Masters of Horror (TV Series) We All Scream for Ice Cream (2007) User Reviews

A Decent Film, But Nothing Really New to Offer

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 11 February 2007]

Many years ago, the children of a small town accidentally killed the local ice cream man (a clown named Buster). Now all grown up, the same "kids" are being killed off and it seems that the ghost of Buster is to blame.

Many good things can be said about this film, and the nicest thing I can say is that William Forsythe (Buster the Clown) is a great actor who is not well-known. But he should be, especially with performances like this. The best parts of this episode were the children's interactions with the clown.

The visuals were also nice, with the death scenes being some of the messier ones you'll find. (Not necessarily "gory" but definitely messy.) It was like the scene in "Robocop" after the guy gets the toxic waste all over himself... yeah, you know the scene.

The biggest problem with the film, and it is all over this one, is what seems to be a lack of new ideas. Now, director "Tom Holland" has done some great films. But he's made some stinkers ("Langoliers"). So, I'll blame him even though he's working with someone else's short story. But we have the concept of a childhood accident coming back to haunt/kill the kids as adults. Not new. Some people have said it's like "Nightmare on Elm Street" because the man they killed is now talking to their kids. I can see that. I think the more obvious connection is "It" -- a clown who returns after about 20 years (although I think it was 30 in "It"). Either way, nothing really new. I did like the idea of "voodoo ice cream"... that ranks at least as cool as "The Stuff".

Clowns, ice cream, voodoo. The reason for the return is left unexplained, which makes me a bit disappointed. (Sure, I can say "The spirit wanted revenge" but that's a cop-out explanation). I've enjoyed other films less than this, but at the same time this wouldn't make my "Top 100 Horror Films", so unless you have a lot of desire to see it, just keep walking.

Master Of Stupidity

[knuckles_and_sonic · 4/10 · 14 February 2007]

This was very very horrible. In all the wrong ways. Its basically about some handicapped icecream truck driver who comes back to exact revenge on those responsible for his death. I have only seen two episodes of the second season of this series and hope a third season isn't in the works. Trust me I love horror but this season and particularly this episode just doesn't cut it.

The Bad:

The acting is shockingly abysmal. (except for the Clown icecream truck driver who does good with what lines he has)

The stupid 'We All Scream For Icrecream' song is used so many times it makes you wish you were deaf.

The story drags on and on and on and becomes repetitive.

It felt like a 2 and a half hour TV movie which is bad considering it was only an hour.

SSDD is used and one word is changed. (For those who don't know: SSDD was used in a Steven King book: Dreamcatcher, while not the best book its bad to rip off someone elses phrasing even if you do change one word in it)

It seemed to me that the story was copying 'It' also by Steven King. I mean we have a clown and the kids that tormented him and he comes back when they are adults to exact his revenge.

The Good:

Great Special Effects Good acting by the Clown The episode actually finished (I honestly never thought it was going to end)

Conclusion: Please steer clear of this episode entirely, its for lack of a better word: Rubbish

Haunted by inconsistency

[broidoj-2 · 5/10 · 16 January 2007]

My wife and I did enjoy this episode, for the acting and direction were excellent, as is usually the case with this series, but we are both consumed by the inconsistency and incompleteness of the story. I will list our objections in no particular order.

1) Buster seemed more emotionally disabled as presented than retarded. After all, he could drive, make change, put on his makeup, juggle, etc.

2) Why did Buster have no nose and why wasn't this mentioned more than once?

3) If Buster died when run over by his own truck, why did he have a corporeal body and why was he able to be killed again when Layne made his own effigy out of presumably inferior ice cream and bit off its head?

4) If the other members of the "club" were killed by transformation into the best ice cream in the world, why couldn't their ghosts come back to battle Buster's ghost?

