Based on Adam Cesare’s popular YA novel of the same name, Clown in a Cornfield is a mishmash of pseudo comedic and horror elements, but it doesn’t come together as a cohesive horror-comedy.

Director Eli Craig (Tucker & Dale vs. Evil) is given an array of teenage anti-heroes; a clan of “bad apples” who have given their town an infamous reputation from phoney online videos featuring a ghoulish, stalking clown named Frendo. When they begin to be targeted by a violent stranger who also dons a clown costume, their community doesn’t believe their cries of concern; even when casualties start piling up. For new girl, Quinn (Katie Douglas of Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia), this is a terrible introduction to the otherwise serene and quaint town of Kettle Springs.

Right off the bat, the movie surprisingly strikes out with a fairly underhanded request for a slasher flick like this: make the titular villain scary. The clown (and the cronies who are gradually revealed) lack a striking presence or threat. Instead, they’re shown as their rubbery, shuffling selves. This begs the question: was this a deliberate choice by Craig?

From the lame villains to the cutaway kills to the rubbery effects to the computer-enhanced gore to the stereotyping of horror tropes and characters, there are plenty of annoying inconsistencies that run throughout Clown in a Cornfield. Besides a few amusing readings by the film’s seasoned funnymen (Aaron Abrams, Will Sasso), the whole movie is a murky mess, and a gamble regarding what’s supposed to be funny and what’s supposed to be scary. Unfortunately, the film has two modes: it’s either not scary or funny at all, or not scary or funny enough.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie