Ice Cream Man (1995)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no plot twists, major reveals, or character deaths**


After witnessing an unforgettable tragedy as a child, a young Gregory Tudor is sent to Wishing Well Sanatorium. As an adult, Gregory (Clint Howard) returns to his neighborhood as the local ice cream man to honor his childhood idol. But Gregory isn’t the same innocent child anymore. Too many years in the sanatorium transformed Gregory into a bloodthirsty maniac, and instead of adding chocolate chips, peanut butter cups, or hunks of brownies to his ice cream, Gregory stuffs his tasty treats with body parts from people, insects, and dogs.

Three children named Tuna (JoJo Adams), Johnny (Justin Isfeld), and Heather (Anndi McAfee) form a friendly trio, and together, they embark on a mission to stop Gregory with help from Detective Maldwyn (Lee Majors II) and Detective Gifford (Jan-Michael Vincent). Heather tries to outsmart her strict father, Reverend Langley (David Werner), and Johnny has to endure some bullying from his big brother, Jacob (Karl Makinen).

The group is forced to overcome the hurdle of Nurse Wharton (Olivia Hussey), Gregory’s nurse at the sanatorium, and Nurse Wharton protects Gregory as his legal guardian/landlord. And the hunt for Gregory takes an unexpected turn, when Small Paul (Mikey LeBeau), another child and a friend of the trio, suddenly disappears……….

Howard’s parody performance of an unhinged loon is good for a few cheap laughs, but the majority of the supporting cast is mediocre at best. LeBeau is spot on as the geeky outcast, but the rest? Nothing special at all. Majors is just going through the motions as the clueless member of the duo, Makinen is the generic douchey big brother, and Isfeld’s Johnny is supposed to the “cool kid” in the group. Warner is the other recognizable name from this cast, but he’s limited to a forgettable and dull character, as the self-righteous and delusional preacher.

Honestly, I don’t get the cult following for Ice Cream Man. The production values are noticeably poor, the writing is pedestrian at best, and overall, the performances are unbearable. Yeah, I know most horror fans won’t  hesitate to give this one the B-Movie pass, but I’m not one of them. Sorry, but Ice Cream Man has one too many legit problems to ignore for my taste.

My biggest pet peeve for Ice Cream Man? The tone of this film is too confusing. Anyone remember Goosebumps? For those who don’t know, Goosebumps was a popular horror anthology TV series for kids based on the books by R.L. Stine, and I LOVED this show as a kid (I was also a big fan of the books). Anyway, each Goosebumps episode was based on a book, and for those who know anything about the Goosebumps TV series and the books,  Goosebumps was horror for kids with a lighter and more comedic take. Very campy most of the time, and from what I remember, not too much or no blood at all.

Why am I using Goosebumps as an example? Because I got the feeling I was watching an episode of Goosebumps with adult themes, but Goosebumps never featured infidelity, and noticeable blood and gore. The mash-up of hokey ridiculousness and gruesome horror didn’t work for me, because Ice Cream Man tries too hard on both sides, and I was burnt on the goofy stuff after twenty-five minutes.

Ice Cream Man was chore to sit through, and the creepy box cover fooled me into believing I might enjoy this one. Well, I was wrong. I tried, but Ice Cream Man didn’t click with me. Clint Howard is good for a few cheap laughs, the black and white prologue is a nice nostalgic treat, and I appreciate the wink to One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). There’s a scene, where Maldwyn refers to “That Cuckoo movie” during a scene at the sanatorium. Cool moment.

Still, Ice Cream Man is an awful film. Ice Cream Man is a mess of laughable production values, poor writing, inconsistent tones, an overall mediocre cast, pitiful campy humor, and lame jokes. It’s a shame, because Ice Cream Man features a fun premise for the horror comedy sub-genre, and with a better screenplay, director, and overall cast, Ice Cream Man could’ve been a much better film. Maybe I’ll have a change of heart on a second viewing, but for now, I’ll remember Ice Cream Man as an avoidable abomination.