These are questions which scream for answers. Does anyone have any ideas? Is this just a matter of proper exposition being left on the cutting room floor? Regards, Jeff & Barb

We All Scream For The Remote Control

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 2/10 · 12 October 2007]

I have seen almost all episodes of the generally great "Masters Of Horror" series, and the episodes sure differ in quality. Some episodes (such as "Pelts", "Imprint", "The Black Cat" or "The Washingtonians") are downright brilliant, most others are highly entertaining, and some episodes disappoint. Tom Holland's "We All Scream For Ice Cream" is one of the disappointing episodes, or, more precisely, pretty much the worst episode after Ernest R. Dickerson's terrible "V-Word". Holland deserves respect for "Child's Play" and "Fright Night", but his MoH episode is sadly quite a failure. It is not necessarily the director's fault that "We All Scream For Ice Cream" doesn't work, however, since the script and the whole idea are just so plain stupid that only a genius could have made something decent out of it. I usually don't mind movies being silly, since I can enjoy them as long as they're entertaining. Horror movies furthermore don't necessarily have to be "realistic", but they should have a certain logic. "We All Scream For Ice Cream" is just a bit too flat to be enjoyable. I am a fan of odd ideas in Horror films, but this one's premise is just too stupid to be scary or entertaining. At least the V-Word had Michael Ironside.

• SPOILERS! - The vengeful ghost of an ice cream selling clown comes back from the dead. He doesn't simply haunt or murder those who have once done him wrong, however. No, this villainous guy sells some mysterious Ice Cream to the kids of those he means to punish. Then, when the kids eat the ice cream, the parents melt - like ice cream. Wow! The idiocy of this storyline has yet to find an equal. One of the evil Clown's victims-to-be, is wise enough to tell his wife to get the kids out of town. It's quite unfortunate that his wife is an idiot who doesn't get the kids out of town because she thinks it's 'crazy' (in spite of the fact that people constantly melt in her lovely hometown)...

"We All Scream For Ice Cream" may have some qualities (very few, to be honest). The performances are OK. William Forsythe delivers a decent performance as Buster, the Clown who comes back as an evil ghost. It must also be appreciated when a child actor manages to seem evil or cruel, and it must therefore be mentioned that Samuel Patrick Chu does a very good job being a truly sadistic little bastard in a flashback sequence. Other than acceptable performances and decent CGI (sigh), "We All Scream For Ice Cream" has little to offer. It's simply too flat, too silly, and (at least in my opinion) it was not scary at all. My advice: Switch this one (as well as "The V-Word), and watch the other episodes.

Silly but fun

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 12 January 2007]

A bunch of children accidentally kill a mentally retarded man who's selling ice cream. Years later these kids are all grown and have children. The vengeful ghost of the ice cream man returns to wreak his vengeance on the men through their children.

As you can see the story itself is pretty silly. More than once I found myself smirking at the TV while watching this. There's also some VERY clumsy exposition and pretty poor dialogue. Still I'd be lying if I said I didn't like this.

In a way it's kind of fun. The ice cream man is dressed as a clown and clowns ARE scary. There were a few shots of him that were mildly spooky. It's well-directed by Tom Holland, moves quickly (a good idea with such a silly premise) and is very well-acted by everybody. I never believed it for one second and I wasn't really scared but, in a silly way, I had fun with this. However I wouldn't let kids watch it. The clown might scare the little ones silly. I give it a 7.

We all scream...'cause the flick totally disappoints

[ODDBear · 2/10 · 29 October 2008]

Securing director Tom Holland for the second season of "Masters of Horror" seemed like a horror fan's dream-come-true. This underrated director brought us such horror favorites as "Fright Night" and "child's Play" and yet I feel he's never been given due credit. The premise here is interesting and clowns are always creepy but "We All Scream For Ice Cream" falls flat.

The mood is properly set. Dim, atmospheric lighting and William Forsythe looking insanely creepy as a murderous clown. But the story is garbage, the flick is badly acted with a very boring central character and it's virtually suspenseless. The back story looks like a bad rehash of "It" and those kids are really bad actors as well.

A total disappointment, it even lacks solid gore apart from one scene with a guy in a bathtub. When a ferociously bad looking naked guy in a bathtub provides the only good scene you know you're in trouble.

