CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD GETS LOST IN THE MAZE

 My disappointment is on me. I chose to read the novel first, and it seems like I might have liked this more if I had seen this first instead. Clown in a Cornfield keeps enough true to the novel that it can still be called an adaptation, but A LOT is changed/altered too. The deaths are ok, but this flick definitely does not skimp on the blood and gore. 

All the characters are given minimal development, and most have different personalities than their novel counterparts (for example: in the novel, Cole is a sad boy with a troubled past. In the film, he’s just a generic hot bad boy (His backstory is similar in each.). Will Sasso is here, but given squat to do. His Sheriff Dunne is a lead player in the novel, not so much in the film. 

Kevin Durand (from Abigail and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) is almost unrecognizable here as Arthur Hill. He seems to have lost A LOT of muscle, and is more lean/string bean-y. He has a ton of fun with his role, and is easily one of the best things about this film. Katie Douglas as Quinn, our lead, and Aaron Abrams as her father are the only other characters that leave an impression. 

The town of Kettle Springs doesn’t become a character like it does in the novel, and most of the themes from the book are barely even casually explored here. The directing is pretty poor (shocking since Eli Craig, director of Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, is at the helm.), and the same goes for the screenplay (Eli Craig and Carter Blanchard. Craig penned Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, and Blanchard likely did touch-ups for Independence Day: Resurgence seeing as is listed as an uncredited screenwriter for it). 

Clown in a Cornfield had a solid template to follow in terms of its source material (which is great). Unfortunately, it tries to be somewhat faithful to the novel while still being it’s own original thing. This is the rare case where the film would have been better served if the filmmakers had chosen one or the other, instead of trying to do both (either be a faithful adaptation, or an adaptation in name only).

2.5 STARS