Ok, “The Ice Cream Truck” is that horror film which places me right in the middle in terms of how I feel about it. I have two perspectives: one is that The Ice Cream Truck is an empty film that has interesting moments, but not well tied together. It feels like something I could have made, but I’d do better. And I say that because “The Ice Cream Truck” breaks Zennie’s rules for classic horror movie success: 1) involve the police; 2) have black folks in it; 3) have people around you scared to death because some nutcase is running around offing people; 4) have someone around to explain the nutcase. (Like the Doctor in Halloween, for example.)
The other perspective is if you take “The Ice Cream Truck” as its given to you, warts and all, it’s a good horror movie that boarders on being great. The overarching message that Megan Freels Johnston seems to be giving to us is “suburban life is so full of creepy white people that a white guy, wearing all white, serving up (reportedly good) ice cream from his creeky truck, and seemingly stuck in a 1950s-level anger over not getting any from a girl, while dudes around him get some, illicits no controversy from anyone in the neighborhood as he goes offing people. His death happens only because he really didn’t exist – he was a metaphor come to life. The dream killer who comes to give us real nightmares, murders of people which are erased in the blink of an eye when he’s killed – and by the one woman he describes as vanilla.
That woman is Mary (played by Deanna Russo from “Being Human,” and “Gossip Girl”). Mary and her husband have purcahsed a house in this white-bread neighborhood that reminds of me of a part of suburban Union City, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. Thing is, Mary has gone ahead to set up the house, meet the moving truck, check things out, and get to know the locals – meanwhile, her husband and two kids are driving cross country to join her. Given the trip takes a few days (the story happens within what appears to be a two-week time frame) Mary has too much time on her hands, no work, no television, a lot of nosy female neighbors, and a typical white teen with washboard abs and a generous supply of horny goat weed.
As Mary makes house, we are first presented with a moving guy who reminds me of Frank Zappa – straight up. His flirting while he works infuriates Mary, and she’s pretty much lets him know it. And then there’s “The Ice Cream Truck Guy”, well-played by Emil Johnsen, who drives around the ‘hood in this green and white vehicle, serving ice cream. Problem is, “The Ice Cream Truck Guy” does nothing but drive around and serve ice cream, or try to, morning, noon, and night. I swear the dude does not take a break, or appear to have a real home of his own.
But the one thing he does is rack up a body count: the poor guy and girl who just wanted chocolate ice cream. Yeah, The Ice Cream Truck Guy” didn’t like his smarmy attitude, and liked it less that he had a girlfiend. So, after serving up the ice cream, he turned back and served up his knife and scooper.
The one thing “The Ice Cream Truck Guy” has is an eye for Mary – but a weird way of showing it, like ringing her doorbell at night and running away before she answers it. Problem for him is Mary’s getting to know the locals, and then, after rejecting his advances, reminding herself that she’s married, finally goes out and meets up with “typical white teen with washboard abs and a generous supply of horny goat weed” and has sex with him in the kids playground. But not before buying cones from, you guessed it, “The Ice Cream Truck Guy”.
“The Ice Cream Truck Guy” must be able to smell that sex is about to happen, because it did after he scooped the delishiousness for Mary and “typical white teen with washboard abs and a generous supply of horny goat weed”. And just after they do the deed, here comes “The Ice Cream Truck Guy” with a knife of considerable length, ready to go all Michael Myers on them. The teen is stabbed to death, and in one of those scenes that shows Megan Freels Johnston’s got the slasher thing down. Then he goes for Mary.
For some reason that Megan Freels Johnston can explain, Mary goes into his truck to hide from “The Ice Cream Truck Guy”. He enters the back of the truck, not knowing she’s there, and gets the surprise of his life when she clobbers him. At that point, on the floor, he says “You’re a whote” – she loses it and gives him a frontal lobotomy with a blender.
Then, she walks away really slowly, leaving us to think that “The Ice Cream Truck Guy” might get up Michael Myers-style and chase her. Doesn’t happen.
What does happen is her husband and kids arrive and everyone who died is shown as if nothing happened to them, and they’re just carrying on their normal lives. That was wild. And then it was over.
“The Ice Cream Truck” is a movie that will have you talking. Megan Freels Johnston has a lot of ‘plainin to do with this one. Meanwhile, I can’t wait to see what else she has up her sleave. I just hope she remembers to add black folks, next time.
“The Ice Cream Truck” stars Lisa Ann Walter, Bailey Anne Borders, Dana Gaier, Sam Schweikert, Hilary Barraford, Dan Sutter, Declan Michael Laird and LaTeace Towns-Cuellar. It’s due for release in theaters and video-on-demand August 18th. (I wonder if I can get The Grand Lake Thearter in Oakland to show it?)
Stay tuned.