Clowns = scary

[timhayes-1 · 7/10 · 22 January 2007]

What is it about clowns? For something that is supposed to bring joy to children, there are more scary movies about them almost any other subgenre. Director Tom Holland returns to the genre after a 11 year hiatus with his first for the Masters Of Horror series, We All Scream For Ice Cream. First off, this is far from the greatest entry in the series. It does have its problems. Number one being a somewhat clichéd storyline. What it does have going for it is that in his retirement, Tom Holland hasn't lost the touch. We All Scream For Ice Cream is a fun and nasty little tale of revenge from beyond the grave. There are some really cheesy moments such as the victims of the clown melting into pools of ice cream when the kick off, but its all in good fun. William Forsythe is once again superb as the clown in both his mentally retarded during life and his demonic force after death roles. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It wasn't the best of the season, but it was far from the worst.

A Decent Meltdown

[Jonny_Numb · 5/10 · 14 August 2007]

I've glimpsed tidbits of articles where writer David J. Schow has vented his frustration over the final form of 'We All Scream for Ice Cream,' Tom Holland ("Child's Play"; "Fright Night")'s contribution to the "Masters of Horror" anthology. While the film itself is mostly surface and little subtext, and pushing the allotted 60-minute run time, it's not really clear what could have been done to salvage it. That's not to say "Scream" isn't worth a look--sure, part of its effect rests on our ability to take a silly premise seriously ('slow' clown-faced ice-cream man Buster--played by William Forsythe--is killed during a vicious childhood prank; years later, his ghost comes back for revenge, using the grown kids' kids as vessels of evil), but some moments are particularly well-done: the soft-focus, colorful flashbacks that show childhood cruelty in all its sadistic glory; and images of zombied kids with quarters in their hands. Parallels to Grimm's Fairy Tales is apt, and the story has a clever, well-done hook, but the acting is questionable (nobody really seems to know how the material should be played, especially in the more absurd moments), and the resolution ultimately unfulfilling (relying on a random coincidence that doesn't make narrative sense). Holland, however, does a fine job of moving the story along (even if it is never really scary), and gets a surprising performance out of Forsythe, playing the polar opposite of his "Devil's Rejects" persona.

Ice cream boogeyman....

[Indyrod · 7/10 · 14 January 2007]

Going to be interesting to see the reaction to this one. It's about supernatural revenge involving an ice cream truck vendor aptly portrayed by William Forsythe, who is accidentally killed by a prank many years earlier. Now he has returned and with the aid of the children of the pranksters, revenge is the name of the game. I liked this episode, it's silly, but still, it held my interest completely and some of the effects, especially the melting of a man in a hot tub, is some more extremely good effects work by KNB. And an episode without nudity, that's something new. This is like a fairy tale kind of horror film, where the ice cream man will take care of your parents if they are mean to you. Very nice direction by Tom Holland.

Reminded me of an "Are You Afraid of the Dark" episode...

[MaesterOfWargs · 5/10 · 17 January 2007]

This episode was wholly disappointing. Besides the decent effects work on the hot tub melting scene, the entire episode had the tension-level and overall cheesiness of Nickelodeon's old show. While it was sad to see Buster die, this could have been written to show a much creepier edginess that other Masters of Horror have done well, such as "Pelts." This episode ranks as low, if not lower, than "Valerie on the Stairs." Especially due to the downright horrible ending. Crappy lines for the stale characters (minus Buster, who was great until he died). Cue up the distant growling of Buster to finish the episode...even though you've already killed him, and you can't find the time or energy to think up a truly creepy ending. This is what really brings down the series as a whole. Can't Mick Garris screen most of these ep's for quality before they're aired? Oh wait, it doesn't help that all of the episodes Garris has directed are quite mundane also. Hopefully the last three of the season are much scarier and better than this load o' poo.

return to the eighties low budgets

[trashgang · 8/10 · 12 June 2013]

Were season one delivered what horror buffs want season two is coming to an end and so far only a few were good but most of the entries missed out what it should be. But this episode luckily delivers what I expected from Masters Of Horrors. A good story with some creepy atmosphere's and here and there some nice effects done by Berger and Nicotero.

