The Horror Show
The Ice Cream Truck
by Megan Freels Johnston
Horror movies can be set in some great places, from insane asylums to old houses to weird islands in far away lands. However, I think the most effective settings are the more idealistically normal places like the suburbs. I adore horror set in neighborhoods, I think it's because I grew up in more of a middle lower class subdivision. I don't know what it's like to be suburban. If it's anything like the 'burbs in The Ice Cream Truck I'm kind of glad I missed out.
There will be spoilers ahead. Tread lightly. You have been warned.
The Ice Cream Truck is all about Mary, a freelance writer that is moving back to her hometown with her family to raise her kids in an affluent suburban setting. Mary is setting up the new house alone and dealing with the creepiest mover that has ever existed on Earth. All the while her husband and kids stay back in Seattle so the kids can finish the school year. Mary is all alone in a town that she once knew. She takes in the quiet suburb’s atmosphere and notices an odd throwback from the past, an ice cream truck. She dismisses it and settles in to do some writing until the stereotypical soccer moms show up and invites her to a party for one of their son's graduations. Mary goes and meets Max, the graduate. He and his girlfriend share a joint with Mary. After one hit, Mary goes inside, gets a vodka tonic from the soccer moms, makes an inappropriate vibrator joke, and gets hit on by a weird pony tail having man. While this is going down, Max goes back to the party and his girl stays out to finish her beer. This is when we see the first death at the hands of the mysterious ice cream man.
Basically, the movie continues like this. We see people doing morally questionable things and then death by ice cream man. The nosey neighbor and the rest of the soccer moms start to act strange around Mary. It's not really explained, they just start acting snotty. She starts to see Max more often. He is so down to get with Mary. He brings her pot and flirts, they start to text and Max asks to see her before her family arrives. She agrees. They meet at a park and there's the ice cream truck. The ice cream man offers Mary a vanilla shake. She accepts and he moves on. Mary and Max end up having sex on some playground equipment. This is the most unrealistic thing in a movie with someone being bludgeon to death with an ice cream scoop. Of course, they're now unclean and must be taken care of! Ice cream man to judge you all! Max is stabbed, a lot. Mary runs for her life and hides in the ice cream truck. She bum-rushes the psycho dairy deliverer and kills him with a milkshake mixer. Blends him right in the head. The end.
But it's not the end. Cut to Mary sitting on her front steps as her family pulls up, it's all kisses and hugs. She introduces the nosey neighbor to her family. Suddenly, strolling down the street we see Max and his girlfriend! He speaks to Mary. Mary tells her husband that he's a neighborhood kid and she went to his graduation party. They go inside the house and right at the end you see the creep mover guy standing there staring at the house! What is going on? What is this ending? I think it made my brain melt a little.
My theory is that Mary was writing a story of murder and lust. The ice cream man didn't really exist. The affair with Max never happened. However, the real threat of the moving man does exist. The director has said that there might be a spin-off starring the creepy mover. I kind of hope so, I really liked him.
This is a decent movie. Kind of short. Kind of quirky. It's not bad, but I feel like it could have been better. I think it's a movie that should be watched with friends so you can discuss the mind scramble that is The Ice Cream Truck! Maybe we'll get more suburban horror from The Moving Van! Or whatever it might be called.
Robin Thompson, HMS
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