Clown in a Cornfield’s Director on Making Significant (however Nonetheless Ugly) Horror Films

The title Eli Craig won’t instantly ring a bell, however all style followers know Tucker & Dale vs. Evil—Craig’s 2010 horror comedy a couple of pair of excellent ol’ boys who by chance get pegged as killers, in a film that pokes nice enjoyable at each cabin-in-the-woods slasher trope possible. Craig’s newest candidate for cult-classic standing is about to hit theaters: Clown in a Cornfield, a gory story set in a small Midwestern city that’s terrorized by… properly, see title.

io9 obtained an opportunity to speak to Craig all about clowns, cornfields, comedy, and why he prefers horror tales that weave surprisingly deep themes beneath all their splatter.

Cheryl Eddy, io9: Clown in a Cornfield has some humorous one-liners (and a humorous title), but it surely’s actually extra simple than subversive. How did you strategy discovering the best tone whereas steering it in a much less comedy-forward course than your earlier movies?

Eli Craig: I all the time am making an attempt to shock individuals, I suppose, and it begins with the title—the reversal and shocking individuals. This movie has these emotional components which might be deeper than each the title suggests, but additionally even the tone of the film suggests. I really like making motion pictures which might be type of deep and don’t take themselves severely on the identical time. The title intrigued me; I had finished a film referred to as Little Evil with each a clown and a cornfield in it. And I believed, properly, now it’s time to place these two components collectively. 

There’s comedy on this film, but it surely actually to me is sort of a horror motion comedy. I broke out the comedy moments and took them away from the horror and the motion in order that they type of stand nearly on their very own, so that they don’t stroll on one another. And it was a acutely aware determination as a result of I actually love motion motion pictures and I don’t need individuals to simply consider me all the time because the actually humorous horror man. However I feel they could nonetheless consider me [that way] just a little bit, so we’ll see. 

io9: Clowns are a well-loved horror staple, however Clown in a Cornfield‘s Frendo has that further layer of being a company mascot too. How did you deliver each of these components collectively to craft the character we see within the film?

Craig: I really like the backstory of Frendo being this company mascot who was the salesperson for Baypen Corn Syrup within the Nineteen Thirties and ‘40s and ‘50s for Kettle Springs. We wished to design a clown that was kind of happy-go-lucky, however over time had grown extra sinister. There’s simply this metaphor for America in there for me. This movie could be very Americana. It’s based mostly on this small city in Missouri that had a growth time due to their corn syrup operation within the ‘40s and ‘50s, and now has type of fallen into disrepair. 

We wished the clown to type of emulate that. And the trend that comes from dropping a lot, from a lot financial hardship, is constructed into the sinister grin of the clown. That is very a lot a movie about this generational divide, and a number of the anger that comes from Frendo towards the youthful era is actually obvious in it. 

io9: I used to be going to ask you concerning the era hole that we see within the film. You talked about earlier that it was vital that the film was about greater than only a clown killing individuals. Why was it vital to you to ensure there was a basis in place?

Craig: For me, I’m all the time in search of one thing that’s deeper. I’m weirdly type of a considerate, deep particular person. Even with Tucker & Dale, possibly one out of 10 individuals go, “Oh wow, that is actually a movie about classism and social stratification.” I really like absurdity with deep themes. I’ve all the time liked kind of existential philosophy and Theatre of the Absurd. And if I may mix the 2 and have a extremely enjoyable, entertaining film that you possibly can have a look at twice and assume, “Wait a minute, this film’s really about issues which might be deeper than are on the floor”—that’s all the time my aim.

io9: The film has a kind of previous tech/new tech theme to go along with that—the youngsters making YouTube movies is a passion the older individuals on the town don’t perceive; there’s additionally a perpetual lack of wifi or cell service, the primary character is studying to drive a stick shift, and so on. Was the rotary cellphone scene a real response? 

Craig: Yeah, it actually was. I used to be all the time pondering on this movie about the right way to pit the previous towards the brand new, and that the older era didn’t actually know the right way to use new know-how and the youthful era didn’t know the right way to use the older know-how. All of those are issues I got here up with as we have been transferring alongside. 

