Day 1

We All Scream For Ice Cream (2007)

Directed by Tom Holland (not the new Spiderman actor)

From season 2 of the acclaimed Masters of Horror TV series, our first review covers the short film (1 hr long) We All Scream For Ice Cream, wherein a vengeful ice cream clown haunts a cadre of adults who wronged him as children. The plot is strongest when it focuses on the adults as children, there’s a wonderful Stephen King-esque tone to the scenario that sets up the story while showing how realistically awful children can be. Another highpoint is the special effects, done by Greg Nicotero of Creepshow fame, which manage to make scenes that could be campy genuinely frightening. In that same vein the design of, and powers of, the vengeful clown manage to establish a creepy and unique villain who may be more sympathetic than the heroes who have to fight him.

While the acting is mostly good, the adults don’t come across as believable or as sympathetic as their child versions. In particular the dialogue feels odd sometimes, especially when a tired trope gets trotted out solely to heighten the drama and allow the story to happen. Additionally, the logic of how the survivors try to fight the ice cream clown doesn’t really make sense, which somewhat drains the tension from the climax. Even with its flaws though, We All Scream For Ice Cream is an entertaining horror ride that distinguishes itself as one of the better examples of clown based horror. It’s so fun that we’re thinking of watching the rest of the Masters Of Horror Series to see if we can find more hidden gems! Anyone who likes horror should check this out!