Book Review: Clown in a Cornfield 4: Lights! Camera! Frendo! by Adam Cesare

How many stories do you think you could get out of a clown killing people in a cornfield? For Adam Cesare, turns out four with maybe more on the way. And I'll read all of them.

     In this installment in the cornfield stalking murder clown series, our heroes Jerri, Cole, and Rust are putting on a movie about the tragic events of the first book. The one where all their friends died. Series protagonist Quinn is absent, presumed dead, so we add in Sabrina as the actress attempting to embody Quinn on screen and later during the murder spree. Add in the movie's cast of clown-food it's all Murder! Corn! and Action! as trauma and healing meet chainsaws and flamethrowers.

     I went audio for the first three books. For me, that made for entertaining walks to work and laundry folding, but also a little ephemeral. What I'm saying is I remember shit about the books beyond the skeleton cast and facts. Quinn, Cole, and Rust killed clowns who killed their friends. There was a cult. Knives and shotguns. Even Jerri showing up had me going "oh yeah" when she mentioned something from her past. Anyway, all that to say I'm gonna have hell discussing the continuity or meta narrative as it relates to the previous entries.

     I did see the movie based on the first book. I caught all the references and maybe grievances about movie making from an author who had a book made into a movie. Scream 3 walked so Frendo could drive a thresher. Temperamental actors, a "visionary" director, and all the people who support these assholes are highlighted. While I liked Sabrina, I wish our POV was with a member of the film crew like the assistant director Kaitlyn or stuntman Chet and used the actors as funny asides. Maybe I'm just annoyed Gosling's The Fall Guy did not do better. Having a main POV as Quinn's actress was good. I liked her and understood the meta idea Cesare was playing with, but imagine how badass Sabrina's stuntwoman would have been chainsawing clowns.

     As for the horror aspect itself, if you read much suspense you will see kills coming a mile off, but they are done so well it does not make a difference. The one actor is done and leaving for the airport still covered in fake blood? I bet he makes it home in the car with the faceless driver who won't talk to him. Cannon fodder is needed, and although we spent a short time with many of the victims they all are memorable and die in creative and interesting ways. Best anyone can ask for, really.

     By the end, deaths are all you have. The climax is another massacre, the resolution a lone clown speaking of their motivations, and we all go home with trauma in our hearts. At times it feels very much like we have been here before, but I enjoyed the visit. I did not mind as the series is built on the backs of all the slashers that have come before and bested many of them.

     If you are curious about the franchise and want a fun slasher that's borderline YA, go to the first and read your way through. Fans of the series will have fun. Check it out.

Now's the part where I say there are spoilers below and the Friends of the Banned Library members are like "we know!" and everyone else reading this is all "what does he say below?!" and I say "well for $1 a month you can get some posts early and some have extra spoiler content where I say what I really think about the racist bullshit Dewey Decimal System. For real we kicked him out of the American Library Association for being super-sexist and yet every library has that weirdo's name." Anyway, join up today. Sorry to the Friends for not deleting this in their version.