Clown
In A Cornfield 4K
(2025/Shudder/RLJ 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/The
Last Horror Film
(1980/MVD/Troma Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A- Picture: B+/B Sound: A-/C Extras:
C+/B- Films: C+/C
Now
for a pair of thrillers titled to get you curious...
Based
on a book series of the same name, Clown
In A Cornfield 4K (2025)
lands on double disc 4K UHD / Blu-ray steel book from RLJ
Entertainment and Shudder.
This
is a decent installment in the killer clown sub-genre of horror and
is not unlike Killer Klowns From Outer Space, It, and
the Terrifier series. Aside from the gore, which is pretty
relentless when it gets a chance to be, the film feels in tone
similar to a YA (Young Adult) type story with twenty somethings
playing teens (which has become a standard in slasher movies since
the '80s). The murderous clown(s) are pretty creepy and pack a
variety of weapons with the best scenes being those that take place
in the cornfield itself which create a sense of mystery and tension.
Some of the inner workings of the townspeople is a little formulaic,
but overall the film is a fun watch and particularly impressive for
being on the lower budget spectrum.
A
teen named Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her doctor dad (Aaron Abrams)
move to the small town of Kettle Springs for a new start after a
tragic loss. They soon realize that the town they moved into has
fallen onto hard times after a corn syrup Factory near a cornfield
caught on fire, which is linked to a creepy looking clown mascot
named Frendo. As the plot thickens we realize that someone dressed
as the Clown Mascot is terrorizing and slaughtering townsfolk and
especially teens. Quinn finds herself in the middle of the mess and
ends up connecting the dots that leads to uncovering a vicious cult.
The
film stars Katie Douglas, Carson MacCormac, Aaron Abrams, Cassandra
Potenza, and Verity Marks with underrated character actor Kevin
Durland (The Naked Gun, The Wolverine, Real Steel)
and is nicely directed by Eli Craig (Tucker
and Dale VS Evil). You can tell this project was tailored
to ignite interest in adapting the subsequent sequels into a
franchise.
Clown
in a Cornfield 4K is presented in 2160p Ultra HD (without any
kind of HDR) on 4K UHD disc with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1
and great sounding audio mix in DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz,
24-bit) lossless sound. The film looks and sounds great on the 4K
UHD format with a sharp image and a lot of detail throughout. Also
included in lesser resolution is a 1080p high definition with a
2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio and an identical audio mix in DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) lossless sound as the 4K UHD.
Special
Features:
Audio
Commentary with Director Eli Craig, Clown in a Cornfield
Author Adam Cesare, Carson MacCormac (Cole Hill), and Katie Douglas
(Quinn Maybrook)
Trailers
and
Collectible Steel Book packaging with Frendo the Clown magnet set.
While
Clown In A Cornfield may have not have yet reached pop culture
heights of popularity yet (like Art the Clown from Terrifier
has), the first film entry is far from bad and packs some gory
moments that horror fans will enjoy. I would be interested in
reading the book and seeing how it compares to the film adaptation
and will tune in for further installments. If nothing else, the
film proves that the young horror going audience still has a fear of
clowns and that usually translates to success. Shudder has done a
nice job with this 4K UHD release and the steel book packaging is
very cool.
Troma
has reissued David Winters The
Last Horror Film
(1980/aka Fanatic)
with the same picture and sound transfer as this older edition we
reviewed at this link:
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14121/The+Last+Horror+Film+(1982+aka+Fanatic/Troma+Blu
Joe
Spinell and Caroline Munro just had horror genre success with William
Lustig's Maniac
a few months before, so the idea is to strike when the iron is hot,
we guess. Unfortunately, the Hollywood time capsule of filmmaking
and the film industry outshines the other parts of the story, as they
leads are stronger (apart and together) than the screenplay, but it
has some good moments and is still discussed at times. They were
trying and you could do much worse, especially in what has been made
in the genre of late.
If
you are a fan of either of the actors, this will be more of a must.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer can show the
age of the materials used, while the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is
also the same and weaker than it should be, even in this older
format. It does not help any of the Depeche Mode music either. This
will do until they can restore it and issue a 4K edition, so the
highlight is the extras. They include:
An
introduction by Troma head Lloyd Kaufman
Three
Feature Length Audio Commentary tracks (versus only one for the older
Blu-ray) including one with Caroline Munro and Frightfest's Alan
Jones and two with Luke Walker, old and new. He was best friends
with Joe Spinell
New
Interviews
Mr
Robbie, a short starring Joe Spinell
Full
episode of Troma's Kabukiman's Cocktail Corner webcast
The
Return of DolphinMan
Theatrical
Trailers for this film and five more Troma releases
and
Highlights form the Tromadance Film Festival.
-
Nicholas Sheffo and James Lockhart (4K)
https://letterboxd.com/jhl5films/