Rating: 2/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

And remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

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Ice Cream Man (1995)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

As a child, a young Gregory Tudor awaits the arrival of the Ice Cream Man one day. Gregory is seconds away from receiving his daily cold treat, but the Ice Cream Man is murdered after a drive by shooting in front of Gregory. Unable to handle the trauma of witnessing the death of his hero, Gregory is sent to the Wishing Well Sanatorium for treatment.

As an adult, Gregory (Clint Howard) returns to the same neighborhood he grew up in as a child to continue the legacy of his idol as the new Ice Cream Man. Nurse Wharton (Olivia Hussey) took care of Gregory as one of her favorites in the sanatorium, and as Gregory’s landlord/legal guardian, Nurse Wharton protects Gregory at all costs. But Gregory isn’t the same innocent child anymore. Too many years in the sanatorium transformed Gregory into a bloodthirsty maniac, and instead of adding chocolate chips, peanut butter cups, or hunks of brownies to his ice cream, Gregory stuffs his tasty treats with body parts from people, insects, and the mangled corpse of a dog.

Against their parents wishes, three children named Tuna (JoJo Adams), Heather (Anndi McAfee), and Johnny (Justin Isfeld) take it upon themselves to investigate Gregory’s peculiar lifestyle.  Heather tries to outsmart her strict father, Reverend Langley (David Warner), and Johnny has to endure some bullying from his big brother, Jacob (Karl Makinen), but the trio runs into a bigger problem, when Gregory kidnaps Small Paul (Mikey LeBeau), another friend in the group, one night. Detective Maldwyn (Lee Majors II) and Detective Gifford (Jan-Michael Vincent) suspect something fishy after a brief encounter with Gregory, and they’ll have to work with the kids to save Small Paul’s life before it’s too late.

Howard’s parody performance of an unhinged loon is good for a few cheap laughs, but the majority of the supporting cast is mediocre at best. LeBeau is spot on as the geeky outcast, but the rest? Nothing special at all. Majors is just going through the motions as the clueless member of the duo, Makinen is the generic douchey big brother, and Isfeld’s Johnny is supposed to the “cool kid” in the group. Warner is the other recognizable name from this cast, but he’s limited to a forgettable and dull character, as the self-righteous and delusional preacher.

Honestly, I don’t get the cult following for Ice Cream Man. Yeah, I know most horror fans won’t  hesitate to give this one the B-Movie pass, but I’m not one of them. Sorry, but Ice Cream Man has one too many legit problems to ignore for my taste.

My biggest pet peeve for Ice Cream Man? The tone of this film is too confusing. Anyone remember Goosebumps? For those who don’t know, Goosebumps was a popular horror anthology TV series for kids based on the books by R.L. Stine, and I LOVED this show as a kid (I was also a big fan of the books). Anyway, each Goosebumps episode was based on a book, and for those who know anything about the Goosebumps TV series and the books,  Goosebumps was horror for kids with a lighter and more comedic take. Very campy most of the time, and from what I remember, not too much or no blood at all.

Why am I using Goosebumps as an example? Because I got the feeling I was watching an episode of Goosebumps with adult themes. In Ice Cream Man, you’ll see a husband cheating on his wife with a scantily clad and promiscuous woman, sex photos, and lots of blood and gore. That doesn’t sound like an episode of Goosebumps, right? Well, there’s a cast of kids here, and they’re trying to solve the mystery of  a bogeyman-esque character as sleuths.

Yeah, that sounds like an episode of Goosebumps, but Goosebumps never featured infidelity, and noticeable blood and gore. The mash-up of hokey ridiculousness and gruesome horror didn’t work for me, because Ice Cream Man tries too hard on both sides, and I was burnt on the goofy stuff after twenty-five minutes. The worst example of mixing gruesome horror with stupid comedy? Somehow, Gregory manages to stick a victim’s severed head inside a BIG waffle cone. I tried, but I could not laugh at this scene no matter what.

