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[REVIEW] ‘The Ice Cream Truck’ – Familiarity Can Be Sweet, But Deadly!

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This summer Writer and Director Megan Freels Johnston tugs at our inner psyche as she takes us on a chilling journey through a real suburban nightmare. Middle town suburbia has posed as a backdrop for many horror films over the years and continues successfully today. Films such as Halloween, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Carrie, Poltergeist, and The Stepfather have painted a blood splattered image of how eerie and desolate suburbia can be. This year’s summer treat, The Ice Cream Truck, reiterates the divine feelings of terror and serves up a reminder that you’re never safe. Familiarity can be sweet, but deadly.

Deanna Russo & Jeff Daniel Phillips in The Ice Cream Truck. Photo Courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment.

 

Jeff Daniel Phillips in The Ice Cream Truck. Photo Courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment.

Our story begins as the camera pulls through a tour of a neighborhood. A neighborhood that could be yours or mine; a neighborhood that is quiet and normal…at least for now. Setting the tone is the sinister score resembling beats from our fantastic John Carpenter films. It was love at first sound, thanks to composer Michael Boateng. Suddenly I was tranquil, willingly taken back in time, now methodically transcending through the neighborhood that I once grew up in as this cryptic melody pulsates my eardrums. The score gives life to this motion picture, flooding our heads with instant dread and uncertainty. Johnstons’ tale focuses on Mary (Deanna Russo) moving back to her hometown due to her husband’s job relocation. Allowing her family to stay behind and finish school, unsure of herself and the situation, Mary is all by herself. Lonely and desperate for human interaction, Mary encounters, Jessica (Hilary Barraford), the snoopy neighbor that every street possesses.     

LaTeace Towns-Cuellar, Lisa Ann Walter, and Hilary Barraford in The Ice Cream Truck. Photo Courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment.

Mary is alone and by herself allowing her family to stay back until school is complete in just a few more days. Soon Mary is met by an odd delivery man (Jeff Daniel Phillips) who appears to have a hidden agenda. Her focus is stolen as a vintage ice cream truck continually parades up and down the street. One of the neighbors invites Mary over to her son Max’s (John Redlinger), a high school graduation party. As time progresses, Mary finds herself spending more and more time with young Max. Mary knows she shouldn’t be spending time alone with this vibrant young man, or let alone have thoughts of attraction. Mary’s yearning for her lost youth is clouding her senses as a deranged ice cream man stalks the streets of her neighborhood. Or does a more elusive fear lurk closer than she can ever imagine? Find out on August 18th when The Ice Cream Truck releases to VOD platforms and theaters. 

Emil Johnsen in The Ice Cream Truck. Photo Courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment.

Setting an ominous haze over suburbia, The Ice Cream Truck captures the mood and beauty of an era that I adore and yearn after. Johnston and her team pulled it off, successfully re creating a ploy from my childhood. The film does an impeccable job at executing its multi-genre feel allowing the black comedy to spue out as it works around the confinement and the reality of how encompassing suburban life can be. The acting is nothing to ignore, with Deanna Russo & Emil Johnson’s portrayal of Mary and The Ice Cream Man, is nothing short of remarkable. Russo brings a certain life to her character, Mary, something that I am sure will appeal to many women. Mary is the girl that any guy would want to bring home to mom; sweet, sensible, and still has the eye for adventure. Emil Johnsen conveys a vicious character to life with his stylish-retro uniform and creepy vintage truck, patrolling the neighborhood with a crazed and unremorseful look in his eyes.
The design of the film will empower viewers to use their imagination and interpretation throughout, making it a genuinely frightening reality for some causing a downpour of emotion including laughter and fear. A comedy horror film one minute to a psychological thriller the next, The Ice Cream Truck will not disappoint.

Behind The Scenes of Uncork’d Entertainment’s The Ice Cream Truck. Megan Freels Johnston Directing Emil Johnsen. Photo Courtesy of Heather Cusick.

 

Behind The Scenes of Uncork’d Entertainment’s The Ice Cream Truck. The cast and crew prepping for the 1st Death Scene! Photo Courtesy of Heather Cusick.

 

The Ice Cream Truck – Trailer 

 

 

-About The Author-

Ryan T. Cusick is a writer for ihorror.com and very much enjoys conversation and writing about anything within the horror genre. Horror first sparked his interest after watching the original, The Amityville Horror when he was the tender age of three. Ryan lives in California with his wife and twelve-year-old daughter, who is also expressing interest in the horror genre. Ryan recently received his Master’s Degree in Psychology and has aspirations to write a novel. Ryan can be followed on Twitter @Nytmare112

 

 

 

Emil Johnsen in The Ice Cream Truck. Photo Courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment.

 

 

 

 

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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