DVD Review: Masters of Horror: We All Scream for Ice Cream

Director Tom Holland joins writer David J. Schow in bringing the chilling (insert rimshot here) story of a ice cream truck from hell and the frosty clown that wants revenge on those that sent him off to the deep freeze.

Layne (Lee Tergesen) has returned to his hometown after many years. He meets up with some of his pals, but they start dying off one by one. It seems that in their youth Layne and his pals picked on the mentally retarded ice cream man. Buster the Clown (William Forsythe) was a bit slow but he loved his work selling ice cream to kids by dressing as a clown and doing balloon animals and the like.

Layne and his pals were older and not into Buster’s antics, but when of the gang is embarrassed they decide to play a prank on the ice cream vendor. The prank results in Buster’s death. We cut back to modern times and the chilly Buster has returned from the grave and driving his haunted ice cream truck around seeking revenge on those that did him wrong. Tom Holland got his start as a Master in some good entries, Fright Night (Peter Vincent – vampire killer!) and Child’s Play. His entry in the series plays like a imitator of the Freddy Krueger craze that I’d associate with the 80s. There’s really no explanation as to how exactly Buster has returned from the big deep freeze, but it is somewhat gruesome the way that he takes his revenge.
He gives the children of his intended victims a human shaped ice cream and when they bite into it the victim melts like a carton of ice cream left in the car on a hot day. If you’re in the mindset of a Freddy Krueger then this entry doesn’t come off too bad, but a classic it isn’t. I guess that those with clown phobias will find it extremely frightening, but it really didn’t give me the chills. We All Scream for Ice Cream is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary by director Tom Holland and writer David J. Schow. The 13 minute “Sweet Revenge: The Making of We All Scream for Ice Cream” has interviews with director Holland, writer Schow, executive producer Mick Garris, William Forsythe, Brett Kelly (“Young Joe”), make-up artist Howard Berger, storyboard artist John Lund, production designer David Fischer, and Samuel Patrick Chu (“Young Virgil”). The 7 minute “Melt Down: The Scoop on the Visual and Make-up Effects” interviews visual effects artist Lee Wilson. There’s also a text biography of director Holland, trailers for other Masters episodes, a photo gallery, and the screenplay on DVD-ROM.

We All Scream for Ice Cream is a horrific enough time killer, but it’s not exactly memorable. In fact, your memory may be jogged to the other films that the show draws from. I suppose it might be more effective if you’re looking for a throwback to earlier supernatural slasher pictures just don’t expect too much original. Masters of Horror: We All Scream for Ice Cream is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.