgadoMay 6, 2025
Good old-fashioned slashers never get old for horror fans as long as they’re done right, and Clown in the Cornfield is like a fresh splatter to the head, with a smile. Read full review
70
Screen RantGraeme GuttmannMar 12, 2025
It’s a fun B-movie with timely elements and some exciting kills. It may not be much more than that, but sometimes that’s enough. Read full review
65
The Daily BeastNick SchagerMay 7, 2025
If its fondness for stock formulas and scares means that it’s not shocking, it also knows how to play the hits—and, of course, to deliver on its promise of killer clowns in cornfields. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzMay 7, 2025
It becomes clear that there’s just not enough meat on the bones of Craig’s film to justify all the dismemberment. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoMar 13, 2025
A sort of “It” meets “Scream” energy courses through Eli Craig’s film, one that’s clever and thrilling enough in bloody spurts, even if it never quite reaches its true potential. Read full review
60
EmpireHelen O'HaraJun 6, 2025
Some fun intergenerational warfare, clever genre nods and a generally sharp script enliven what could have been a bog-standard slasher movie. Read full review
60
IGNSteven Nguyen ScaifeMay 7, 2025
Though it starts out as a promising slasher throwback, Clown in a Cornfield struggles with a jokey tone and a political message that lacks teeth. Read full review
57
Paste MagazineJim VorelMay 6, 2025
It benefits from a strong central protagonist’s performance, but is simultaneously let down by a screenplay that collapses under the slightest bit of scrutiny. Clown in a Cornfield simply isn’t as smart as it needs to be in order to prove that it’s more than its title. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshMay 9, 2025
Clown in a Cornfield is fun, to be sure, but feels about as substantial as a corn puff. Read full review
50
The New York TimesErik PiepenburgMay 8, 2025
A lackluster horror movie gets points if the leading villain is a real bugaboo. But the Frendos, alas, look like poser versions of Pennywise, Art the Clown and other, scarier horror bozos. Read full review
50
ColliderLuna GuthrieMay 7, 2025
Chaos ensues, dozens of better movies are ripped off, and despite a few fun kills, it leaves you feeling not very much of anything. Read full review
40
The GuardianBenjamin LeeMay 8, 2025
The big reveal, while illogically daft, does have a certain on-paper thematic novelty to it but it’s cursedly both over-explained and hard-to-really-understand, a “why are you doing this?” response that rambles into nonsense. Read full review
30
VarietyOwen GleibermanMar 12, 2025
You might be wondering if “Clown in a Cornfield” is at least scary. No, it’s not, and it’s not trying too hard to be. Read full review
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