Experiencing the first blooms of love can be as sweet as ice cream cones and cotton candy. The short film, “Every Time We Meet for Ice Cream Your Whole F*cking Face Explodes” directed by Anthony Cousins and co-written with Carlton Mellick III adds a dash of blood to the mix when two outcast teens take a fancy to each other. The film is based on the novel by Mellick, Every Time We Meet at the Dairy Queen, Your Whole F*cking Face Explodes.
Wouldn’t it be sweet if you submitted your own script to the next Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition?
The Plot
The film opens in the most common teenage space in the world…the school bus. A teenage boy has just had ice cream smeared into his brown hair. The boy’s expression is stressed and annoyed until the bus doors open and in walks his crush. The first glimpse of the teenage girl is her blonde shoulder-length hair, a yellow headband peeking through. She swings her head to face the rowdy group with a smile on her face.
And something else.
A series of pink scars crisscross her face like cracked porcelain. There is something delicate about the hopefulness in her cheery disposition as she walks down the bus aisle. Even as each student scoots to the edge of their seats to prevent her from sitting with them, she seems blissfully unaware of their micro cruelty. She finally sits next to the boy and the romance begins.
Soon the pair are at an ice cream shop. He works up the courage to tell her of his affection for her. He touches her hand. This is more excitement than she can handle. Her feelings for him erupt all over her face. Her scars glow, her skin turns a fiery yellow hue, her left eye bulges, and her kind, sweet face explodes. Chunks of bloody tissue spew all over the boy and two girls at the table next to them. Everyone and their desserts are coated in specks of red and she runs away in shame.
High school is an unforgiving place and the next day, the teen girl is bullied as she enters the bus but this time, she isn’t oblivious to the taunts and cruelty. But the boy still holds a torch for her and, against the advice of his friend, doubles down on pursuing her.
What Lies Underneath
It is the most straightforward message possible – acceptance of someone for who they are. Having said that, there is a bit more to the film. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. One person’s weirdness is another person’s bombshell. The boy sees the girl as truly beautiful on the inside and the outside. The girl leans into what makes her special and unique. Expectations are challenged. Societal conformity is lit on fire. Awkwardness is the new aphrodisiac. It is ultimately a message of resilience and happiness on your own terms.
What Makes It Killer
The two main actors in this film, Arden Michalec and Logan Schuneman, couldn’t be more adorable and more relatable. They inhabit the emotions and vulnerability of young people who go out on a limb to pursue an intense crush.
The cinematography is excellent, and the visual effects are done well. The cotton candy world of bright colors and soft, playful aesthetics heightens the gore when it comes. Make no mistake – the gore is GORY! The award-winning film is a joyful, immersive piece of work.
Watch it below.
Director & Co-writer: Anthony Cousins
Co-Writer of short film and original source material: Carlton Mellick III
Get the book the short film is based on: Every Time We Meet at the Dairy Queen, Your Whole Fucking Face Explodes
Cast:
