A Book A Week

Earlier this year, I discovered Adam Cesare's hit horror novel Clown in a Cornfield. I devoured it, impressed by the way Cesare blended classic slasher tropes with timely commentary on politics, grief, and the inevitability of progress. He subverted expectations by leaning into the familiar beats of the genre, only to twist them in surprising ways. I quickly tore through the two sequels and then found myself waiting impatiently for the film adaptation of the first book. When it finally arrived, I was both excited and apprehensive. Horror is one of my favorite genres, and I worried the movie might not do the book justice.

Kettle Springs is the kind of small Midwestern town that time forgot. The abandoned Baypen Corn Syrup Factory looms over sprawling cornfields, a monument to economic decline and the widening generational divide. The town’s faded mascot, Frendo—a grinning clown in a porkpie hat—still clings to rusting signs, a ghost of better days. The older generation clings just as tightly to the past, while the younger generation only wants out. For Quinn Maybrook (Katie Douglas) and her father, Dr. Glenn Maybrook (Aaron Abrams), Kettle Springs is meant to be a fresh start after the death of Quinn’s mother. But while her father embraces his new role as the town’s doctor, Quinn sees only a dead end, counting the days until graduation.

Those plans shatter when tensions in town boil over and a masked killer—dressed as Frendo—targets the local teens. Caught between an older generation bent on “restoring” Kettle Springs and a defiant group of kids led by Cole Hill (Carson MacCormac), Quinn is pulled into a fight for survival. As the bodies pile up, she’s forced to rely on unlikely allies to escape the nightmare playing out in the cornfields. In a town at war with itself, the only rule left is kill or be killed.

Director Eli Craig, best known for Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, brings Cesare’s writing to life with both genre reverence and a touch of comedic flair. Like the novel, the film feels both timeless and timely, capturing the book’s tone while drawing from the rich history of slasher cinema. The Kettle Springs on screen matched almost exactly what I’d pictured while reading. While there are a few deviations from the plot, the spirit of Cesare’s work remains intact. My only real sticking point was Katie Douglas as Quinn. Her delivery is so deadpan that it occasionally drifts into disinterest. Thankfully, the rest of the cast steps up, breathing energy into the story. Clown in a Cornfield isn’t the best horror movie I’ve ever seen, but as an adaptation of a strong horror novel, it more than delivers. With clever kills and a few smart subversions of expectations, it’s a slasher that earns its place alongside the book.

Stay with me on this train of thought. I find a certain comfort in the thrill of a classic slasher movie. I know what you’re thinking: How do you find comfort in something meant to terrify you? Fair question. But hear me out.

I’ve always enjoyed those formulaic horror films, you know, the ones where an unsuspecting victim is relentlessly pursued by a crazed maniac, hellbent on destruction. Classics like Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Scream perfected this formula, and while modern slashers often follow in their footsteps, there's something undeniably satisfying about watching these familiar beats play out. The predictability isn’t a flaw. It’s part of the fun, a rhythm I can sink into as I let the latest variation work its magic.

In the literary world, I've enjoyed how authors like Stephen Graham Jones and Christopher Golden have made their mark by honoring horror’s beloved tropes while carving out fresh, inventive narratives. Now I can add Adam Cesare’s Clown in a Cornfield to that list. His take on the teen slasher is bold, gruesome, and instantly gripping. It lures you in with its familiarity, only to keep you hooked with its clever twists on a well-worn genre.

Kettle Springs is the kind of small Midwestern town that time forgot. Nestled among sprawling cornfields, it’s littered with remnants of what it once was. The now-vacant Baypen Corn Syrup Factory looms over the landscape, a stark monument to economic collapse and the deepening rift between generations. Even more prominent is the town’s faded mascot, Frendo, a grinning clown in a porkpie hat, his image still plastered on buildings and rusting signs, a ghost of better days. The older generation clings desperately to the past, determined to make Kettle Springs great again. The younger generation couldn’t care less. They’re just trying to have fun and escape as soon as possible.

For Quinn Maybrook and her father, Kettle Springs represents a fresh start, something they both need after the death of Quinn’s mother. Her father has traded his high-pressure job as an ER doctor for the slower pace of life as the town’s primary physician. But Quinn isn’t exactly thrilled. This sleepy, dead-end town wasn’t what she had in mind for a new beginning. At this point, her only goal is to keep her head down and make it to graduation.

But Kettle Springs has other plans.

The town’s simmering tensions reach a boiling point when a masked killer—dressed as Frendo himself—decides that the best way to restore Kettle Springs to its former glory is to rid the town of the rotten kids who live there now. Suddenly, Quinn finds herself caught in the crossfire of a town at war with itself, running for her life in a place she never wanted to call home in the first place. 

With Clown in a Cornfield, Adam Cesare uses the framework of a classic slasher to explore small-town politics, grief, and the inevitability of progress. It’s a story that feels both timeless and eerily relevant, capturing the political divide of our current moment. Sure, it gets a bit over-the-top at times, and the climax ties things up a little too neatly, but I didn’t care. Cesare delivers a brutal, fast-paced horror novel that had me completely hooked. He brings classic slasher tropes into the modern era in a way that feels fresh, subverting expectations just enough to keep things unpredictable. With two more books in the series already out and a film adaptation coming later this year, Clown in a Cornfield is a bonafide hit. It's a fun, clever horror novel that has me eager for more.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2025, 20)