Summary
SXSW in Austin is the perfect hub for genre filmmaking, particularly horror.
The film, co-written and directed byEli Craig(Tucker and Dale vs.
Evil), is one part an inventive slasher thriller and another part a commentary on contemporary generational divides.
Image by Photagonist
PERRI NEMIROFF: I’m so excited to be talkingClown in a Cornfieldwith the team behind the film.
I had a blast.
Eli or Adam, I’ll give either of you these duties.
Image via 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.
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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.
It’s seen better days because the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory has burned down recently.
Quinn and Dr. Maybrook show up.
Hes not a good guy, put it that way.
Image by Photagonist
CRAIG: Honestly, Adam could speak to that.
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?
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People were like, “Thats 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.
Image by Federico Napoli
They’ll come down on a side of this divide.
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.
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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.
Adam, I want to come your way with a writing question.
CESARE: I was a published author for like 10 years before theClown of Cornfieldbooks came out.
The first one is my first young adult book.
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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.
Why don’t I write a book about teenagers?
What are teens worried about?
They’re doing shelter-in-place drills.
Thats whereClown of the Cornfieldcame from.
Its that magic alchemy of the title, where it tells you the setting and an antagonist right away.
Eli, you get Adam’s book and also Carter [Blanchard]s screenplay.
CRAIG: I felt like it needed a touch of comedy in there.
It couldnt be something that took itself really seriously with the nameClown in a Cornfield.
It’s so morbid and weird, but I thinkcomedy goes well with horrorif you break it apart.
Don’t laugh while people are dying, but there are moments of humor within it.
CESARE: I love the movie, and that’s the thing I love about the movie.
I sawTucker & 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.
It’s like peanut butter and jelly.
This works so well!"
Katie, I’m coming your way now because this movie’s a really big deal.
DOUGLAS: Oh, you have no idea.
It was actually funny.
I’ve never done a really fun, corny slasher movie, and thats my genre.
I love that so much.
CRAIG: I definitely fought for you.
AARON ABRAMS: Who was fighting against it?
DOUGLAS: The world.
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?
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.
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!
I’ll watch all the other kids die because you want to see some death, but not her.
Youre fighting so hard for Katie.
She’s an amazing scene partner.
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.
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.
It’s freezing all the time.
We’re in the middle of the night shooting through the corn, and we would say, Action.
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’sYourFavorite Scary Movie?
The crew share their genre go-to’s.
DOUGLAS: Oh my gosh, man, that’s the worst question ever.
Horror is my favorite genre.
This is not what I was expecting, and I like it.
DOUGLAS: Or evenEraserhead.
CRAIG: You could sayTucker 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?
I do think there are food groups of horror, right?
There’sThe ExorcistandRosemary’s Baby.
I didn’t know what a serial killer was.
That movie was terrifying.
Stuff likeFriday the 13th.The first one is a classic.
That’s somehow scarier to me.
CRAIG: We’ll have to come up with something!
Kevin, I want to switch it up for you.
We’ve gotClown in a Cornfieldnow, andone of the last times we spoke was forAbigail.
You’ve done horror before that, too.
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!
And I loveTucker & Dale, and I loveLittle Evil.
I just love my job!
I still can’t believe that people keep going, “Hey, you want to come make this?
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 ourjob.
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.
DURAND: People are just going to be like, He’s just happy all the time.
Why is he so happy?
I’m living my dream.
I get to work with great people like this.
I’ll get greedy with this.
All I ever want is for all of you to reunite with Radio Silence.
Do you want to be inReady or Not 2as well?
DURAND: Big time.
I was like, Hey, guys.
I heard Kathryns coming up.
They didn’t say anything.
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.
CRAIG: This guy is so optimistic about everything!
ABRAMS: Except for his face, apparently.
Will There Be More ‘Clown in a Cornfield?’
This is the first of three books by Adam Cesare.
There are more books.
Are we keeping in mind the potential for another movie down the line?
CRAIG: All I can say is, like go see it.
All of you people that were like, Where’sTucker & Dale 2?
If you love this pop in of movie, go see it.
DURAND: You willnotbe disappointed.
you better go to the theater and see this movie.
You’re going to have the time of your life.
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.
