''Ice Cream Man'' is a 1995 American direct-to-video

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

horror film produced and directed by Norman Apstein and written by Sven Davison and David Dobkin. The film stars

Clint Howard Clinton Engle Howard (born April 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is the second son born to American actors Rance and Jean Howard, and younger brother of actor and director Ron Howard. His 200-plus acting credits include feature films such as ...

as the title character,

Olivia Hussey Olivia Hussey (born Olivia Osuna; 17 April 1951) is an English film, stage, and television actress. Her awards include a Golden Globe Award and a David di Donatello Award. The daughter of Argentine opera singer Andrés Osuna, Hussey was born i ...

Jan-Michael Vincent Jan-Michael Vincent (July 15, 1944 – February 10, 2019) was an American actor known for portraying helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke in the TV series ''Airwolf'' (1984–1987) and the protagonist, Matt Johnson, in the 1978 film ''Big W ...

David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to: Sports * Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor * David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier * David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer Oth ...

and

David Naughton David Walsh Naughton (born February 13, 1951) is an American actor and singer known for his starring roles in the horror film '' An American Werewolf in London'' (1981) and the Disney comedy '' Midnight Madness'' (1980), as well as for a long-run ...

. The film's plot follows a deranged man (named "Gregory Tudor") who was recently released from a

psychiatric institution Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

and opens up an ice cream factory where he begins using human flesh in his recipes. The film has developed a cult following among viewers who see and enjoy it as an unintentional comedy for the film's campy production values.

Joe Bob Briggs John Irving Bloom (born January 27, 1953), known by the stage name Joe Bob Briggs, is an American syndicated film critic, writer, actor, and comic performer. He is known for having hosted ''Joe Bob's Drive-in Theater'' on The Movie Channel fr ...

hosted the film on

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

when it was shown on MonsterVision. Howard himself made an appearance, discussing the film with Briggs. The film had an estimated $2 million budget and was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

in 2004.

Plot

In a 1960s Californian 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 parlor. Unbeknownst to the public, Gregory uses the dilapidated parlor as a sort of laboratory, where he produces his concoctions, filled with insects and dismembered human pieces. One night, Gregory kills a dog belonging to Nurse Wharton, his landlord and an orderly who treated him for his childhood trauma. The same night, Roger, a neighborhood boy, goes missing. Having witnessed Gregory's creepy personality, the other children suspect him of kidnapping Roger, but the police and Wharton do not. Three kids, Johnny, Heather, and Tuna, agree to search for Roger. Soon after, another boy known as Small Paul disappears. Initially unable to prove that Gregory is dangerous, the kids have a difficult time getting the police to pursue their claims. Meanwhile, Gregory has recurring flashbacks to his abusive treatment at the Wishing Well Sanatorium. As the kids dig deeper, they discover that Gregory kidnapped Roger and Small Paul, and imprisons them in a cage at the parlor. However, Small Paul shows a macabre interest in the experiments, so Gregory takes him under his wing. Two detectives investigate the Wishing Well, which is an unregulated free-for-all; the unstable patients roam freely and cause chaos, while the doctors and administrators are insane. Escaping, the police now believe the children, and prepare to search for Roger and Small Paul. Gregory kidnaps Tuna, and Heather enlists the help of Tuna's older brother Jacob to investigate, but Gregory kills Jacob and Jacob's girlfriend. Small Paul baits Gregory by holding a photo of the Ice Cream King over his face, and leads him into the main mixer, where Gregory is dismembered. Roger and Tuna are reunited with their friends, who reveal that Small Paul has been sent to therapy. The final scene shows Small Paul alone in a darkened room, silently churning an ice cream bucket, his face twisted into an evil leer just like Gregory's.

Cast

as Gregory Tudor **Matthew McCurley as Young Gregory Tudor *Justin Isfeld as Johnny Spodak *

Anndi McAfee Anndi Lynn McAfee (; born September 28, 1979) is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Phoebe Heyerdahl in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''Hey Arnold!'' and associated media, as well as the second voice of Cera in ''The ...

as Heather Langley *JoJo Adams as Tuna Cassera *Mikey LeBeau as Small Paul *Zachary Benjamin as Roger Smith *

as Nurse Wharton *

as Martin Cassera *

Sandahl Bergman Sandahl Bergman is an American actress and dancer. She is best known for her role as Valeria in the film ''Conan the Barbarian'' (1982), for which she won a Golden Globe and a Saturn Award. Early life Bergman was born in Kansas City, Mis ...

as Marion Cassera *Karl Makinen as Jacob Spodak *

Steve Garvey Steven Patrick Garvey (born December 22, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1987. Garvey was the National ...

as Mr. Spodak *Janet Wood as Mrs. Spodak *

Andrea Evans Andrea Lynn Evans (born June 18, 1957, in Aurora, Illinois) is an American actress and producer. She is most recognized for her portrayal of Tina Lord on the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live'', a role she played from 1978 to 1981 and from 1985 ...

as Wanda *Stephanie Champlin as Janet *

as Detective Gifford *Lee Majors II as Detective Maldwyn *Tom Reilly as Charley *Stephen Fiachi as Gus *

as Reverend Langley *Jeanine Anderson as Mrs. Langley *Jessica Devlin as Mrs. Smith *Marla Frees as Gregory's Mother

Canceled sequel

On October 9, 2014, a Kickstarter campaign, backed by star

, was started to fund a sequel (titled ''Ice Cream Man 2: Sundae Bloody Sundae'') to coincide with the film's 20th anniversary. However, the campaign was closed on 30 October 2014 after only 70 backers and just over $4,000 was made. 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 film.

References

External links

* * * {{rotten-tomatoes, id=1057654, title=Ice Cream Man (1995) 1995 films 1995 horror films 1990s slasher films American serial killer films American slasher films American comedy horror films Slasher comedy films Films about cannibalism Ice cream 1990s comedy horror films Parodies of horror 1995 comedy films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films