‘Ick,’ the New Film Making TIFF Squirm, Is a Horror-Comedy Cult Classic in the Making
TORONTO, Canada—Director Joseph Kahn turns the high school comedy and alien invasion subgenres inside out with Ick, a delirious tale of an unidentifiable substance and the human population that simply doesn’t care much about it.
In true B-movie fashion, this Midnight Madness selection at the Toronto International Film Festival is energized by a gonzo spirit—as if The Faculty had been remade by Sam Raimi—that prioritizes whiplash style, pointed one-liners, 2000-era musical cuts, and extremely goofy gore over depth. Playfully mocking today’s always-online, virtual-signaling teen generation while simultaneously embracing its bevy of old-school tropes, it’s exactly the sort of crowd-pleaser designed to be seen in a theater, after dark, with a rowdy audience.
Hank (Brandon Routh) is a science teacher at his alma mater Eastbrook High School, where—as conveyed by an adrenalized prologue full of twisting, turning cinematography—he was a star QB and the boyfriend to lead cheerleader Staci (Mena Suvari), destined for NFL fame and fortune, until an injury killed his prospects. That calamity is the fault of the Ick, a tendril-y plant that’s sprouting up all over town.