Summary

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff speaks with the team behind Clown in a Cornfield at SXSW 2025.

Co-writer and director Eli Craig, novelist Adam Cesare, and stars Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams and Kevin Durand discuss adapting the movie from Cesare’s book, Douglas’ debut leading role, and their favorite horror movies.

Clown in a Cornfield introduces audiences to Frendo, a sinister clown who emerges to stalk the community of Kettle Springs.

SXSW in Austin is the perfect hub for genre filmmaking, particularly horror. The festival celebrates the unconventional voices of indie artists, and the spirit of independent filmmaking is alive and well in Clown in a Cornfield, a darkly comic, grisly slasher film based on the novel of the same name by author Adam Cesare. The film, co-written and directed by Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil), is one part an inventive slasher thriller and another part a commentary on contemporary generational divides.
At SXSW 2025 where they celebrated the film’s World Premiere, Cesare, Craig, and stars Katie Douglas (Ginny & Georgia), Kevin Durand (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), and Aaron Abrams (Hannibal) stopped by the Collider Media Studio at the Cinema Center to chat with Perri Nemiroff. Check out the video above or the full transcript below where they dig into the process of adapting the book to screen, the challenges of physically demanding filmmaking, Douglas’ performance in her debut leading role, and reveal their favorite horror films. Durand also shares his thoughts on reuniting with Radio Silence and why he’s “kind of happy” he won’t be in Ready or Not 2.
‘Clown in a Cornfield’ Is About So Much More Than the Title Suggests

“There is this generational divide in the world.”

PERRI NEMIROFF: I’m so excited to be talking Clown in a Cornfield with the team behind the film. Huge congratulations! I had a blast. Eli or Adam, I’ll give either of you these duties. Whenever we’re celebrating a film festival debut, we have to do a synopsis because some of our audience will first learn what the movie is right here at SXSW. Would one of you mind doing the honors?
ELI CRAIG: Clown in a Cornfield, it’s a mystery, really. You have no idea what it’s about initially. It’s very difficult. I do like movies that kind of summarize itself with the title, so it’s about a clown… I’m not going to tell you where he is. [Laughs] This beautiful young girl, played by myself, heads down into this town in Missouri called Kettle Springs, which is a rural, Rust Belt American town. It’s seen better days because the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory has burned down recently.
Quinn and Dr. Maybrook show up. She’s starting her senior year in high school and makes some good friends, but finds out there’s this division in the town between the older people who think that the kids are bad kids and might have done something with the corn syrup factory and the kids think the older people did. Then, all of a sudden, rising up out of the corn, is Frendo the clown, who kind of drives the story from there. He’s not a good guy, put it that way.

Image by Photagonist

I love how you make a joke about the title, but one of the coolest things about your book and now this movie is that you deliver the fun of high-concept slasher horror, but you’re also making some really important points about the divide between generations.
CRAIG: Honestly, Adam could speak to that. I really thought that that’s the part of the book that I was like, “I need to adapt this.” There is this generational divide in the world; young people are looking forward, and they have a life to live, and I feel like the older generations, especially the Baby Boomers, are just eating up the earth and doing what they want with it. There’s a solid division and a fight about that, and it comes to a head in this. Adam, what do you say about that?
ADAM CESARE: It was one of those things where the book came out in 2020, and people were like, “The title tells you what you’re getting,” but also you’re getting all these deeper themes about the generational divide that seemed so topical at the time in 2020. People were like, “That’s not going to age well.” I was like, “Let’s just see.” People read the books, people will see the movie and will come down on a side. They’ll come down on a side of this divide. I thought it was so funny because I’m clearly on the kids’ side, but I think there’s something there that people will be like, “Oh, yeah, these kids today!” And it’s like, “Well, it’s not really.”
CRAIG: It was important for us to not paint the kids with too nice of a brush. They are these rebel kids that are kind of being jerks and causing all this mayhem in the town. Isn’t that right?
KATIE DOUGLAS: That’s right. As they should.
Adam Cesare’s Book Series Taps Into the Fears of Modern-Day Teens

“There’s no better horror sub-genre than the slasher to talk about teenagers.”

Image via SXSW

Adam, I want to come your way with a writing question. When is came to penning the book, what was idea number one, the thing that started this all, but then also, did you have a break story moment, an “aha” idea that you came up with that made it feel whole?
CESARE: I was a published author for like 10 years before the Clown of Cornfield books came out. The first one is my first young adult book. With an R-rated movie, people are usually pretty surprised, like, “Oh, this is for teens?” I’m like, “Yeah. When I was a teen, this is what I wanted.” I wanted blood and guts and craziness. It’s a different world now. It’s what I enjoy. I love slashers.
It really came out of this: I was a teacher for five years, I was dealing with young people every day, I was dealing with people the age of the young people in the story, and I was like, “Why don’t I write a book that this audience can read? Why don’t I write a book about teenagers?” There’s no better horror sub-genre than the slasher to talk about teenagers and where they are now. In the late ’70s, a guy showing up and crashing your babysitting job with a knife was probably a key fear, but what is the fear now? What are teens worried about? They’re doing shelter-in-place drills. That’s where Clown of the Cornfield came from. It’s that magic alchemy of the title, where it tells you the setting and an antagonist right away.

Image by Photagonist

Eli, you get Adam’s book and also Carter [Blanchard]’s screenplay. At that point, what space do you find in them that makes you say to yourself, “I can adapt this in a way that feels uniquely my own as a filmmaker?”
CRAIG: I felt like it needed a touch of comedy in there. It couldn’t be something that took itself really seriously with the name Clown in a Cornfield. I think the initial draft of the screenplay was exciting, and there were moments in it that were super fun, and I was like, “I feel like I can get behind this,” but I felt like there needed to be a playfulness to it that I really thought I could bring, and ultimately a joy. It’s sort of a hopeful film at the same time. It has to do with this relationship with the father and daughter, and I have a son, but really digging into that father-daughter relationship and building some comedy around that, as well.
For me, because I was an action sports guy, and I also worked as an EMT for a while, I always found the most traumatic situations in life actually lend themselves to a lot of humor. I worked with Rocky Mountain Rescue for a while, and after doing some rescues, I would find we’d all laugh about things. It’s so morbid and weird, but I think comedy goes well with horror if you break it apart. Don’t laugh while people are dying, but there are moments of humor within it.
This was just my read on the book, but it does feel a little darker and I love the fact that you can have the same story but unique experiences by reading the book and watching the movie.
CESARE: I love the movie, and that’s the thing I love about the movie. I saw Tucker & Dale [vs. Evil] when it first came out. I love this filmmaker and I love this movie. I wouldn’t want him to do the book version. I want him to do the tone that’s the Eli Craig version of the story.
CRAIG: I love you, too, man!
CESARE: [Laughs] It’s such an accurate adaptation. That’s the crazy thing. Everything that happens happens in the book, but it’s that tone and it’s that comedy that I think is that spark that Eli and this incredible cast brought to it. I saw the vision when they said Eli Craig’s name, and then, having seen the movie, it’s like, “Oh, this works. It’s like peanut butter and jelly. This works so well!”

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Katie Doulgas Is a “Warrior” Leading Lady to Look Out For

“You could put her in any movie, and I think she would kill it.”

Image by Photagonist

Katie, I’m coming your way now because this movie’s a really big deal. This is your first time playing a lead in a feature film, and that is a massive accomplishment that should be celebrated. Broadly, what does it mean to you to get that opportunity, and then, as it pertains to Clown in a Cornfield, why are you so happy that that happened with this story and character?
DOUGLAS: Oh, you have no idea. It was actually funny. I was telling Eli, when I got the offer, that this kind of movie was on my bucket list. I’ve never done a really fun, corny slasher movie, and that’s my genre. I love that so much. I was really excited to do it, and I can thank you, [Eli], for the most part.
CRAIG: I definitely fought for you.
AARON ABRAMS: Who was fighting against it?
DOUGLAS: The world. [Laughs]
CRAIG: From the very beginning, before anybody even auditioned, I would have had you come [in] if you didn’t audition. I would have had you do the character. I was so determined to get you. Then we had your audition, and I was like, “See? Everybody, look, she’s the one.” I think some people just didn’t like the, “See? You’re all wrong. She’s perfect.” Now everybody knows I was right! [Laughs]
I really really, really, felt that Katie has the chops. She has put the time in. You say it’s the first time, but she’s done so much work. I watched everything she did. I watched her Lifetime movies where she was abducted time and time again. I thought every time she was abducted, it was a unique character, and she was so real. Then, she did these short films that I watched, and then she did this great thing called Pretty Hard Cases where she was very natural. And, of course, Ginny & Georgia. In every single one of those, she just plays this grounded, natural, real character. I was like, “I need her in my movie.”
DOUGLAS: Oh my god, I did not expect to be hyped up right now!
Aaron and Kevin, what is something about Katie as a scene partner and also a number one on the call sheet that you really appreciated and are going to be excited for more actors to experience when she leads more films down the line?
ABRAMS: As an actor and as a big fan of horror, the thing that you want, and somebody who separates horror sometimes from other horror movies, is somebody who has a lead or a final girl who you care about immensely, and you want them to win. I’ll watch all the other kids die because you want to see some death, but not her. You’re fighting so hard for Katie. As a number one, you also get behind her in that way, just as a person as well. She’s an amazing scene partner. She’s natural and grounded and also brings the best out of everyone else, and that’s what you want from a number one.