But this episode really stands on the performance of Buster the clown by William Forsythe. The story itself is as simple as it can get. Youngsters having a prank with an ice cream delivery man dressed as a clown. But the prank is disastrous by the fact that Buster is being killed. Now all adults and having kids they are remembered by the prank due an ice cream car coming back in their lives with a revengeful spirit.

From shot one I could tell that this was right. The ice cream van coming out of the mist in slow motion with a creepy add already set the tone for this episode. It takes a bit before it really starts because you have to go into the characters of the youngsters and we do need the flashback to see what went wrong but after that it's a pure delight.

It takes you back to flicks like Body Melt (1993) or The Stuff (1985). We do actually see body melt like ice cream all done in-camera and it looked very nice. One of the better episodes together with Pelts. Kids and clowns are working it out in an icy atmosphere.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 4/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

Like a bad Stephen King story

[Stumpyotoole · 16 January 2007]

I have genuinely enjoyed every episode of this series so far. However, this is the only one that has prompted me to make a comment. All of the elements of this story--the revenge from beyond the grave, the mistakes of childhood, etc--have all been done before. Rarely have I seen them executed so poorly. You may get some enjoyment out of it if you already have a latent fear of clowns, but I suspect that living, real clowns are scary enough. Having a dead, demonic clown go "IIIIIICCCE CREEEEEEEAM!!!" for 55 minutes isn't scary--it's just ridiculous. The show could have done something interesting with the idea of children wanting to kill their parents, but instead is more interested in doing a crappy knock-off of "It" (another story that did not translate well to screen). Note to filmmakers: if you want to create suspense, don't establish immediately in the first minute that there IS, in fact, a demented clown that has returned from the dead and is melting people. Bah! Wasted potential.

What's Supposed To Taste Like "BOO-Berry" Just Comes Out Plain Vanilla...

[cchase · 7/10 · 18 January 2007]

WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM is just like a lot of the MOH entries that have ultimately turned out to be disappointments. It certainly has the pedigree for a top-notch episode: David J. Schow (PICK ME UP) adapting a short story from John Farris (THE FURY), and FRIGHT NIGHT and CHILD'S PLAY director Tom Holland at the wheel. Unfortunately, unless you have a deathly fear of clowns (which I understand quite a few people do), the most this episode will do for you is provide about an hour's worth of mild amusement, nothing more.

The cast really tries hard to sell it, but I don't think not as many audience members will be buying as the number of kids in the story taking catatonic, after-midnight strolls to buy cursed ice-cream effigies from a supernatural, vengeful, undead clown. (Say THAT fast five times).

Lee Tergesen (formerly of HBO's OZ) stars as Layne, a guy who has moved his family back to the town of his childhood. Not a good idea, as it turns out, because the old friends he used to hang with when they were all kids, are all dropping like flies. And of course, natural causes have nothing to do with it.

I wonder if Stephen King should sue? Because the story felt for all the world like a clumsy cross-pollination of IT and SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK. Buster, a mentally-challenged guy working as an ice-cream vendor in a clown suit (a solid performance turned in by William Forsythe), is a victim of a horrible prank played on him by Layne and his friends - emphasis on 'victim', since Buster ends up dead...but not for long. Soon, he's trolling the streets in the dead of night, selling his putrid ice pops to kids who want to get a little payback on their parents...especially their dads. Dads who were part of a little trick that went bad some thirty years ago...

I think Holland and his cast tried really hard, but you can't shake the King-like similarities, as if he sold Farris this story idea on a whim some years ago. The King connection isn't lessened one iota by the fact that one of the characters drives a vintage car that looks EXACTLY like King's CHRISTINE. Every scene where Buster made his nightly run, I half expected to see CUJO sitting next to him in the ice-cream truck! Apart from a couple of scenes that get some good, creepy staging and some pretty good effects work, (a scene in a homemade hot-tub is a definite highlight), there just isn't much in the way of genuine scares here.

