Ice Cream Man (2026) The Horror Section/Horror-Comedy RT: 86 minutes No MPA rating (strong graphic violence and extreme gore, language- all involving children) Director: Eli Roth Screenplay: Eli Roth and Noah Belson Music: Brandon Roberts Cinematography: Simon Shohet Release date: August 7, 2026 (US) Cast: Ari Millen, Charlie Zeltzer, Sarah Abbott, Kiori Mirza Waldman, Shiloh O’Reilly, Dylan Hawco, Eli Roth, Karen Cliché, Benjamin Byron Davis, Ivano DiCaro, Sonam Kalsang, Luke Dietz, Carina Battrick, Addison Bell, Charlie Storey, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Darrin Baker, Lorenzo Antonucci, Eli Massillon, Kole Parks, Michele Kaye, Ryan Allen.
Rating: *** ½
There’s something wrong with the children of Bayleen Bay. Could it be they’re consuming too much junk food? Perhaps.
Only a mind as warped as Eli Roth’s could conceive of Ice Cream Man, a thoroughly twisted horror-comedy that’s NOT a remake of the same-named 1995 slasher starring Clint Howard. He’s the same guy who gave us Cabin Fever (2003), Hostel I & II (2005-07), The Green Inferno (2015) and Thanksgiving (2023). His latest film is an all-out splatter movie that’ll have you laughing while reaching for a barf bag. He doesn’t hold back here; he lets it all fly, blood, guts, brains and limbs.
The plot is paper thin. All is right in the idyllic suburb of Bayleen Bay until the appearance of a mysterious ice cream truck. The titular ice cream man (Millen, Orphan Black) smiles as he hands out frozen treats to all the kids. The only one who doesn’t partake is Jared (Zeltzer), a bullied kid who suffers from lactose intolerance. His condition serves him well in this case. The ice cream has a side effect worse than flatulence. It turns kids into zombie-like homicidal maniacs. They proceed to murder every adult in town.
It takes Jared a minute to figure out something is horribly wrong with most of his classmates save for two others, Mia (Waldman, Small Achievable Goals) and Tommy (O’Reilly, Festival of the Living Dead). Once they figure it out, it’s a fight and flight for survival as they try to outrun their peers and the freaky ice cream man. They’re helped by Jared’s teenage sister Lizzie (Abbott, Ginny & Georgia) who manages to not be affected by the tainted ice cream.
A friend described Ice Cream Man as Weapons meets A Nightmare on Elm Street. I kept thinking of The Children (1980) and Maximum Overdrive (1986). If nothing else, Roth picked some great movies to borrow ideas from. He doesn’t stop at that. He one-ups himself by going full-tilt-boogie OTT with copious amounts of gore. Is it ever bloody! People (parents, teachers, cops, etc.) are dismembered, decapitated, disemboweled and cut in half. In what can only be described as the movie’s piece de resistance, one victim has the top of his head cut off so a little girl can scoop out his brains (with an ice cream scoop natch) and plop it in a sugar cone. We also get to see kids playing jump rope with intestines and tether ball with a severed head. I can see why the ratings board refused to grant this one an R (it’s being released unrated).
I thoroughly enjoyed Ice Cream Man. That doesn’t mean it’s a good film. The storyline is beyond dumb. Roth struggles a little with tone. The acting is terrible. It’s more silly than scary. It’s not going to win any awards. Now let me ask you this. Why would anybody review Ice Cream Man like it’s a legit film? It’s NOT! It’s a freak show, a goofy and gory horror-comedy, a bloodbath that overflows and leaks through the ceiling. The usual rules don’t apply here. What you should be asking instead is this: is it fun? In my never humble opinion, it is. I had this dopey smile on my face the whole time. I knew I was looking at trash, but I didn’t care. You’re talking to someone who still gets a kick out of Troma movies. Come to think of it, Ice Cream Man is like a slightly polished version of one of those low-budget gems.
The gore effects, mostly practical with a few digital tweaks, are quite good. Roth uses prosthetics rather than CGI in depicting extreme violence (e.g. the brain scoop scene). For that, I raise my glass of Coke Zero to him. He also makes Bayleen Bay look unusually bright and sunny, a direct contrast to the carnage and mayhem going on. He inserts nightmarish animated sequences that show up on characters’ phones. It’s both unsettling and funny. Roth’s visual artistry here is brilliant.
A few more things about Ice Cream Man and I’ll wrap it up. The kids have dirtier mouths than the Bad News Bears. Even Tanner would blush at some of the words that come out of their mouths. The Ice Cream Man, who never utters a single word, is suitably creepy. The explanation for everything that’s happening is cool even though it leads you to wonder if this town has an Elm Street.
Obviously, Ice Cream Man isn’t going to appeal to everybody. If you have a weak stomach, you are advised to steer clear. Film snobs will avoid it on principle alone. All others, have at it! It’s a whole lot of great blood-drenched fun. Oh yeah, stick around for an amusing end credits scene.
