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Film: Ice Cream Man
Year: 2026
Director: Eli Roth
Writers: Noah Belson and Eli Roth
Starring: Charlie Zeltzer, Ari Millen and Sarah Abbott
Review:
This is a film where its reputation preceded it. At first, it was getting buzz due to being co-written and directed by Eli Roth. He is a filmmaker that I respect for his knowledge of horror. He truly loves the genre. There are people out there that don’t like him due to language he’s included in films or how male characters tend to act. It doesn’t help then that he came out ahead of this film to admit that it used AI for scenes. Regardless, I like to judge things for myself so I caught this at the Gateway Film Center, making it a featured review.
Synopsis: an idyllic summer town descends into madness when an ice cream man serves kids sweet delights with horrifying results.
Following the synopsis, an ice cream truck enters Bayleen Bay. We meet most of our characters at a park, children play, two film a dance, and a baseball game is underway. Jared (Charlie Zeltzer) misses a catch in the outfield after his friend Elliot (Luke Dietz) warns him to pay attention, costing their team the game amid banter from bully players.
The ice cream man (Ari Millen) has parked and everyone comes to get sweet treats. The fun fact here is that Jared is lactose intolerant. He goes to eat a treat given to him and he’s stopped by his older sister, Lizzie (Sarah Abbott). They leave and head to a local hardware store. It is there that we meet Chris (Dylan Hawco). He and Lizzie used to be a couple, but his ignorance became too much so they broke up. He’s still interested in her though.
Things of note then from here. Jared was supposed to hang out with Elliot, but his mother tells him that her son isn’t feeling well. Jared almost has his bike stolen by a bully named Sebastian (Sonam Kalsang). Elliot’s mother interrupts it. Jared also sees Mia (Kiori Mirza Waldman) vomiting up the ice cream that she ate. Something weird also happens when Jared’s phone has a video cut in and it is showing a cartoon video of the ice cream mascot from the truck, walking a group of children. It is playing a theme song as well.
We then shift back to the home of Jared and Lizzie as they have dinner with their parents. Marty (Eli Roth) and Alison (Karen Cliche) have a good rapport with their kids. Lizzie wants to borrow the car the next day so she can participate in skipping school. She is denied. The reason is that the parents, who are both lawyers in the same local firm, have to go to Boston. Lizzie needs to be there for Jared.
Something strange happened that night. The ice cream truck comes through the neighborhoods, playing its song. Anyone who ate one of his treats that is a child wakes up and kills their parents. It doesn’t stop here as the next morning; they continue their rampage. They do seem to almost go dormant when they get to school. That is until the ice cream man shows up there, causing the children to cause even more destruction and kill any adult who gets in their way. Jared, Mia and a troublemaker, Tommy (Shiloh O’Reilly), must find a way out before they’re turned.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start would be with saying that the hate this film is getting is a bit over the top. Is it great by any stretch? No. I’d say that the filmmaking behind it is fine. It is a mean spirited film where we have children killing their parents, reminding me of something like Children of the Corn. Another would be the film, Cooties, since they are put in a zombie-like state due to eating the ice cream and then hearing this jingle from the ice cream man. There are a couple more references as well.
Now that I’ve set that up, I did see trivia on the Internet Movie Database stating that this is a stand-alone concept. It isn’t a remake of Ice Cream Man from 1995. Something interesting though is if memory serves, that film references the folk tale of the Pied Piper. There is a direct reference to this as well, especially since the children are following the ice cream man. The other was that this isn’t an expansion of We All Scream for Ice Cream. I haven’t seen that one, so I can’t comment.
I credit the film’s narrative premise—subverting fond memories of an ice cream man who appears overly nice despite an unsettling smile. I enjoy the mean-spirited concept of children killing their parents, which functions as a high-octane inversion of Mom and Dad. There is also this expanded story when they meet this priest (Benjamin Byron Davis). He provides the backstory and how to defeat the ice cream. I won’t spoil things there, but what is good was with the writing because of how it sets up the climax.
Key themes include the corruption of nostalgia and childhood innocence. The parents' terrifying wake-up situation highlights a subplot where the sins of the father are revisited through the children. Additionally, the film explores failing institutions targeting outsiders, adult blindness enabling the kids to strike, hive-mind violence, and a dark critique of suburban conformity.
Moving to the performances, high-caliber acting isn’t necessary here. Despite noticeable plot holes where pursuers inexplicably miss the hiding main group, the cast delivers. Zeltzer, Abbott, and their group turn in good work, while Hawco has an interesting character arc for his set up. The spellbound children are solid, and Millen is terrifyingly eerie with his stoic presence. Roth, Cliche, the other parents, and Davis—who helps establish the backstory—all fulfill their roles effectively.
Regarding the filmmaking, I dislike Roth's use of AI, though I didn't notice where it was used. A bigger issue was the poor CGI blood. However, the gore and kills are mean-spirited and effective, supported by solid cinematography, framing, sound design, and fitting music. Notably, the soundtrack includes a song sung by children in homage to The Birds, including a funny recreation of that scene and the theme from The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. In general, I’d say that this aspect of the movie was done well.
In conclusion, while this has its share of flaws—most notably the controversial use of AI and some questionable CGI—it remains an effective and unapologetically mean-spirited horror experience. Bolstered by a solid narrative premise and serviceable performances from its cast, the film delivers enough tension and genre-savvy flair to satisfy. Another gripe would be the conveniences for certain things to happen, but I was entertained. For horror fans looking for a dark, high-concept ride, it ultimately proves to be a decent watch.
My Rating: 6 out of 10