I know what a fantastic director Tom Holland usually is, but I don't know..MOH seems to have a way of sucking all the creative juices out of some directors' efforts. In any case, I hope he gets a chance to take a shot at another MOH episode, based on better material.

I Scream for Spending Money on This

[Akufunkture · 2/10 · 27 October 2007]

This movie was not scary. Instead of doing something truly creative with the idea of a killer clown they dropped the ball. The end of the movie was unbelievably lame. I was vaguely entertained by the gore but overall this movie's idea was the fault. The execution was very good and that's what stops it from being a one. The actors were very good in my opinion but the scenarios were completely unrealistic. I know that clowns coming back to life aren't real but i couldn't suspend disbelief. I really wanted to like this one but couldn't. I even bought this movie for 5 dollars and thought it was a waste of money. I'll never get that money back. Never. I think that's what the really scary thing is.

Best episode of Season Two

[jellyneckr · 12 January 2007]

So far during its second season, "Masters of Horror" has strictly been a hit-and-miss affair. While the first season was full of groundbreaking and daring one hour films, the second season has been a mixed bag. For every truly great episode like John Landis' "Family" and Joe Dante's "The Screwfly Solution", there's been a batch of unwatchable episodes like Tobe Hooper's "The Damned Thing", Daria Argento's "Pelts", and John Carpenter's "Pro-Life." With the exception of Rob Schmidt's "Right to Die", one element all them have had in common is that they haven't been very original. Tom Holland's "We All Scream for Ice Cream", on the other hand, is one of the most original horror tales to come along in quite some time. While shades of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET can be found, "We All Scream for Ice Cream" is fresh and exciting, just like one would expect from the director of such classics as FRIGHT NIGHT and CHILD'S PLAY. This is Holland at his best, expertly directing an emotional and character-driven story with intensity, tight pacing, and style. Credit is also due to writer David J. Schow, who also wrote last season "Pick Me Up", which despite repeated viewing I still am not a fan of. Schow successfully adapted John Farris short story and even managed to improve it. Here's to hoping Holland and Schow team up again for Season Three. Final say: Best episode of Season Two. 10/10

Disappointing Masters of Horror episode.

[poolandrews · 4/10 · 20 March 2007]

Maters of Horror: We All Scream for Ice Cream starts at the funeral of Kent (Brent Sheppard), all his friends are there including Layne (Lee Tergesen) who had recently moved back to the town. He hasn't seen his childhood gang the 'West End Bunch' in years & this isn't a happy reunion as another of his old mates Toot (Lyle St. Goddard) feels there are underhand forces at work that want to wipe them all out, Layne & the rest of the West End Bunch think he's talking nonsense but that very night Toot mysteriously disappears. Layne starts to get very worried that a dark childhood secret has returned to claim the lives of the West End Bunch using their children & ice cream as the supernatural means to do so...

This American Canadian co-production was episode 10 from season 2 of the hit-and-miss Masters of Horror TV series, directed by Tom Holland I thought We All Scream for Ice Scream was a definite miss & a rubbishy story that didn't do anything for me at all. The script by David J. Schow was based on the annoyingly titled short story 'I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream' by John Farris & is a pretty lame attempt at horror, the main problem I had with We All Scream for Ice Cream is that it takes itself so seriously & it tries to be scary. Unfortunately the basic story of a dead ice cream man coming back from the dead to avenge his death by turning his teenage killers into big puddles of ice cream is even more ridiculous watching it on telly than it sounds here, I just couldn't take the silly notion seriously at all & I sat there extremely unmoved. As an episode it's rather predictable with the 'hero' saving the day in stupid fashion during the lacklustre ending & a story that is very linear & a bit clichéd. However, there's at least one messy special effect worth seeing & at less than a hour in length it moves along at a decent enough pace although even then it failed to really grip or engage me.

