Ice cream is one of the most popular desserts, and whether enjoying a tall cone in the height of summer or buying a pint of Ben and Jerry’s to enjoy at home in the cold winter, it always sounds like a good idea. The ice cream truck is one of the most innocent images out there, evoking exciting childhood afternoons when kids would hear that familiar tune and beg their parents for money to get a cone.
Ice cream doesn’t seem like it has any place in the horror genre, but the “Bad Humor Truck” trope is used in many TV shows and films. This trope has a fun name and it makes any story that it’s used in even scarier.
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According toTV Tropes, the “Bad Humor Truck” horror trope means that the person driving the seemingly innocent ice cream truck is really evil. They might kill people or target children and the character often makes it impossible for the characters to stop buying and eating the ice cream on offer. The trope gets its name from the famous Good Humor ice cream trucks. This horror trope is definitely terrifying as ice cream is supposed to be sweet, innocent, delicious, and joyful. Instead, when this trope is used, the favorite dessert is turned into a force for evil.
Fans of R.L. Stine’s TV showGoosebumpswill also enjoyThe Haunting Hour, which aired for four seasons from 2010 to 2014. Each episode tells a new scary story and the endings can be freaky, which is a change from pace from'90s kids horror showswhich often have happy conclusions.TV Tropesmentions the season 1 episode ofThe Haunting Hourcalled “Catching Cold” which sees a young child named Marty (Robert Capron) becoming addicted to the ice cream that a man is selling on his street. When Marty hears the song “Pop Goes the Weasel” and gets a free ice cream cone, he becomes all about the Kreamy Kold ice cream.
Marty’s life is taken over by this specific ice cream and he meets Jimmy Jeffries who is now an adult and said that he was influenced the same way that Marty has been. Jimmy has been stuck in this ice cream truck. The episode has a terrifying ending, as Jimmy runs away and traps Marty in his place. This trope is used in a clever manner here as Marty is powerless against the sweet treat that he loves so much.
While thebest horror main charactersare tough as nails and go after the threat against them, Marty is still a great character because he proves how scary and powerful this horror trope is. Marty can’t stop this evil ice cream truck and the story’s ending suggests that this keeps happening in the same neighborhood, which definitely makes an impact. Ice cream brings up a feeling of innocence and that’s what makes this trope so terrible.
Sometimes, this trope is used in a surprising and clever way that proves that it has legs and can be used in many different instances. In the season 3 episode ofCharmedcalled “We All Scream For Ice Cream,” an ice cream truck plays its catchy song and children become hypnotized.TV Tropessays that the children are eaten by “The Nothing” as they are called to a “Pocket Dimension.“Charmeduses a different take on the “Bad Humor Truck” trope as the kids are actually demons and the person selling ice cream is totally innocent. The show might be a bit cheesy, but this is a smart episode and a good use of this trope.
Perhaps the trope is used most obviously in the 1995 filmIce Cream Man. Aforgotten ’90s horror movie, Gregory Tudor (Clint Howard) actually turns people into the ice cream that he sells. It’s definitely a gross, strange and off-putting idea, and it’s probably the most horrifying use of the trope. In this case, when characters see Gregory, he’s the worst monster around, and he’s using something as appealing as ice cream to target people. This movie has fallen out of favor and doesn’t get talked about much, but it’s definitely a plot that stands out and is hard to forget.
There are many horror tropes that feature children from the"Halloweentown” tropeto the"Creepy Doll” trope, just to name a few. The “Bad Humor Truck” horror trope just be the most interesting one yet as no one expects an ice cream truck, which plays a catchy and familiar song and sells delicious treats to kids, would ever be something to fear. Since ice cream doesn’t seem like it would ever have any place in a horror film or TV series, this trope works even better, as it’s shocking and hard to anticipate.