Ice Cream Man is loaded with a number of eye rolling moments. One that sticks out is Detective Maldwyn eating one of Gregory’s “special” ice cream cones. The ice cream cone contains a few scoops of ice cream…. and an eyeball. There’s a close-up shot of Maldwyn’s mouth as he’s eating the cone,  and unknowingly, Maldwyn is playing around with the eyeball in front of his teeth. Seriously? Maldwyn and Gifford visit Wishing Well Sanatorium to dig up some dirt on Gregory, and EVERYONE in the sanatorium (including the staff) is hopped up on medication and completely nuts. Maldwyn and Gifford are running away from an angry horde. Maldwyn is running with a sense of urgency, and while Maldwyn is waiting at the car, Gifford is casually walking, while a large group of deranged patients follow him?

First, I’m pretty sure if I had a freakin’ eyeball in my mouth, I would be able to taste/feel it, and spit it out immediately. Second, I know I’m watching a movie, but you’re being chased by a group of deranged nutcases, and you casually stroll to the car? Sorry, but that doesn’t work for me. Again, I know I’m watching a movie, but Ice Cream Man pushes the suspension of disbelief  limits too far.

Ice Cream Man was chore to sit through, and the creepy box cover fooled me into believing I might enjoy this one. Well, I was wrong. I tried, but Ice Cream Man didn’t click with me. There’s a semi-creepy shot of Small Paul playing with a bucket of ice cream inside a sanatorium after he murders Gregory to close the film. It’s an attempt at foreshadowing for Small Paul as the next ice cream killer, because for a while, Gregory trusted Small Paul as his apprentice. But this cliffhanger didn’t do anything for me, because I don’t have the slightest urge for a sequel. Clint Howard is good for a few cheap laughs, the black and white prologue is a nice nostalgic treat, and I appreciate the wink to One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). There’s a scene, where Maldwyn refers to “That Cuckoo movie” during a scene at the sanatorium. Cool moment.

Still, Ice Cream Man is an awful film. Ice Cream Man is a mess of laughable production values, poor writing, inconsistent tones, an overall mediocre cast, pitiful campy humor, and lame jokes. It’s a shame, because Ice Cream Man features a fun premise for the horror comedy sub-genre, and with a better screenplay, director, and overall cast, Ice Cream Man could’ve been a much better film. Maybe I’ll have a change of heart on a second viewing, but for now, I’ll remember Ice Cream Man as an avoidable abomination.

Rating: 2/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

And remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

And don't forget to like both of my Facebook pages, because the Mitch MacReady 2 Facebook page includes quotes from both ebooks that can't fit into Tweets- https://www.facebook.com/mitch.macready

Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation (1990)

**This review contains spoilers**

One night during the Christmas season, a woman falls from a rooftop after a struggle with an unknown attacker. The woman bursts into flames before crashing to the ground, and an eccentric vagrant named Ricky (Clint Howard) inspects the burning corpse, but he’s scared off by the police.

Kim (Neith Hunter) is an ambitious and frustrated journalist, who’s tired of being held down by the men at her job. Kim insists on doing the story for the burning woman’s death, but instead, her boss, Eli (Reggie Bannister) gives the assignment to her boyfriend/co-worker, Hank (Tommy Hinkley). Driven by anger and a determination to prove all of her male superiors wrong, Kim decides to do the story with some secret sleuthing.

At a local bookstore, Kim meets the owner, Fima (Maud Adams), who directs her to a book on spontaneous combustion. After a hostile interaction with Ricky, Fima urges Kim to study the occult, but she refuses. Soon enough, Fima invites Kim to join her and friends at a picnic in the park, and Kim agrees. Kim’s erratic behavior creates problems at work, but Kim receives support from her co-worker, neighbor, and one trustworthy friend, Janice (Allyce Beasley). At the picnic, Kim meets Katherine (Jeanne Bates) and Jane (Marjean Holden). During the picnic, Kim unknowingly drinks drugged wine.