Judging by this I'm not sure director Holland can be considered a master of horror but that's down to personal opinion I suppose, to be fair he knows how to turn in a decent looking effort & We All Scream for Ice Cream has nice enough production values. This one's not the usual gore-fest, there's a cool scene when someone messily melts into ice cream but why did the previous two victims not melt in this way especially the first one who one moment is standing there & the very next he's melted to nothing within a split second? The constant shots of the supernatural ice cream van driving through it's very own fog cloud (it must have it's own mini climate) was embarrassing to watch at times & about as unscary an image I can think of.

Technically the show's fine & even pretty impressive as it belies it's low budget made-for-TV roots, the special effects are excellent as usual although how the actor's managed to keep a straight face while acting this stuff out is beyond me. There's not a hint of irony here at all & they all seem to take this extremely seriously like an Oscar was on the line.

We All Scream for Ice Cream isn't the worst Masters of Horror I've seen but it's down there I'm afraid, just about worth a watch for fans but there are much better Masters of Horror stories out there.

We All Scream for Ice Cream

[Scarecrow-88 · 6/10 · 31 December 2007]

Buster the Clown(William Forsythe), a tragic victim of a prank gone awry, returns from the grave to murder those kids behind his death, now grown, by giving the men's children voodoo ice cream cones..when each child bites into these voodoo ice cream bars their fathers melt into ice cream! No, I'm not kidding you.

I think fans of director Tom Holland("Child's Play", "Fright Night","Thinner")might like this silly little installment of Masters of Horror. Forsythe as a zombie clown in the present and as a stuttering mentally handicapped(..but, kind and wonderful to the little kids on his block)clown in the 70's, who becomes a victim of smart-ass kids who decide to poke fun at him and eventually pull a prank using his parked ice-cream truck that ends badly, is always fun to watch. This episode doesn't hold up to close scrutiny(For instance, how does Buster actually return from the grave? Or, how is he able to hypnotize the children of those behind his death in the 70's?)so you'll have to look over it's story flaws or it will not work for you. But, if anything, you have to see how the men melt from humans into ice cream..it's a gas.

Lee Tergesen(the biker in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre-The Beginning") stars as Layne, the protagonist who followed the order of bully Virgil when he was a boy to cause the unfortunate demise of Buster.

David J Schow(Leatherface:Texas Chainsaw Massacre III;Critters 3 & 4)wrote the teleplay which might explain the film's lapses in logic, and the profane characters(..and, like "Stand by Me", the kids spout off curse words as well in the 70's)that inhabit the film.

Holland and Schow use cold as an important tool in the story-telling.

Revenge is Sweet and comes in all fruity flavors!

[Coventry · 5/10 · 3 January 2008]

On paper, "We All Scream for Ice Cream" looks like a fantastic & ideal addition to the "Masters of Horror" concept. It's directed by Tom Holland, who deserves a listing among the master horror directors based on his "Fright Night" and "Child's Play", the premise offers possibilities for scares (a lot of people are petrified of clowns) as well as for laughs (death by gooey melting) and it stars no other than William Forsythe ("The Devil's Rejects") in the unconventional role of mentally disabled clown. Unfortunately Holland's installment isn't as great as it could – and should – have been, but still it's a more than entertaining enough way to spend an hour of your time. Layne Baxter returns to his hometown and learns that all members of his childhood posse are dying off in mysterious circumstances. Only their clothes are found, lying in a puddle of gooey substance, and this shortly after their offspring devoured figure-shaped ice cream coins handed out by an eerie clown. When his own children wait hypnotized on the sidewalk at midnight, Layne has no choice but to reveal his hideous childhood secret. He and his clique accidentally killed the friendly but mentally retarded ice cream clown Buster when a harmless prank ran out of hand, and it seems like he reincarnated as a purely evil avenger. The main shortcomings of "We All Scream for Ice Cream" are – surprisingly enough – the lack of humor and a painfully monotonous execution. The first couple of times you see the uncanny ice cream truck and hear the titular rhyme off screen, it's definitely creepy, but the same ritual is repeated so many times it loses all of its scary impact near the end. Buster's method of killing, albeit quite nasty to behold, rapidly gets repetitive as well. Instead of showing the same stuff over and over again, perhaps the screenplay could have focused on explaining how Buster returned from the dead and how come a retarded clown knows so much about the art of voodoo, but I guess that was too complex. Enough with the criticism now, as the scene with the guy melting in his improvised bathtub is quite awesome and the dialogs during that sequence even hint at pedophilia. William Forsyth is very impressive as Buster and even his most devoted fans will have to look twice before recognizing him underneath all that clown's make up.

