Clown in a Cornfield 2 by Adam Cesare
Frendo Lives!
The original Clown in a Cornfield climaxes with a bloody massacre in the rural Missouri town of Kettle Springs. The rampage significantly reduces the local teenage population, but town newcomer Quinn Maybrook survives. So do her friends Rust and Cole, who are now a couple. Clown in a Cornfield 2, subtitled Frendo Lives, picks up the story a year later.
Quinn is now attending college in Philadelphia. The internet is rife with conspiracy theories claiming that she and her friends were responsible for the massacre. Others insist that the event was a hoax. Back in Kettle Springs, Quinn’s dad has a new job – mayor – and a new girlfriend, Izzy, whom Quinn doesn’t particularly like.
Cole and Rust visit Quinn at college, but they’re not the only ones who are new to town. Multiple Frendos inevitably show up, but the trio is able to fend them off. Quinn gets terrifying news from back home. She and her friends return to Kettle Springs to battle a new army of costumed clowns.
The obvious suspects this time are a family of newcomers who are operating the local haunted house attraction. A new Frendo rampage would be great publicity for them right? Of course, this is a slasher, and the most obvious suspect is virtually never the true culprit.
The Original vs. The Sequel
In typical sequel fashion, Clown in a Cornfield 2 ratches everything up notch. It’s even more violent and gruesome than its predecessor, which I reviewed last year. The political commentary is more hard-hitting as well.
The villains are hardcore conspiracy theorists who want Quinn, Rust and Cole to pay for their alleged crimes. In a different era, Cesare’s characterization of these folks would have been considered extreme and over the top. In the world we live in today, they are perfectly plausible antagonists.
Cesare explores the concept of the “useful idiot”: someone who is duped and manipulated into fighting for a false cause for the benefit of powerful people. This political term has been around for decades, but it’s never been more relevant than it is now.
The novel culminates with a chaotic Halloween bloodbath that is even more gruesome than the massacre from the original. Villains old and new appear, and there are a couple of major plot twists.
Quinn has changed from the naive, good natured girl from the original. Her transformation into an angry, violent avenger is fairly believable considering what she’s been through. There isn’t as much development for Cole and Rust. The main difference is that they’re now openly together. They go through some routine relationship drama.
A notable addition is Jerri Shaw, a transgender teen girl who becomes a major POV character. Cesare probably figured that he needed a new younger teen since the trio from the original are college age now.
Jerri works at the local movie theater and gets harassed by both bigots and conspiracy theorists (her sister was killed in the first novel’s massacre). She adds a touch of the sweetness and heart that the younger Quinn provided in the first book.
Clown in a Cornfield 2 is quite predictable in terms of who lives and who dies. It would have had a more visceral impact if there had been at least one shocking death. Of course, that’s tough to do when you’re writing a series and need to save characters for future installments.
I generally enjoyed the film adaptation of the original novel. Clown in a Cornfield 2 has movie potential as well. I’d be intrigued to see Shudder adapt the sequel into a film. Director Eli Craig has stated that he’s interested in helming a potential sequel, but there has been no official word from Shudder.
The first film was a modest hit, grossing $10 million on a $1 million budget. Clown in a Cornfield 2 would likely need a higher budget, which may be why it hasn’t been greenlit as of yet.
rating
Clown in a Cornfield 2 is a worthy sequel that matches, and sometimes exceeds, the original. I’m planning to read Clown in a Cornfield 3 one of these days.
Rating from 1 (avoid at all costs) to 10 (masterpiece): 8
