This image provided by IFC Films shows a scene from “Clown in a Cornfield.”

“Clown in a Cornfield” is the kind of film that likes to wink at its audience, playfully self aware that is trying to parody a genre while celebrating it as well.

Unfortunately, it is nowhere near as smart as it thinks it is.

Despite having the man who helmed the similarly toned “Dale & Tucker vs. Evil,” “Clown” is unable to find the right balance with a script that undermines its cast before wildly veering into a final act that becomes rather heavy-handed.

“Clown” begins in 1991 in the town of Kettle Springs, Missouri, – a town that basically exists because of a corn syrup factory known as Baypen. When two teenagers leave a party near the factory they are murdered by someone dressed as the company’s clown mascot known as Frendo.

Flash forward to present day and Quinn (Katie Douglas) has moved there with her father (Aaron Abrams) hired to be the new town doctor. Quinn is still trying to cope with the death of her mother and doesn’t like the move, but she eventually befriends some fellow teens, including a young boy named Cole (Carson MacCormac), who like to create fake murders involving Frendo as content for their YouTube channel.

As the town gets ready to celebrate the annual Founder’s Day Festival the teenagers are stalked by clowns, who begin to kill off the kids one by one.

“Clown” was directed and co-written by Eli Craig, who turned “Tucker & Dale” into a funny spin on the Appalachia horror films. It’s clear Craig is trying to do the same mix of horror and satire here, with some insight on the social media generation and how they are perceived by the generations that came before them.

The problem is the script, co-written by Carter Blanchard and based on a novel by Adam Cesare, takes too long to develop. The first half feels too much like a standard horror film, with the “fun” not really starting until maybe the midway point.

When it does finally kick into gear, there are too many gags that don’t quite work as well as I think they are intended. Douglas is so interesting in the lead, and presented as such a smart and intuitive person that a joke where she has no clue how to use a rotary phone just undermines her character.

And then there is the big reveal and final speech, one that is clearly a commentary on the current climate (given by a character who bears way too much of a resemblance to someone this message is intended for). Sure it means well, but it just feels like a soap box moment just forced into the movie.

In the end “Clown in a Cornfield” doesn’t deliver enough mix of laughs and horrors, opting instead to go the forced message route. It’s too bad because the cast, and the audience, deserves better.

If You Go
“Clown in a Cornfield”
Starring: Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams
Directed by: Eli Craig
Rating: R for bloody horror violence, language throughout and teen drinking
Playing at: Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10
Grade: C