So far as the response that goes to the cellphone, a lot of this was simply determining—I had written one thing about it, however determining the way it was gonna be natural on the day. How would they only make it really feel pure and never like a joke? As a result of to me, I need all of my jokes to play as a really actual response and never like anyone simply had a humorous line to say in a script. 

So when Cassandra Potenza, who performs Janet, and Katie Douglas, who performs Quinn, ran up there, I used to be like, “Simply attempt to work it out with the cellphone. Simply attempt to determine the way you’re going to name out on this factor.” And so they obtained the sense of it, so there’s just a little little bit of improv and just a little little bit of expectation that they’re not going to determine it out. So it simply comes off very pure and actual.

io9: We talked about clowns. However cornfields even have a protracted and storied historical past in horror. What do you assume is the one creepiest factor a couple of cornfield? And what’s the largest problem that comes with filming in them?

Craig: Nicely, the creepiest factor a couple of cornfield is that they develop up taller than your head. And inside about 30 seconds in a cornfield, you will get misplaced. The primary time I shot a scene, only one evening, on Little Evil in a cornfield, I had a crew member that wandered off to go to the toilet and by no means got here again. They only type of obtained misplaced on the market. And I realized lots from that—that one corn inventory seems like one other. 

So after we’re operating by the corn, we may simply be operating forwards and backwards by the identical little bit of corn, so long as it doesn’t seem like it’s broken. And we’d run by, harm one part of the corn, then lay down that row and run by one other part. And probably the most tough a part of coping with all that’s—properly, a number of issues. One is that corn is definitely type of sharp. It has these abrasive edges to it. So when the actors are operating by it full dash, they’re slashing by with their fingers and little bits of corn can get of their eyes, and the husks and stuff. So there’s a joke in there the place [Verity Marks’ character] Ronnie’s like, “Ow, this corn hurts!” It’s one thing I wrote as a result of as we have been taking pictures, individuals have been like “Ow, this corn hurts!”

I wished to place that in there simply in type of a humorous means. And it’s muddy and there’s climate; generally it was like minus 10 or 20 levels as a result of we have been taking pictures in Winnipeg. So there’s all that, and bugs—it’s gritty on the market!

Individuals generally view Hollywood as this bunch of prima donnas which might be, like, catered to on the market. However everyone on this movie was so powerful as a result of it’s 4 within the morning, it’s minus 10 levels, they’ve cuts throughout their physique from operating by corn. And should you’re operating by muck that fills up the soles of your boots; you may’t even actually get any traction as a result of all of the mud sticks to the underside of your footwear. So everyone on this was simply so hardcore. You’d be shocked.

io9: The Clown in a Cornfield ebook your film is predicated on has two sequels—would you take into account making a sequel movie?

Craig: Earlier than I even shot this one, I learn the second ebook and I discovered a tie-in from this film that [went] into the second ebook. After which in fact, when anyone has like three actually good books written and has a collection, and I simply love Adam Cesare as an creator, it’s thrilling to consider what may come subsequent. 

io9: Superior, possibly a crossover with Tucker and Dale?

Craig: I do know—Tucker & Dale vs. Clown in a Cornfield. [Laughs] I feel that there’s a variety of prospects. I knew I needed to develop my profession out of the comedy horror world to get an opportunity to make extra motion pictures. So hopefully this may make individuals see that I’m extra succesful than only one factor. After which possibly I’ll get to do Tucker & Dale 2. We’ll see.

io9: I hope that does occur!

Craig: I determine possibly it’ll be my first characteristic movie and my final characteristic movie, Tucker & Dale 2, and we’ll all be taking pictures it—I’ll be an previous man with the cane going “Motion!” And Tucker and Dale [will both be] previous males going by their sequel. [Laughs.] Or sooner, you already know, who is aware of—if this film does properly, it’ll assist me make extra motion pictures. So go see it!

Clown in a Cornfield hits theaters Might 9.

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