Everyone’s a friend of Frendo. RLJE Films and Shudder have released the first red band teaser trailer for “Clown in a Cornfield,” Eli Craig’s 2025 South by Southwest Film Festival-bound horror movie based on Adam Cesare’s novel of the same name.

“Clown in a Cornfield” stars Katie Douglas and Carson MacCormac as father-daughter duo Quinn and Glenn, who relocate to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, Quinn “discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down,” according to an official synopsis.

“As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time. Welcome to Kettle Springs. The real fun starts when Frendo the clown comes out to play.”

“Smile” producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey will produce alongside John Fischer for Temple Hill Entertainment, with RLJE Films and Shudder distributing. The 96-minute slasher is rated R for “Bloody horror violence, language throughout and teen drinking” and will premiere at SXSW March 10 before heading to theaters nationwide May 9.

Aaron Abrams, Will Sasso and Kevin Durand also star. “Clown in a Cornfield” is co-written by Craig and Carter Blanchard, who adapted the screenplay from Cesare’s novel. The “Clown in a Cornfield” book spawned two sequels: “Clown in a Cornfield II: Frendo Lives” and “Clown in a Cornfield III: The Church of Frendo.”

Watch the full red band teaser below: