User reviews

From the beginning, I thought this movie had potential to be a decent Horror flick. Woman returning to her hometown, nosy neighbors, crazy ice cream truck driver. Then it feel apart.

The slasher ice cream truck driver didn't have a back story or reason for for his killings other than stating he was a "traditional guy." A flashback or two could've given the audience a motive for his deadly obsession.

Again, it sounds cliché but if the main character had a disturbing childhood experience with an ice cream truck driver it would've added tension to the plot and made sense to the viewer. Without it, the villain could've been a dog catcher, paper boy, etc.

"Welcome to the neighborhood"

What's more applicable with this sultry weather than a horror about a murderous ice cream man? Let me assure you though. Next time you see an ice cream truck, you won't be running away in full panic and loudly screaming. Not after watching this movie at least, because this low-budget movie isn't really scary or frightening. To be honest, I found the ice cream man (Emil Johnsen) a kind of a dork. Even during his killings, he looked rather like a sissy. I'm sure that one well-aimed smack with a scoop, would be enough to hit him unconsciously. And for the most sensitive viewers: don't expect a bloody slaughtering as you could see in "Friday the 13th".

There's one thing I was enthusiastic about. And that's the ice cream truck itself. A beautifully maintained pastel tinted old-timer. Even the noise of the engine was a pleasure to hear. So this item also isn't something to be afraid of. Only Mary (Deanna Russo) had her doubts about it, the very first moment the ice cream truck drove by. The only peculiar thing to me was the ridiculous times this truck drove through the neighborhood while playing his childish tune.

The whole story focuses on Mary, a so-called freelance writer who apparently has problems with writing some new stuff. So she moved back to a suburb where she once grew up. However, she has to wait a few days before her husband and two children arrive. And during that time she gets to know some of the local people. Like a couple of curious neighbor women and Max (John Redlinger), the son of one of them who just graduated. And also someone from the moving company. A scary, rough looking guy with a huge walrus mustache who acted quite intimidating. They had better promoted him to be the Ice Cream man because he looked like a real terrifying psychopath.

You can hardly call this a horror. It's more a story about Mary in her midlife crisis who starts realizing that she isn't a young teen-girl anymore. What you get is a trivial story about a woman whose hormones go berserk again after seeing a young muscular guy whose six-pack reminds her of her student time. To be honest, I didn't think Mary was so bad looking. And in my opinion she's is in real life much younger than the age she has in the movie. Max, on the other hand, looks older. Let's say that Max's acting like a stud and Mary's behavior as a teenybopper take most of the time of this somewhat faint horror. Oh yes, it's a horror. Thus, in addition, some innocent adolescents are being killed as well in between. Almost forgot about that.

"The ice cream truck" isn't really a very good movie. It's not terribly bad either. It's a dull would-be slasher. Actually, the film left me cold (how applicable). Fortunately, the acting of the main characters was adequate. The denouement was quite abrupt (and the place Mary decided to hide herself, was absolutely laughable). The makers tried to give it a bit of a horror feeling by thinking of a surprising end. But to be honest there was only one thing the film did to me. I felt like having a huge ice cream with a lot of whipped cream and red fruit on it. As a reward.

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To say this movie is bad is a gross understatement!

I love the Horror genre and am always willing to watch anything new and indie. That said, I do try to always give a movie a chance and never write a review without viewing the entire film.

Horror/Mystery fans abound, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME on this pile of dung.

First, the acting is terrible. The plot makes no sense, as you will discover at the very end of the film. I think I know what the film maker/s were trying to suggest but won't divulge that and let the potential viewers decide.

The character of the "teenage" boy who just graduated and lives next door looks like he's 35! Hello casting agent, you could not find an actual teenager to play this role??

The film meanders throughout in a slow and uninteresting pace. There is not one scare or surprise or shock scene in this mess. I think the only reason the film is called "ice cream Truck" is probably because it's the biggest set subject in the film. Other then, of course, the home the protagonist moves into and you see very little of.

I won't give away what I think the story is supposed to amount to.....although I should and prevent anyone from wasting their time on this low budget exercise in boredom.

Stray way clear.....!!

It was like a 6 minute short you'd find on YouTube was stretched just thin enough to make a feature length movie. The dialogue was a slow back and forth between characters and the story line was practically non existent.

Ok but the ending was rushed and it sucked and made zero sense

It's surprising how more than 10 people actually filmed and edited this thing and not even one of them thought 'Hey, those 5 second breaks between dialog lines are a bit off'.

It's a total mess, literally worst movie I've ever seen. Bad acting, bad set, worst fake blood, 10 y.o. kids could've written a better script.

TL;DR don't watch it, it's a waste of time..

This was a fascinating film due mostly to the potential for what it could have become. In the end, you are definitely left with questions, or a WTF moment. Overall, it is a suspensefully smooth ride.

The dialogue was horribly written and the ending makes absolutely no sense and is never explained I wish I could give this a 0.

