Terrifying situations driven by absurdist and satirical comedy that critiques modern society have a long-standing, successful history in the horror genre. The upcoming slasher film, ‘Clown in a Cornfield,’ continues that trend, as it explores the generational divide that much of the world faces today with an amusing sense of humor.

The movie explores the American dream, including exposing the warped façade of capitalism gone wrong and the rage that comes from being on the losing end of it. The titular clown, Frendo, is shown morphing from being a beloved source of entertainment into a symbol of embitterment and spite over feeling as though he has been left behind. His intended victims are rural GenZers, who are humanized for being both rebellious and flawed but also forward thinking and hopeful in such a changing world.

Film Factual was generously invited to attend the special New York screening of ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ this past Tuesday, April 29 at in Brooklyn. The cast and crew of the dark horror comedy attended the screening at the Greenpoint Loft, which was transformed into a clown maze and a barnyard for attendees who dared to enter.

The New York premiere came a week-and-a-half before RLJE Films and Shudder will release the feature exclusively in theaters next Friday, May 9. The movie previously had its World Premiere at SXSW in March, and then screened at the Overlook Film Festival last month.

The cast and crew who attended ‘Clown in a Cornfield’s New York premiere included Katie Douglas (‘Ginny & Georgia’), Kevin Durand (‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’), Aaron Abrams (‘Blindspot’), Carson MacCormac (‘Shazam!’), Cassandra Potenza (‘I Still See You’), Verity Marks (‘Elevator Game’), Vincent Muller (‘Watson’), Ayo Solanke and Alexandre Martin Deakin (‘The Next Step’). The movie’s co-writer/director, Eli Craig, producer John Fischer and executive producer Pete Harris, as well as Adam Cesare, who wrote the 2020 novel that the feature is based on, were also in attendance at the New York premiere. They were joined by Frendo to take part in the festivities.

‘Clown in a Cornfield’ follows Quinn (Douglas) and her father, Dr. Maybrook (Abrams), as they move 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 – Frendo – emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time.