ICE NINE KILLS Unleash Dark Homage to Batman ‘89 “The Laugh Track”
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Music Video Enlists Scream’s Matthew Lillard As His Macabre Spirits Collaboration with Ice Nine Kills, Horrorwood Reserve, Goes On-Sale at HorrorwoodReserve.com
Ice Nine Kills invite you to “dance with the devil in the pale moonlight” with “The Laugh Track,” their riotous homage to Gotham City’s Clown Prince of Crime. The new song and cinematic music video riffs on the Joker, particularly as portrayed by Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton’s gothic Batman.
“The Laugh Track” music video welcomes Matthew Lillard (Scream, Five Nights at Freddy’s, SLC Punk) and Phil Morris (Seinfeld, Smallville, Doom Patrol) to the INKverse, alongside returning collaborator Terry Kiser (Weekend at Bernie’s, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Weekend at Bernie’s II).
Stream “The Laugh Track” HERE and watch the brand new entry into the INK cinematic canon HERE.
Ice Nine Kills frontman Spencer Charnas spills:
“Why be a brooding bat when you can have the last laugh? After all, Jack Nicholson got top billing in Batman ’89. While Michael Keaton’s haunted Bruce Wayne is outstanding, young Spencer was drawn more to the Clown Prince of Crime. ‘The Laugh Track’ is our homage to Tim Burton’s dark and gorgeous gothic Gotham. Batman ’89 took its comic book material seriously, but it was far from grounded, and never forgot to have fun. It’s the same tightrope we walk in Ice Nine Kills, with broad, maniacal smiles. “Terry Kiser returns in the video (although the rumors of Miles’ demise are exaggerated). And it brings a warm human smile to my face to introduce Matthew Lillard and Phil Morris to the INKverse. Like Prince before us, ‘The Laugh Track’ will have you dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight.”
“The Laugh Track” captures the dark theatricality, gothic ambiance, and twisted humor that made Burton’s Batman a masterpiece, delivered through Ice Nine Kills‘ distinctive mix of intense yet melodic metal and cinematic storytelling. The track follows Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs hit “The Great Unknown” (inspired by The Matrix) and the record-breaking “A Work of Art” from the highest-grossing unrated film ever, Terrifier 3.
Lillard crashed the Ice Nine Kills panel at this year’s Silver Scream Con to announce his entry into the INKverse. He and Spencer also revealed details about their Horrorwood Reserve collaboration, a blood colored bourbon issued in detailed collector bottles by Lillard’s Macabre Spirits.
Silver Scream Con 4 brought nearly 13,000 horror and music fans to the DCU in Worcester. Ice Nine Kills‘ headlining concert included guest appearances from WWE superstar Rhea Ripley and The Walking Dead director/producer Greg Nicotero, among others.Horrorwood Reserve whiskey is a toast to the horror fandom that fuels both Macabre Spirits and Ice Nine Kills. Made from Bloody Butcher corn and aged five years in new American white oak, the whiskey delivers a slightly dry, nutty profile with notes of cinnamon, leather, and spice. Horrorwood Reserve boxed sets are available in two collectible, limited-edition sets: Golden Age and Silver Scream. Both sets contain a killer bottle designed by Michael Cortada of Ice Nine Kills, featuring a sleek-as-ice glass topper, along with a selection of celebrity cocktail recipe cards from Charnas and Lillard, and an epic lineup of horror icons. Horrorwood Reserve launches to the public today in very limited quantities. Head to HorrorwoodReserve.com for more information.
“Horrorwood Reserve is the liquid soundtrack to your favorite slasher flick,” says Charnas. “It tastes like suspense, danger, and the satisfaction of surviving until the credits roll.”Ice Nine Kills leads an unstoppable cultural empire that brings together metalheads, horror fans, and cinema lovers under one blood-soaked banner. The band will headline a When We Were Young sideshow in Las Vegas on October 17, followed by this year’s WWWY. After that, they’ll head to Europe for a headline tour, leading directly into the first-ever overseas Silver Scream Con, Silver Scream London, on December 13 and 14.
About Ice Nine Kills
Ice Nine Kills spreads cavalier carnage with a knowing smile, as evidenced by the densely catchy songs on their two breakthrough albums, The Silver Scream and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood, including the gold-certified single “A Grave Mistake”; “A Work of Art,” the official song from the highest-grossing unrated film ever, Terrifier 3; the arrestingly melodic “The Great Unknown”; and “The Laugh Track,” a hilariously homicidal tribute to Jack Nicholson’s Joker.
The INKverse boasts a series of high-concept, cinematic videos; the Psychos Only club; two mock “true crime” books; the Inked in Blood graphic novels; monthly “Nightmare on the 9th” merch drops; and the annual Silver Scream Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, not far from the North Shore birthplace of Ice Nine Kills. (The con even went international with 2025’s Silver Scream Con London.)
Led by Spencer Charnas, the internationally acclaimed band mixes extreme metal with melody. They’ve toured with Slipknot and were handpicked by Metallica for the M72 World Tour (2022 – 2025). The horror community Spencer grew up loving has embraced his band in return.
In 2025, Spencer launched the Pretty Evil personal care line and revealed that he’s co-written, with Paul Soter (Super Troopers), The Slashin’ of the Christ, a forthcoming feature film produced by Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead) and Brian Witten (Final Destination). The Matrix-inspired anthem and action-fueled music video for “The Great Unknown” expanded even further on INK’s evolving lore.
At Silver Scream Con 4, Spencer and Matthew Lillard (Scream) announced their Horrorwood Reserve whiskey collaboration, and Lillard’s entrance into the INKverse with the “The Laugh Track.”
About Macabre Spirits
Macabre Spirits crafts rare, limited-edition spirits for horror fans. Each release is paired with a twisted original tale from one of today’s leading horror authors, with cover art by intriguing genre artists. Macabre Spirits is the second breakout brand from Find Familiar Spirits, the fan-centric spirits company founded by actor/entrepreneur Matthew Lillard (Scream, Five Nights at Freddy’s) and screenwriter Justin Ware (Bloodsucking Bastards), after the smash success Quest’s End Whiskey. Each collectible release from Find Familiar is steeped in artistry, storytelling, and the same commitment to authenticity you find in any devoted fandom.