You can take a nap in between anything worth watching. Bore-fest

The Ice Cream Truck: Written and Directed by Megan Freels Johnston

How I imagine the pitch meeting went with this movie... Megan comes in with an idea for a movie about a woman who comes back to her hometown to live in the suburbs. She finds herself at odds with the weird neighborhood and wants to instead relive her youth. The producer then proceeded to tell her that he can't sell a drama about the suburbs without a big movie star but if she could just add a horror element. She thought what was commonly associated with the suburbs. Well duh ice cream trucks. But everyone else is weird and uncomfortable so naturally the ice cream man needed to be dressed as a 50s style ice cream/soda jerk driving an old ice cream truck at all hours of the day and night.

It seems like an element completely out of place in this story. The ice cream truck must be about maintaining the wholesome aspect of living in the suburbs. The rest of the story doesn't really support this. Everything is just a little off kilter. They talk with unwarranted sarcasm and bile. The lead actress throws pauses in strange places. It felt like a horror movie version of a Wes Anderson movie without all those wacky pastel colors. It's uncomfortable but not in a good way.

The question that ranks foremost in folks' minds is how it works as a horror movie and the answer to that one is it doesn't. Those parts only have some blood to recommend them but they come out of nowhere. There is no attempt to put in tension or suspense of any kind.

None of these story elements work together at all. This is a very short movie but it drags so much in the middle. You know the ice cream truck is sinister but that's not the focus of the movie. You have to be interested and involved in whatever existential crisis the former teen mom turned freelance writer is going through. It's not clear what is happening in the scheme of things. The one thing that is abundantly clear is how utterly loathsome everyone is. They say one thing but mean another. Their tone betrays their choice of words. But it's so obvious you're scratching your head wondering why she tolerates this.

This is one to skip. Stay with the Clint Howard Ice Cream Man rather than this mess. This is just a giant disaster of a horror movie. Ignore the misleading poster or trailer. I give this movie an F.

What an incredible turd this is. Feels like I got punk'd. Waiting for someone to pop out and tell me how this was just a terribly horrible prank.

The concept of the film was brilliant but the execution and bad acting did not work. This film did have some nice gory shots that helped move it along.

The entire plot doesn't really make sense, there are many plot holes, but with the way the film ends, it does sort of answer as to why everyone in this neighborhood is just so strange! Its absurd and weird, but the awkwardness manages to keep me interested. It's not a perfect movie, but it definitely can find its audience if you're open minded. It's very different from what you are used to as a slasher film, and that could be another reason as to why it isn't well received, but in the end I can't say that I was not interested. This movie won't make you run away from the ice cream truck, but actually make you want some!

Interesting film...quirky. Wasn't for me- as far as horror comedy flicks go, this isn't what I was expecting.

This movie was definitely not what I had expected.

The movie started out quite okay, but quickly settled into a monotonous tone and just trotted onwards without any pacing or purpose.

The storyline was rather pointless. And then the ending just totally makes everything come crashing down hard. Of course I will not spoil the ending here, but let's just say that you are in for a very hard slap to the face with a dead, cold fish.

The acting in "The Ice Cream Truck" was good, but the actors and actresses had next to nothing to work with.

The killer in the movie was generic and boring. So there was nothing in terms of a sense of thrill or danger here, which made it just all the more pointless. If you are looking for a proper horror movie or a slasher movie, then your money and time is definitely better spent elsewhere.

Keeping in mind it is small budget, it does have a nice pace and some realistic line delivery which is helped with the camera work.

It is shot very well, and has some interesting characters, being the main 2 leads. They were both very likable and the main male lead, kept you somewhat guessing his intentions.

It started a but like most small budget, but the characters and dialogue kept me wondering, where is this going. Usually I am one of those guys, who says is this leading somewhere, but this movie, the lines had a bit a creep factor to them that made me wonder, who is the antagonist/villain? I recommend a watch.

I will give it an 8 out of 10.Good watch by yourself or a girlfriend.

I've seen several great reviews on this movie, and some not as favorable. First and foremost, I restored, then supplied the vintage International Harvester Metro ice cream truck used in the movie. So I can say first hand that what the director, Megan Freels Johnson, as well as the entire cast and crew achieved on such a minuscule budget was nothing short of a miracle. The film quality looks like a 20 million dollar film in style and composition.

If you're expecting a fast paced, run of the mill slasher horror film, this isn't it, nor was it the intention of the writer/director. Instead, it's a poetic journey into the experiences of a woman who just moved back to her childhood neighborhood, while waiting for her husband and family to arrive from out of state.

Yes, it pays homage to David Lynch in the beautiful way it was filmed, as well as the deliberately methodical pace. But that was intentional, similar to the pace and main character in Lost In Translation, which also conveys the experiences of a person in a fish out of water realm of uneasiness, triggered by new and unfamiliar surroundings.

Deanna Russo's acting is spot on as a woman dealing with loneliness, boredom, the faded nostalgia of her teen years as well as the constant onslaught of awkward strangers and neighbors who repeatedly invade her fragile bubble of isolation.

Russell Boston Laguna Vintage Laguna Beach, CA

The characters could not act and the plot was ultimately ridiculous. So much more could have been done to make this a better movie. Pass this one by, it is a waste of good time. You can not go by a tittle of a movie. I expected more chills and thrills not just confused characters that confused me even more. I waiting for a big anything to carry this movie over but it never happened.