The Wasteland Reviewer

Ice Cream Man (2026) Written Review

What does Eli Roth and The Horror Section have up their sleeve this summer? Roth’s horror focused venture has shined a light on some smaller, indie projects with fun and wild concepts. The cinematic realm of horror is red hot this year with plenty of smaller genre flicks finding their place at the box office. When you think of summer though, there are plenty of fun ideas you can play around with when it comes to horror. Roth has certainly found one that is full of nostalgia and has plenty of potential for some dark and twisted horror and gore. Here comes Ice Cream Man!

How does Roth bring this high concept horror idea to life? Roth has quite an interesting and volatile directorial career with his films (mostly) pushing audiences towards their boundaries of comfort and safety. With a film like Ice Cream Man, Roth plays around with time and his setting. This has a classic vibe to the film and Roth plays around with some significant nostalgia elements of ice cream trucks. You have that classic ring that instantly grabs your attention and gets you thinking about ice cream. There are a few fun little animated videos that channel fellow nostalgia properties like Cuphead. The truck itself and the titular antagonist are dressed in some iconic and classic motifs for ice cream men. Cinematographer Simon Shohet delivers an aggressively bright and vibrant presentation that teleports you back to the summers of your childhood. The music is certainly darkly fun and unsettling courtesy of Brandon Roberts’ compositions. The film does get a tad repetitive around the middle but this 80-minute venture flies by with plenty of energy and gore. When you look at the buckets of blood and guts, you buy in with this retro style of filmmaking that accentuates the whole experience together.

Does Roth and Noah Belson’s script deliver sweet goods as well? This is not a deep film by any means, but it leans effectively into its tropes and cliches. There are some clunky moments including a big mythology dump sequence that feels a bit lazy but does deliver needed context (that the film delightfully subverts in a dark and twisted way. The film has a simple plot and main concept, but the third act does truly put you on the edge of your seats while pulling the rug out from under you. The plotting of the film is admittedly uneven though. The first act moves perfectly fine while building up enough layers and empathy for the main few youth characters without skimping in other places. The middle act is where the mayhem begins…and continues way too long at that. There are plenty of wild and thrilling kills (there is no doubting that) but the film loses some steam when a group of creepy kids take out any adults around. The characters mostly lean into standard archetypes and familiar beats, but the film finds enough empathy in them to get the audience caring by the time those credits roll. Don’t expect a layered and complex narrative or a finale that is going to deliver a big triumph. Ice Cream Man is a dark and twisted ride that is simple yet effective.

How does the cast reinforce this retro, bloody horror flick from Roth? In general, this cast is game for this old school style of campy and self-aware horror vibes. The young actors do a nice job of portraying these child characters with authenticity and sincerity. The main crew develop enough empathy to make Ice Cream Man have some solid emotional weight. You care about these kids because they earnestly capture the innocence of their characters. The other kids (who turn into murderous monsters) do a fine job of delivering some terror and laughs. There are a few adult actors who shine in their supporting roles. There is not much characterization in The Ice Cream Man, but Ari Millen delivers a sinister and unnerving performance as this creepy character. Roth himself delivers some honest dad jokes with some good laughs as our young protagonist’s father. Benjamin Byron Davis gets a couple of scenes to deliver some presence as a knowing The Priest who delivers buckets of exposition with flair. There are plenty of smaller roles, but they are all cued into this fun and ridiculous horror experience.

Does Roth deliver a fun new horror flick for the end of the summer? Ice Cream Man is a lean and bonkers horror flick that delivers plenty of laughs and gore. There are certainly some familiar coming-of-age beats thrown in but this solid flick scratches the right horror itch. Roth delivers a dosage of nostalgia with this bloody good time.