Eli Roth got turned down by every major studio. So he built his own and made the movie anyway.
Ice Cream Man opens today from Roth’s own label The Horror Section, co-produced with MCT Studios. Roth co-wrote the script with Noah Belson, directs, and appears on screen. The story follows an idyllic suburban town that descends into madness after a mysterious ice cream man serves frozen treats turning children into homicidal killers. Furthermore, the film runs 86 minutes, carries an Unrated rating, and has no connection to the 1995 film of the same name.
Orphan Black star Ari Millen plays the Ice Cream Man. Additionally, Benjamin Byron Davis, Karen Cliche, Dylan Hawco, and Sarah Abbott round out the cast. Brandon Roberts and Snoop Dogg composed the score together. Yes, really.
Roth described the murderous children with his usual restraint- “It was Christmas and Halloween for them every day. They’re opening the teacher’s chest cavity and playing jump rope, only they’re doing it with intestines.”
The Hollywood Reporter calls it “sick and twisted”, which Roth will gladly take as a compliment. Variety, however, is far blunter- “shamelessly derivative, jaw-droppingly bare-bones, and way too ludicrous to scare you.” Meanwhile, AV Club gives it a C, arguing it lacks the escalating ingenuity of Thanksgiving. In Review Online, moreover, calls it a step backward from Cabin Fever.
Overall, the verdict is clear: gorehounds will get exactly what they came for. Everyone else should manage expectations.
Ice Cream Man is in theaters now.