Not bad.

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 29 June 2020]

I really need to check out more "Masters of Horror" episodes. I have watched at least 2 or 3 episodes before, by chance, but never really got into it. Not because of the quality, just it wasn't a priority. Tom Holland's entry to the series, from the second season had an eye catching title to go along with its delicious looking poster artwork. You know, I could go for caramel ice cream right now.

Being that the tasty concept involves ice cream, expect moments of gooey melting CG and squishy practical FX. There are some fun sweet tooth moments involving parents falling victim to voodoo ice cream that their children chomp down on. The hot tub sequence is the pick of the lot. Another childlike instrument; a clown... who becomes a wraith along with his phantom ice cream truck. Holland gets some atmospheric shots of this vehicle in motion. Along with the alluring ice-cream tune, steaming frost engulfing the truck and a creepy William Forsythe under clown make-up whispering away. The rest of the cast were rather listless.

The short story tells that of a group of kids years ago who pull a prank on their mentally slow local ice cream delivery man and accidently kill him. Now as adults, the spirit has risen from the grave to exact its vengeance on the men, by using their children as a tool of their demise. The plot throws you right into the unusual events, exploiting fears and guilt, but doesn't really offer up anything new from it, reminding me of a slight, predictable mash of "It" and "The Piped Piper". While silly, it's played with a straight-face that it would've worked better as a straight-up dark comedy.

Fricking Hate Clowns

[pudgygrl13 · 1/10 · 15 January 2007]

So as I suffer from insomnia and was perfectly willing to be subjected to the normal Sunday night/Monday morning line up B-rated porn on my local movie channel, imagine my surprise to a bunch zombie-ish children standing outside waiting an ice cream man, who couldn't be just some normal evil character, no, heaven forbid we do normal, it had to be a FROGGIN STUPID SCARY PSYCHO FLIPPIN CLOWN! Which then prompted and almost asleep insomniac to be awake for the next 4 hrs. F a bunch of this bull crap little episode. Stupid clowns need to rot in hell! It's not as if things such as IT aren't scary enough but you have make the ice cream a clown, seriously can we not think of something more standard, no we have strike fear into the heart of kids, by making something that should be nice and sweet into this psychopathic thing that eats kids! UNACCEPTABLE! Frickin Hate Clowns!

My brain hurts

[Bored_Dragon · 3/10 · 14 May 2018]

I have three more films left until the end of the "Masters of Horror", but I think it's safe to say that this is the worst episode of the series. I didn't give up watching and I didn't have to struggle to endure, but I didn't enjoy either... not a bit. The story is extremely stupid, uninteresting, undeveloped, full of holes and illogicality, and above all unoriginal. It was not literally stolen from King, but it reminds of "It" so much that coincidence is excluded as an option. The group of kids, led by cruel bully, pulls a practical joke on mentally challenged clown who sells ice cream, and they accidentally kill him. Decades later, he's back from the grave and uses their children to get even. Atmosphere is very King-ish and, if movie wasn't so repetitive, it could have been terrifying, but because the clown kills his victims one by one in exactly the same way the only effect this movie leaves is boredom. I'm terrified of the clowns and I watched this alone, at night, in dark, and it didn't cause me even the slightest goosebumps. "We All Scream for Ice Cream" is too stupid and lousy to be scary and not stupid or bad enough to be "so bad it's good" kind of fun. The most terrifying thing about this movie is the feeling that it will never end.

