The following contains spoilers for Clown in a Cornfield, now playing in theatersClown in a Cornfield shares a villain twist with one of Edgar Wright’s best comedies. Based on the novel of the same name, Clown in a Cornfield is a deliberate throwback to older eras of slasher films that leans into the comical elements to great effect. At the heart of the film is Frendo the Clown, a mascot in the town of Kettle Springs who is repurposed by local teens as a horror story character. However, someone starts targeting the teens in the guise of Frendo, initially picking them off before making a larger coordinated attack against the local youths.

It all sets up an increasingly grisly movie that never stops being funny, making Clown in a Cornfield just the latest example of 2025’s string of solid horror-comedies. The nature of that twist also gives Clown in a Cornfield a story connection to a modern comedy masterpiece, which used a similar idea and thematic core to explore a slightly different story (and from a completely different genre). Here is how Clown in a Cornfield‘s big twist compares to the Edgar Wright comedy that tackled a similar idea almost twenty years ago.

Clown In A Cornfield And H๏τ Fuzz Share A Villain Twist

Clown In A Cornfield And H๏τ Fuzz Both Have The Same Kind Of Twist About The Killers

Despite their very different stories and themes, Clown in a Cornfield and H๏τ Fuzz share the same fundamental villain twist regarding the idenтιтy of their mysterious killers. In both stories, a new citizen in a тιԍнт-knit community finds themselves targeted for being an outsider. Forced to fight back to survive, both Nicolas Angel in H๏τ Fuzz and Quinn Maybrook in Clown in a Cornfield find out the danger is being posed by the local community elders, who seek to maintain their conservative and overtly nice exterior while “dealing with” people who disrupt their way of life.

This reveal turns both movies on their head. Both Clown in a Cornfield and H๏τ Fuzz treat the moment as a big twist, with a major musical sting and a clear tonal shift. It also sets up a number of new enemies for the heroes to fight their way through. Although Nicholas and his allies in H๏τ Fuzz show more restraint and don’t actually kill anyone themselves, Quinn has far less problem using lethal measures to dispatch the clowns.

Clown In A Cornfield Has A Different Thematic Focus Than H๏τ Fuzz

Clown In A Cornfield Is About The Generation Gap, While H๏τ Fuzz Is A Broader Cultural Satire

Although both films share a central twist, they use it to explore different riffs on similar themes. In Clown in a Cornfield, the hatred the Frendos feel for the local teens is rooted in their dislike of the current generation. Their prejudices against the Gen-Z high schoolers push them to take drastic measures, all while arguing they’re actually the good people for ridding the world of the teens. As Cole calls them out on their failures to make the world a better place for their children, Clown in a Cornfield is very rooted in this generation conflict.

While that is implied to be a factor in H๏τ Fuzz, given that some of the victims of the Neighborhood Watch Alliance are teenagers, their focus is a broader condemnation of anyone who negatively impacts the rustic image of Sanford. This is a more culturally rooted element that also carries a subtle racial component, given that the breaking point for the NWA was the implied slaughter of the Romani travelers who settled in the town years before the events of the film. There’s a broader cultural condemnation in H๏τ Fuzz instead of a generation gap in Clown in a Cornfield.

Clown In A Cornfield & H๏τ Fuzz Have Another Key Thing In Common

Both Movies Lean Into Hyper Violence For Dark Slapstick Comedy

Clown in a Cornfield and H๏τ Fuzz may use the same kind of villain twist in service of slightly different thematic throughlines, but they both also embrace the hyper-violence inherent to their respective genres. Clown in a Cornfield is a throwback to the slasher films of previous generations, with the Frendos getting plenty of gory kills like beheading Matt or stabbing Ronnie with a chainsaw. Quinn and her father also get some very over-the-top kills in the climax of the film, which the film has a blast wit,h given the villainous nature of the victims.

Likewise, H๏τ Fuzz indulges in the bombastic nature of action movies by the likes of Michael Bay and John Woo, with plenty of slow-motion sH๏τs or sudden quick edits. The gunplay is clever and comedic in a way that Clown in a Cornfield takes a step further, with both movies turning sudden murders into a source of dark comedy. Clown in a Cornfield and H๏τ Fuzz are both loving riffs on their respective genres, and use the unexpected twist surrounding their central villains for great comedic effect.