Jinga Films, Available on DVD and VOD, 15 March

‘May I suggest Rocky Road?’ 

Do you recall those novels by Richard Laymon, where someone is experiencing some kind of upheaval in their personal life and then suddenly out of nowhere they’re being chased by a serial killer? Well, this seems to be a filmic attempt by writer-director Johnston (the granddaughter of Elmore Leonard) to do the same kind of thing.

Mary (Satisfaction’s Deanna Russo) moves into a new suburban home and is waiting for her family to join her. Actually, she’s moved back to where she grew up, but now it all feels a bit too Stepford, something that isn’t helped by meeting the upbeat local trio of wives and moms Jessica (Hilary Barraford), Christina (Lisa Ann Walter), and Katie (LaTeace Towns-Cuellar). Invited to a barbecue to celebrate Christina’s son’s graduation, the lad in question Max (John Redlinger, looking for all the world like a young Stephen Dorff) offers her weed – and thus begins her slippery slide into Mrs Robinson territory.

At the same time a strange old-fashioned ice cream truck is touring the neighbourhood, and you won’t be surprised to find that this coincides with some shocking disappearances and deaths, including Max’s ex-girlfriend Tracy (Bailey Anne Borders from The 5th Wave). How long will it be before the mysterious Ice Cream Man (a suitably creepy Emil Johnsen) targets Mary?

The Ice Cream Truck is an odd mark. Part commentary on mid-life crisis and loss of youth – which sees Mary wrestling with her role as a wife and mother and what to do about Max – part satire on suburban living, and part slasher, it ends up not paying enough attention to any of its strands. Actors pause before delivering their dialogue, which adds to the Lynchian strangeness of the piece, but also comes across a little like they’re trying to remember their lines… And the ‘climactic’ finale ends up being a little like one of Max’s teenage fumbles, all build-up and over really quickly. As for the Nightmare on Elm Street-esque coda, I was left feeling just a little confused.

Verdict: All in all, the most horrific thing about this movie is the earworm of an Ice Cream melody the truck makes – which will be in your head long after the credits have rolled. ‘How about a shake?’ 6/10

Paul Kane