There’s nothing more certain in the horror genre than a sequel following a smash hit. Adam Cesare’s 2020 novel Clown in a Cornfield was precisely that—a slasher steeped in tradition but energized by a sharp commentary on political polarization and generational conflict. It ended with a satisfying conclusion that could easily stand on its own. But when has that ever stopped a sequel? So, with a mix of anticipation and trepidation, I dove into Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives.
A year ago, Quinn was just trying to survive her senior year after moving to the small town of Kettle Springs. What she didn’t expect was a group of unhinged adults donning clown masks and launching a murderous crusade against the youth they blamed for their town’s decline. Quinn made it out—barely—and now she’s starting over in college, trying to move past the trauma and look toward the future.
But trauma doesn’t vanish with a change of scenery. Even hundreds of miles from Kettle Springs, Quinn can’t escape the past. She’s become a target for online conspiracy theorists who insist the massacre never happened. The facts are undeniable, but in the age of disinformation, facts don’t always win. And when a clown attacks Quinn at a college party, she realizes the nightmare isn’t over. The only way to end it is to return to where it all started. To the cornfields. To the truth. Because when reality gets drowned out by lies, people don’t just get confused—they get killed.
Sequels rarely live up to their predecessors, and Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives is no exception. What felt sharp and timely in the original now comes across as obligatory. The characters are thinner, the horror less inventive, and the political commentary that once gave the story its bite now feels more heavy-handed than insightful. Adam Cesare still delivers a brisk, bingeable read, but it largely rehashes familiar ground. It’s a decent thriller, and perhaps even more enjoyable for those who haven’t read the first, but for fans returning to the franchise, it’s hard to ignore the lessened impact of this story. Like many horror series before it, this one seems to be falling into the trap of diminishing returns. Still, a final twist offers a flicker of intrigue for what might come next. I’ll be reading, but I’m tempering my expectations.
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(2025, 32)
That sounds ok. I'm not a fan of clowns or clown masks at all. I remember a few years ago people dressing up as clowns and just standing around in different places to scare people. They just stood there staring at you. How creepy is that? lol
ReplyDeleteYeah, sequels like this are rarely as good as the first one. But clowns like that would definitely horrify me.
ReplyDeleteYep, the sequel usually never lives up to the original. This reminds me of Scream but with clowns. I can think of an instance where the sequel was better than the first, for me anyhow: Aliens! One of my all-time favorite horror/sci-fi movies. Seeing it the first time in the movie theatre scared the living daylights out of me!
ReplyDeleteAgreed on second book expectations. I am curious about book one!
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely not alone in being let down by the sequel - I've seen lots of reviewers stating the same thing. I guess the author found himself with a hit on his hands and tried to proceed from there, except he didn't have enough fresh ideas. Then again, slasher horror and the like live on tropes more than most genres, so it's harder to write an original story.
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