Ice Cream Man (film)
Ice Cream Man is a 1995 American horror comedy television film[1] produced and directed by Norman Apstein, written by Sven Davison and David Dobkin, and starring Clint Howard, Olivia Hussey, and David Naughton. The plot follows a deranged man recently released from a psychiatric institution who opens an ice cream factory where he begins using human flesh in his recipes.
| Ice Cream Man | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Norman Apstein |
| Produced by | Paul Norman |
| Written by | Sven Davison David Dobkin |
| Starring | Clint Howard Olivia Hussey David Naughton Jan-Michael Vincent David Warner |
| Music by | Richard Lyons |
| Cinematography | Garrett Griffin |
| Edited by | Andre Vaillancourt |
| Distributed by | A-Pix Entertainment Inc. Ardustry Home Entertainment LLC |
Release date |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,000,000 |
The film had an estimated $2 million budget and was released direct-to-video, and in recent years has developed a cult following among viewers who see it as an unintentional comedy, and enjoy it for its campy production values. Joe Bob Briggs hosted the film on TNT, when it was shown on MonsterVision. Howard himself made an appearance, discussing the film with Briggs. It was released on DVD in 2004.
Plot
In a 1950s American suburb, young Gregory Tudor witnesses his local ice cream man, known as the "Ice Cream King," murdered in a drive-by shooting. In the present, Gregory has taken over the "King's" business, calling himself the Ice Cream Prince, and using the man's truck and ice cream parlor. Unbeknownst to the public, Gregory is putting gruesome ingredients in his ice cream such as insects, blood, and body parts, and is using the dilapidated ice cream parlor as a sort of laboratory in which he produces his concoctions.
One night, Gregory kills a dog belonging to Nurse Wharton—his landlord and one of the orderlies who treated him for his childhood trauma. The same night, Roger, a boy from the neighborhood, goes missing. The other children, having witnessed Gregory's creepy personality, suspect him of kidnapping Roger, but the police and Nurse Wharton do not. The kids, Johnny, Heather, and Tuna, agree to gang up and search for Roger themselves. Soon after, another boy known as Small Paul disappears.
The kids are initially unable to prove that Gregory is dangerous, and the police persist in not believing them. Gregory has recurring flashbacks to his abusive treatment at the Wishing Well Sanatorium, and obsessively idolizes the Ice Cream King, visiting the man's grave at odd hours of the night. As the kids dig deeper, it is revealed that Gregory really did kidnap Roger and Small Paul, and is keeping them in a cage at the ice cream parlor. However, Small Paul shows a macabre interest in Gregory's experiments, and so Gregory takes him under his wing.
Two detectives investigate the Wishing Well, which turns out to be an unregulated free-for-all; the unstable patients roam freely and cause chaos, while the doctors and administrators are insane themselves. The police now believe the children regarding Gregory's craziness, and prepare to search for Roger and Small Paul at the ice cream parlor. When Gregory kidnaps Tuna, Heather enlists the help of her older brother Jacob to investigate the parlor, but Jacob is killed by Gregory, who also kills Jacob's girlfriend and frightens Heather and Johnny into running around the property. Gregory outsmarts the two cops and knocks them unconscious. By holding a photo of the Ice Cream King over his face, Small Paul causes Gregory to walk into a trap that pulls him into the main ice cream mixer, where Gregory is dismembered by the razor-sharp mixing blade.
Roger and Tuna are reunited with their friends, who mention that Small Paul has been sent to therapy. A closing shot shows Small Paul sitting alone in a darkened room, silently churning a bucket of ice cream, his face twisted into an evil leer just like Gregory's.
Cast
- Clint Howard as Gregory Tudor
- Matthew McCurley as Young Gregory Tudor
- Justin Isfeld as Johnny Spodak
- Anndi McAfee as Heather Langley
- JoJo Adams as Tuna Cassera
- Mikey LeBeau as Small Paul
- Zachary Benjamin as Roger Smith
- Olivia Hussey as Nurse Wharton
- David Naughton as Martin Cassera
- Sandahl Bergman as Marion Cassera
- Karl Makinen as Jacob Spodak
- Steve Garvey as Mr. Spodak
- Janet Wood as Mrs. Spodak
- Andrea Evans as Wanda
- Stephanie Champlin as Janet
- Jan-Michael Vincent as Detective Gifford
- Lee Majors II as Detective Maldwyn
- Tom Reilly as Charley
- Stephen Fiachi as Gus
- David Warner as Reverend Langley
- Jeanine Anderson as Mrs. Langley
- Jessica Devlin as Mrs. Smith
- Marla Frees as Gregory's Mother
Planned sequel
On October 9, 2014, a Kickstarter campaign backed by star Clint Howard was started to fund a sequel entitled Ice Cream Man 2: Sundae Bloody Sundae to coincide with the film's 20th anniversary.[2] However the campaign was closed on October 30, 2014, after only 70 backers and just over $4,000 was made, nowhere near the $300,000 goal. However, it is stated that the project has not been abandoned and stated that they are looking for a new crowdfunding structure and alternative financing for the film. There is no current news on the filming of the movie.[3][4]
References
- "Ice Cream Man". The New York Times.
- http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/73216/ice-cream-man-2-sundae-bloody-sundae-looking-get-kickstarted/
- https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1398019487/ice-cream-man-2/posts/1034945
- http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/76597/moment-silence-please-ice-cream-man-2-officially-dead-water/