ARCADE PRODUCTIONS DEBUTS HORROR SHORT WAFFLE CONE WILLIE – A GHOST STORY ON WHEELS
The short film, based on the horror game by corsgames, premieres for free on YouTube and Baker+ on February 15
Arcade Productions is set to bring a new kind of terror to screens with Waffle Cone Willie, a short form cinematic adaptation of the cult indie horror game by corsgames. Written, directed, and produced by award-winning filmmaker Christian Attrel Cordes, this one-man production brings the eerie tale of a haunted ice cream truck and the sinister force behind the wheel to life.
Originally released as an indie horror game, Waffle Cone Willie gained a small yet sizable following for its eerie atmosphere, chilling sound design, and inventive take on the “killer vehicle” subgenre. Seeing its potential for a cinematic adaptation, Cordes set out to translate its terrifying yet absurd world into film—blurring the line between horror and dark humor.
“I’ve been a fan of films like Christine, The Car, and Maximum Overdrive since I was probably too young to be watching horror movies,” says Cordes. “When I discovered the Waffle Cone Willie video game by corsgames, my love for vehicular horror made me an instant fan, and I knew it would make a fantastic movie. While I didn’t have the budget to make a live-action version of this proof of concept, making a movie based on a video game using a video game felt perfectly fitting.”
Starring John Poveromo as Detective Jim Monroe, the story follows a man drawn back to his hometown of Sweetwater after his brother’s unexplained death. What begins as a standard investigation spirals into a waking nightmare as he uncovers buried secrets and a town haunted by its past. At the center of it all is Waffle Cone Willie, a spectral ice cream truck with a dark connection to Sweetwater’s history—one that won’t rest until justice is… soft served.
“As a lifelong horror fan, I knew Waffle Cone Willie was going to be a blast to work on,” says John Poveromo, who stars as Detective Monroe. “The script had all the right ingredients—creepy lore, a fun yet unsettling atmosphere, and that perfect mix of terror and playfulness that makes you think, ‘Holy shit, this could happen in my own town!’”
The film was created using GTA 5’s Rockstar Editor, along with mods created by the GTA 5 modding community, pushing machinima’s potential as a cinematic storytelling tool. While machinima has been around since the late 1990s—popularized by projects like Red vs. Blue—it continues to evolve as a hybrid between animation and live-action filmmaking.
More than just a short film, Waffle Cone Willie serves as a proof of concept for a potential live-action feature, blending horror, mystery, and an unmistakable sense of fun. While undeniably a horror film, it leans into the absurdity of its premise, embracing the over-the-top elements that make the idea of a haunted ice cream truck both terrifying and hilarious.
