From its opening seconds to its menacing close, ‘One Please’ is the definition of “unsettling”. Not only does it star horror legend and icon Michael Berryman as the menacing ice cream truck attendant but credit goes to both Catherine Burks and little Sailor Hollands grimacing appeal for carrying this short tale.

 

Like a mash-up between a 1950’s advertisement and a bludgeoning kick to the face, ‘One Please’ is a perfect example of how short film is an art form in itself that’s able to explore grounds that can easily be dragged out for a 90 minute period. Jesse Burks manages to create so much expression in a silent movie that it becomes a working piece of art that will be perfectly placed in any horror collection.

 

From set design to the formal relationship of the family, Burks has done a superb job in capturing the blase attitude of an era where innocence could so easily be surrounded in sinister motions.

 

While the concept of paying for ice creams to a “special being” with body parts may seem somewhat open to the mutilation of a certain torture porn genre, this manages to keep it tightly packaged to just give enough away for the concept yet wraps it in a nice pretty bow to come across as a work of beauty.

 

Helped along by its hauntingly sickly sweet score and rich colourful palette, it’s hard not to find the slicing of fingers for currency disturbing in a world where this is so normal. ‘One Please’ is pure and simply a delicious delight that has enough to keep you from running at the call of the next ice cream van and with the news that a sequel is in development as we speak only makes the film more chilling. Come and get your lollipops.