Director – Aleen Isley (Curtains for Christmas, Head Case)
Starring – B. Barnabei (CarousHELL 3, Shingles: The Movie), Alex Hazen, and Marie Taylor
Release Date – 2025
Rating – 3.5/5
I love how horror is such a broad genre. You can have something as light hearted as Ernest Scared Stupid or Halloweentown or you can go as extreme as August Underground and Let’s Stop at the Morgue. I love all horror but I do tend to gravitate toward the side of horror that focuses on humor and outlandish stories over gore with no plot. That’s something that I’ve said time and time again which has often drawn criticism from my peers. Many believe that a movie with gorgeous gore and nudity is superior to a genre film that focuses more on story and character development. Honestly, I would rather watch the Olsen Twin’s movie Double Double Toil and Trouble over fake snuff flicks.
Sometime back I covered the upcoming horror comedy I:Scream – A Minty Musical from the extremely talented Aleen Isley. This was her directorial debut and I was very interested in seeing the finish product. A few weeks back she messaged me a link for the film and asked me to review. I couldn’t right away due to illness but as soon as I was able to, I jumped on it. I want to thank Aleen for sending this one over!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a scientist who is trying to plan the perfect ice cream date for their friend. However, things didn’t go according to plan and she leaves for a game leaving the ice cream behind where a chemical is accidentally spilled into the delicious frozen treat. The ice cream is transformed into a treat that begins terrorizing the small community. As the bodies pile up, grizzled detective Barry Griswold (Steve Rudzinski) starts piecing together the pieces everything together while survivors band together with a former ice cream vendor to stop the mint chocolate menace. **Spoiler Alert**
I:Scream is a movie that I was not expecting to love as much as I did. I don’t mean any disrespect to Aleen and company but I’m not really a fan of musicals. I know it’s weird but I always feel awkward and embarrassed when I watch a musical. My wife and kids love them and you can often hear them playing throughout the house but I have a hard time sitting through one. However, that was not the case with I:Scream. The songs didn’t overstay their welcome, were actually catchy, and the story pulled me in.
The acting in this one is a bit uneven but not bad. Director and actor Steve Rudzinski returns as a Griswold character from his highly successful Meowy series. He brings a lot of energy to the film and the character he portrays is a lot of fun. Also, we get some enjoyable performances from Alex Hazen, B. Barnabei, and David Dietz just to name a few. The cast is fully dedicated to their roles but there was a few instances where inexperience rears it’s ugly head. These scenes are not what I would consider bad but the dialogue is a bit awkward.
The story for one is very enjoyable. We have a loving nod to 50s sci-fi with the obvious being the classic genre mash-up of The Blob that blends in musicals, comedy, and the Meowy-verse into something truly unique especially in a time where a lot of the indie productions I’ve reviewed recently have been inspired by 80s horror. The movie is funny, has great pacing, and the songs are not overused. In fact, the songs are somewhat catchy and fit the film very well.
Finally, this isn’t a bloody film. The film doesn’t try to give us memorable deaths and buckets of gore. We have some clever props for the killer ice cream that works for the style of film but those looking for the red stuff may be a bit disappointed. Overall, I:Scream – A Minty Musical is the most fun I’ve had with a movie in sometime. It’s not a movie that tries to redefine a genre or wants to be something it’s not. Instead, it’s an entertaining film from a very talented filmmaker. While I do enjoy watching Aleen in front of the camera, I’m looking forward to her next outing behind it. I highly recommend checking this one out.