3/10

Why the Hate???

[ShadowsBeneathTheLight · 8/10 · 18 August 2022]

I loved this episode. Spoiler: It's supposed to be silly and a little goofy. You have a clown back from the dead turning people into ice cream. Seriously what are people expecting to happen with a plot like that? This is clearly a throwback to the cheesy horror movies from the 80s like Killer Klowns From Outer Space. Learn to have fun and enjoy things for what they are.

Yes this episode is silly, but honestly the gore is well done watching people slowly melt into ice cream. The acting is great, although the mom's lines are little off. She isn't a bad actress, but the dialogue comes off a little too forced as the "ever supportive wife." The story works for what it is, as you slowly learn through flashbacks why the clown is seeking vengence on the adults. I have to say, this is the first time I actually felt bad for a clown which goes to show how well William Forsythe did as Buster the Clown. I also think it's unqiue to see the Clown never directly confront the adults, but rather use their own kids to kill off his targets. It adds a different level of horror for the characters as they cant trust their own children.

Alll in all, good episode that had me hooked from start to finish.

I'd Rather Have a Snow Cone

[BaronBl00d · 4/10 · 28 November 2010]

So far...as I watch the Masters of Horror episodes in no particular order or without regard to Season One or the second season, this episode "We All Scream for Ice Cream" is easily one of the weakest(only slightly better than "The V- Word." What did I like: the opening about a creepy ice cream truck, the scary clown(played wonderfully and almost anonymously by William Forsythe), and the story about a gang of not-so-tough-looking youths and a stuttering clown who sold ice cream. The first half of the episode is gripping enough and has plenty of atmosphere but as the tale unfolds one sees how barren the script is with logic until the very illogical, unsuspenseful, lame ending. The way people are killed, how Buster came back, and that ludicrous thing at the end with the strawberry ice cream made me laugh in a "wow! this is pretty bad!" way. Look, the acting is engaging. Colin Cunningham plays a crazy guy well, and I must confess the bathtub scene is disturbing and way over-the-top. Lee Tergesen(of Werd Science fame) plays the lead well-enough. His wife is attractive and decent, and the kids are all acceptable except in the flashback where we just get some ludicrous story from the past. The line, "It will be bitchin" had me rolling as it came from the lips of a kid who looked softer than the the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Buster the Clown is worth seeing the episode. Forsythe is so genial in the flashbacks and so pernicious in the "present" as a Ghost/Clown from who knows where. The line from the ice cream truck is used throughout to the point of ad nauseum. What about all that temperature freezing stuff? Did anyone else notice it? And how were two bodies buried when there were no bodies left. No investigation either? maybe I am over-analyzing here. But this episode had room to delve into these things by getting rid of all the repetitive stuff. Admittedly, this is a fun episode, but is it great or even good - NO WAY! Director Tom Holland, I guess, deserves his title if for nothing else than Fright Night, but he shows himself to be more of a novice than a master here.

Slowly Melting

[Michael_Elliott · 26 February 2008]

We All Scream for Ice Cream (2007)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Masters of Horror film about a group of kids who play a prank on an ice cream clown, which eventually kills the clown. As adults, members of the group start getting killed in mysterious ways so has the dead clown returned to seek revenge? This is a horror film so what do you think? Director Tom Holland has delivered some good films in the genre like Fright Night, Child's Play and Thinner but this film here doesn't quite work. The idea behind the story and the way the killings are done is very interesting but outside of that there's not much going on here. All of the performances are rather bland, which doesn't help matters. William Forsythe is the main saving grace as he does a very good job as the clown.

Could've been WAY better than this garbage

[Fernando-Rodrigues · 4/10 · 22 November 2020]

Weak kid actings, supernatural horror clichés, wasted idea (killer clown), and bad CGI.