You Scream Ice Cream, part 2 - The Parlor Opens

For ten years after his death, Victor Ham's home on the edge of town stood only as a reminder of the past. But no one went near it. An evil aura seemed to surround the place. Children told stories that is was haunted and constantly dared each other just to run up on the porch and ring the doorbell. No one was ever brave enough to attempt the feat.

No one, that is, until 1973. On November 11 of that year, ten years to the day after Victor Ham died, two anonymous sixteen year olds were dared to spend the night inside. They lasted about an hour before tearing out, screaming. One was babbling about walls that moved, rooms full of bones, mirrors that reflected thousands of images they could not see, and the greatest ice cream they had ever tasted. The other never spoke again.

In 1974, a contingent of six restaurateurs ventured into the house. Three weeks later, five of them emerged, looking like they had aged ten years in the process. Their spokesman (Matthew John James, son of the legendary Peter Bartholomew James) gave a very shaky press conference, announcing that the current residents of Victor Ham's home had agreed to open the You Scream Ice Cream Parlor in that spot. After making this pronouncement, he fainted on the spot.

Details of the meeting between James' group and the "residents" have never been discussed, nor has the disappearance of the sixth member of the group, who happened to be Howard Ham, Victor's son-in-law. Nonetheless, the You Scream Ice Cream Parlor opened on November 11, 1974, the eleventh anniversary of Victor Ham's death.

It's impossible to describe an experience inside the most haunted ice cream parlor in the world. When you enter, you have to search for the actual parlor, and it's always located in the last room you enter. Real horrors await you behind each door, but in order to find the ice cream, you have to face them all. Be comforted, however, that as part of their contract, the "residents" have agreed not to hurt anyone.

The experience is well worth it, as I'm sure you will agree once you have found the parlor and have sampled their ice cream. It's as if the powers that made Ham's Creamery so good inhabit this house, and are finally being given a chance to show their true talent.

Be warned, however - every November 11, the place shuts down for an "employee party." If you attempt to enter on this night, you will not get out alive. A total of five people have tried it so far. None have ever been seen again.

You Scream Ice Cream, part I - The Tale of Victor Ham

In 1944, the town of Hamville was founded by the brothers Ham - Donald, Marcus, and Victor. They had a vision of a town that would enthrall the culinary world and bring in people from far and wide to sample exotic foods in unique environments. In this spirit, they invited many restaurateurs to begin eateries in the Hamville area, but the brothers started the town with their own places. Donald, the eldest, opened the Hamville Diner, which stayed open mostly due to its historical significance for 33 years before finally closing and becoming a museum of Hamville history in 1977, three years after Donald's death. Marcus, the middle brother, had more success with Ham's Deli, a sandwich shop that was the town's most popular lunch stop for nearly forty years. Marcus himself was working on new plans for the restaurant when he died in 1981, plans which were continued by his son Leonard. Ham's Deli closed in 1983, and reopened the next year as Sub Subs. Victor was the youngest brother, and it is the sad fate of his restaurant, Ham's Creamery, that led to the founding of the You Scream Ice Cream Parlor.

Ham's Creamery was universally acclaimed as one of, if not the greatest ice cream parlor in the world. Patrons were consistently amazed at the uniqueness of the flavors, and their superior quality. Victor was deluged with requests to package his product and sell it in a worldwide market, or at least to start a franchise. This was, of course, against everything the Hams stood for when they started the town, and Victor flatly refused every time an offer was made.

The Creamery thrived. Though many restaurants were appearing all over Hamville throughout the forties and fifties, still the Creamery remained the one place visitors could not get enough of. Victor's standing in the town, however, was always a source of contention among the residents. They would never discuss it in front of outsiders, but everyone in Hamville knew - Victor Ham was a lunatic.

Victor's house stood on the edge of town, with no neighbors on any side. While most of the Hamville residential areas were thriving, the area around Victor's house remained undeveloped. Passersby frequently noted the strange noises coming from the house, and the occasional bloodcurdling scream.

On November 11, 1963, Victor Ham was found dead in Ham's Creamery. He had not been seen in the restaurant for five years. At the age of 43, authorities did not want to rule out possible foul play, but it appeared that nothing was wrong. He seemed to have just died. The Creamery existed for another three years, but the magic was gone. Customers just couldn't find that spark in the ice cream anymore, and in 1966, the Creamery closed for good.

There was much talk about what to do with Ham's home. Some thought they could turn it into a museum, others wanted to tear it down and develop the area, others wanted put it on the market and allow someone to live in it. No one could decide, and the house sat in its place, untouched and falling slowly into disrepair, for the next ten years.