Image by Photagonist

KEVIN DURAND: I was lucky enough to see the film, and we shared a couple of scenes where we were having a lot of fun playing these scenes. She’s just so grounded and coming from such a real place. You could put her in any movie, and I think she would kill it. You really held it down, so congratulations to you. It was fun to play.
DOULGAS: Wow! My god.
They speak the truth!
CRAIG: Can I tell a story? We just watched the Oscars the other night. We watched all of this touring that people do.
ABRAMS: The Oscar campaign for Katie starts right now.
CRAIG: Everybody looks so elite, right? Then you actually get into filmmaking, and it is gritty, dirty stuff.
DOUGLAS: Not glamorous.
CRAIG: We’re out there in the corn, we’re covered in mud, and we’re all surviving in Winnipeg. It’s freezing all the time. We’re in the middle of the night shooting through the corn, and we would say, “Action.” [Katie]’s running from a clown, obviously, and we’re on a golf cart going, like, 35mph, and Katie’s keeping up, just slashing through the corn. Then she stops, and she’s like, “I got something in my eye. I think I’m okay.” I go, “You’ve got something in your eye?” And she goes “I got a stick of corn in my eye.” She reaches down, and I’m like, “This could be really bad.” She pulls this thing out, she looks over, and she says, “I’m fine. Let’s go again.” This girl is so tough. She’s gonna kill it, and she’s a warrior.
What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?

The crew share their genre go-to’s.

Image by Federico Napoli

Because two of you just brought this up, and I can talk about this topic all day long, what are your favorite scary movies?
DOUGLAS: Oh my gosh, man, that’s the worst question ever. Horror is my favorite genre. Growing up, my favorite horror movies were Audition and Pulse, and then there’s The House That Jack Built and then, obviously, the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
This is not what I was expecting, and I like it.
DOUGLAS: Or even Eraserhead. That was the type of stuff that I fell in love with. The spectrum of horror is so big and it’s endless. You’ve got your Shaun of the Dead or Jennifer’s Body.
CRAIG: You could say Tucker vs Dale. [Laughs]
DOUGLAS: This is all to say I will not answer your question. I love them all.
I love those answers. Can you top that?
ABRAMS: No! I do think there are food groups of horror, right? There’s The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby. There’s the monster ones, which I’m going to put Alien in there; I think that’s the best monster guy. For me, Manhunter was the first scary movie I ever saw as a kid that was psychological, like Silence of the Lambs. I didn’t know what a serial killer was. That movie was terrifying. Stuff like Friday the 13th. The first one is a classic. There’s also something about Jason that’s like, all due respect to Pennywise, who’s an ethereal, very scary nightmare being, sometimes I just want a dirty local psycho in a dirty clown suit to chase me around. That’s somehow scarier to me.
CRAIG: We’ll have to come up with something! [Laughs]
Kevin Durand on Reuniting With Radio Silence

And why he won’t be making an appearance in Ready or Not 2.

