BeforeIckscreened atFantastic Fest 2024, co-writer anddirectorJoseph Kahnhad two points he wanted to make for the audience.
First, he explained the movie was made to be rated PG-13.
He did that because he wanted to serve what he thinks is an underserved audience of young teenagers.
Brandon Routh leads the cast of Ick, the new film by Joseph Kahn. Image: Fantastic Fest
Ickstars Brandon Routh as Hank, a high school science teacher who was once the same schools star quarterback.
He was on track for football greatness but an injury ruined that.
Hanks injury occurred because his town was, and has been, infected with something everyone just calls ick.
Its basically a weird, black mold that grows randomly all over town.
That the ick doesnt have any logical rhyme or reason is one of the issues with the film.
One thing we do learn though is that ick only moves at night and is destroyed by ultraviolet light.
So light becomes a weapon and all of the action takes place in the evening.
Which, again, is another issue withIck.
Half the time you cant tell what the ick is doing or who its killing because everything is dark.
Kahn said he called in every favor his music video career could muster for the soundtrack and it delivers.
Diegetically, It works because its the music of Hanks youth and the theme of the students prom.
I fall into the former.
But, If that era and those bands arent your thing, theres a good chanceIckwont work as well.
The music is incredibly important but the film has other things working for it too.
Its a film for almost anyone.
Ickrecently played Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.
It does not yet have a release date.
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