After the picnic in the park, a series of bizarre incidents and bug infestations disrupt Kim’s life. Kim’s relationship with Hank deteriorates after a dinner with his father, Gus (Ben Slack) his mother, Ann (Laurel Lockhart), and young brother, Lonnie (Conan Yuzna). But a strained first meeting with Hank’s parents is the least of Kim’s worries. After piecing together the clues, and developing a strong hatred for all men, Kim learns a series of shocking secrets: Fima, Katherine, and Jane are actually witches, who are determined to live a life free of men. Janice is a witch, and she’s apart of Fima’s clan, and Janice helped with the planning for Kim’s initiation into Fima’s group of witches.

Ricky is a loyal servant to Fima, and Ricky is sent to help Kim in the final stage of her initiation. During a struggle, Ricky kills Hank, who was just trying to protect Kim. Distraught, and with no other options for an escape, Fima gives Kim one last order to complete the process: Kim must sneak into Lonnie’s house, kidnap him, and murder Lonnie during a ritual sacrifice on Christmas night. Kim must complete the task, or she will burn to death like Fima’s daughter, who was too “weak” to complete her mission.

Hunter is decent enough in the leading role, but her character is so stupid (more on that later). Maud Adams’ cold “you’ll be sorry, if you don’t obey me” stares are spot on, but Adams’ performance suffers, when she opens her mouth.  Ben Slack is good for a few laughs, as the sexist and racist old codger, but his screen time is limited. And Clint Howard delivers the best performance. Howard is genuinely creepy and strange, and the filthy homeless guy look really pulls everything together. The rest of the supporting cast ranges from mediocre to awful with Allyce Beasley giving the most noteworthy performance in the bunch.

Initiation is the most disgusting, violent, and obscene film in the Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise, easily. The bugs, the hanging body on meat hooks in a meat locker, burning corpses, and the nastiness coming from Kim’s transformations. This is a repulsive horror flick, that features a good amount of violence, gore, and a rape scene. Part four isn’t a brainless and cheesy slasher, and I know I say this a lot, but you should avoid this one, if you‘re the squeamish type.

Every time I decide to watch Initiation, the obvious twist and turns don’t bother me too much, but Kim’s stupidity? That’s another problem. Kim is so gullible and foolish. “Fima’s giving me a slimy bug to eat? Hmmm. I don’t know what it is, and it could kill me, but I’ll eat it anyway!” “The bug is making me sick, and Fima clearly poisoned my cup of tea right in front of me, but to hell with it, I’m going to drink it anyway!” Ugh. Fima’s “plans” are so easy to telegraph, but Kim constantly falls for her schemes every time. And of course, Kim realizes she made a mistake AFTER Ricky murders Hank, and Fima pressures her to kill Lonnie. Yeah, because clearly the woman, who drugs you, forces you to eat insects, and locks you inside a meat locker isn’t planning something diabolical.

Initiation is the Season Of The Witch for the Silent Night franchise. With the exception of  a brief clip on TV from Better Watch Out! before Hank’s murder, Initiation comeplelty ignores the storylines in Part I, II, and III. And they comeplelty drop the killer Santa Claus theme here. No Ricky, no Billy, and no other maniacs running around in Santa suits. It’s a refreshing change, because truth be told, the killer Santa stuff ran its course in the second film, and the well dried up in Part 3 by keeping Ricky alive. As far as ignoring the other storylines goes, meh. Never bothered me, when I watched this film for the first time years ago, and it still doesn’t bother me today. As I said before, the Ricky and Billy stuff ran its course in Part 3. They milked each storyline beyond a salvageable point, and it was time for something new.

The cast isn’t special, Initiation is the second straight-to-video film in the franchise, and the giant ladybug in Kim’s apartment looks like a cheap toy (gotta see it to believe it). But I still enjoy Initiation. It’s darker and more creepy than the original films, and some scenes are guaranteed to make your skin crawl. The Silent Night franchise tried to give the fans something different, and I actually appreciate the bold changes.

Final Rating: 5/10