Image by Photagonist

Kevin, I want to switch it up for you. We’ve got Clown in a Cornfield now, and one of the last times we spoke was for Abigail. You’ve done horror before that, too. Is there any horror filmmaking item that’s still left on your bucket list that you would love to tick in the future?
DURAND: You know, it’s a funny thing for me. I never look at the projects… I never divide them.
CRAIG: He never read the script. [Laughs]
DURAND: No! I love the script. And I love Tucker & Dale, and I love Little Evil. I’m gonna toot my own horn: Abigail’s a great movie, too, but I don’t look at them as horror or drama. I just read them, and if I feel compelled by them, and if I see that there’s a place for me to inject life into a character, then I don’t approach them any differently. I just love my job! I still can’t believe that people keep going, “Hey, you want to come make this?” “Yeah!”
CRAIG: I just love that. Then you’re looking at the project as a whole and saying, “What’s my role here? How do I bring that to life? How do I make this a little bit better?” I love that answer.
DURAND: It’s such a dream. We all have this opportunity to entertain people, and that’s our job. There’s really nothing better than that. So, whether it be horror, comedy, drama… Specifically, this film. I just watched it three nights ago with my wife, and we lost our minds. It’s so good, Eli, and you guys are so good. I’m just so grateful to be a part of it.
ABRAMS: This is what it’s like working with Kevin, too. He’s full of joy. Everyone can just get on his back and ride it.
It’s the same experience interviewing him! That’s why I love talking to you. Every single time, you radiate enthusiasm and passion for the work that you do, and that’s the coolest thing ever.
DURAND: People are just going to be like, “He’s just happy all the time. Why is he so happy? What’s wrong?” I’m living my dream. I get to work with great people like this.
I’ll get greedy with this. I want you to live more of your dream, and because we were just talking Abigail, I have this on my brain right now; Kathryn [Newton] just signed on for Ready or Not 2. All I ever want is for all of you to reunite with Radio Silence. Do you want to be in Ready or Not 2 as well?
DURAND: Big time. I reached out. I was like, “Hey, guys. What’s going on? I heard Kathryn’s coming up. What’s happening?” My agent was like, “You know, there’s a part in there that could be right,” and I was like, “I’ll just wait and see if they say anything.” They didn’t say anything. But I love them so much, and I’m going to see them because I’ll be shooting up there anyway.
I always say this is the manifestation table. That’s why I bring something like that up. I want to speak it into existence.
DURAND: The Radio Silence guys, we’re always thinking and looking for things to do. Honestly, for me, if I was in Ready or Not 2, it would really spoil that movie for me because I loved Ready or Not. So, I’m kind of happy I’m not in that movie because if I was in that movie, I’d be like, “Oh, yeah, there’s your stupid face,” because it’s a world that I know.
CRAIG: This guy is so optimistic about everything!
ABRAMS: Except for his face, apparently. [Laughs]

42:22

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Will There Be More ‘Clown in a Cornfield?’

This is the first of three books by Adam Cesare.

Image by Photagonist

Before I let you all go, there’s one other thing I want to use the manifestation table for. There are more books. Are we keeping in mind the potential for another movie down the line?
CRAIG: All I can say is, please go see it. All of you people that were like, “Where’s Tucker & Dale 2?” All of y’all should have gone to the theater when Tucker & Dale was playing, because there would easily be a sequel! The bottom line is, truly, there’s us, who are the artists and love doing it, and then there are literally the people just counting beans going, “Is there a sequel? Yes or no?” If you love this type of movie, go see it.
DURAND: You will not be disappointed. You need to go to the theater and see this movie. You’re going to have the time of your life. You’re going to laugh, you’re going to be scared, and you’re going to go home giggling your butt off. Just go, get out there, support the film, because it’s really worth it. I had so much fun watching it.
I can 100% get behind everything you just said.
Special thanks to our 2025 partners at SXSW, including presenting partner Rendezvous Films and supporting partners Bloom, Peroni, Hendrick’s Gin, and Roxstar Entertainment.

Clown in a Cornfield

Release Date

April 9, 2025

Runtime

96 Minutes

Director

Eli Craig

Writers

Adam Cesare, Carter Blanchard

Producers

Georges Bermann, Wyck Godfrey

Aaron Abrams

Dr. Glenn Maybrook

Katie Douglas

Quinn Maybrook

Carson MacCormac

Cole Hill

Cassandra Potenza

Janet Murray