PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Horror and musicals are often thought to be an awkward concoction, a collaboration that mixes together about as well as ice cream and battery acid. But when you blend the right amount of slashing and singing, you can strike gold. Such is the case in I:Scream- A Minty Musical. Let’s get the scoop on this new release and see if we can give it it’s just desserts.
I:Scream- A Minty Musical was written by Aleen Isley (Curtains for Christmas 2024) and Steve Rudzinski (CarousHELL 3 2023) and directed by Isley. It stars B. Barnabei (Shingles: The Movie 2023), Alex Hazen (in their acting debut) and Marie Taylor (in their first credited role). Isley’s directorial debut tackles a science experiment gone wrong, as formula drips into a tasty treat, and creates the ice cream monster from hell.
I:Scream- A Minty Musical harkens back to the 1950’s creature feature era, with a blend of loveable camp and familiar callbacks. The mutated ice cream has some similarities to The Blob or The Stuff (check out our retro review here) without needing to rely on gore or overexpose the antagonist. One of the most clever things about I:Scream- A Minty Musical is the way that it subverts expectations on reliable genre tropes. These things include a slasher attempt gone awry, nudity averted by convenient set pieces, and a gender swap of intentions at the drive-in. The love story in this film is also unconventional but leads to some great music.
As we follow our three well-defined, quirky protagonists to stop the killer confection, we’re led through a parlor of entertaining distractions. They include unaware cops, a cult with a dance routine, and a dog that will steal your heart. It has to be said that the lyrics and choreography of I:Scream- A Minty Musical are as impressive as they are ambitious. The lyrics are flowy and complex, and the cult has wonderful chemistry as they create what’s sure to be a new dance craze. The credits and graphical overlays are also well-framed and brilliant.
This movie rewards its audience with plenty of self-referential in-jokes, laughs, and some interesting tie-ups that we could see in a future film. Go follow Silver Spotlight Films to keep up with this movie’s release, as well as future projects from the talented Aleen Isley.
