Ice Cream Man (2026) Review: Story, Verdict & Where to Watch

A Premise That Melts Away

“Ice Cream Man” is about an ice cream vendor who, in the town of Petularvile, provides a treat that transforms kids into murderous zombies. This brings together many genres that Eli Roth is known to experiment with. The film begins showing the typical suburban town. A new ice cream vendor quickly becomes the best vendor and the town kids’ favorite. The residents enjoy the sugar rush but the peace is shattered when kids start attacking. It gets worse when the immune kids start showing signs of hatred. Jared (Charlie Zeltzer) is lactose intolerant and is the most immune to the ice cream effects. He and other kids set out to stop the madness and restore peace. The movie runs for a quick 86 minutes, and although it doesn’t answer the many questions it presents, it is a wonderful and a fast paced movie that is a must watch.

The movie tries to depict something horrific and disturbing by misinterpreting and manipulating childhood innocence and terror. Unfortunately, the movie becomes something different and, arguably, much worse: child’s play. The movie seems to suggest that children who eat ice cream will turn into murderous thugs. This idea is drawn out far too long, and critics have correctly pointed out that this is an example of an “underdeveloped concept.” Because this idea is drawn out so long, the movie is forced to rely on “comedy” to break up the “terror.” This so-called “comedy” is unfunny and grossly inappropriate. Many viewers were actually offended by the film, as they correctly interpreted the film to be a perverse and depraved representation of children. Rather than analyzing the film for its clever and subversive depictions of terror, many are left baffled as to why the filmmakers and producers thought this was an appropriate representation to bring to the viewing public.

Shaky Direction and Uninspired Craft

"Ice Cream Man" highlights the divide in opinion on Eli Roth's directorial skills. The film features many of the hallmarks that have been synonymous with Roth and horror, but this time, they feel unrefined. A lack of vision causes the film to miss opportunities to connect to the classics. For example, one critic notes that the film pays homage to "The Birds" and "Night of the Living Dead," giving examples of where the film lacks "imagination in its execution." Where other horror films build and release tension with gruesome consequences, "Ice Cream Man" feels unoriginal and gratuitous with little to no cohesion. Violent images of children ultimately render the film "ruthlessly bleak" for "shock value."

The actors in the young cast, Charlie Zeltzer, Ari Millen, and Kole Parks, should be applauded for their performances despite the limitations of the film. Unfortunately, these limitations extend to the pacing of the film, which focuses on very little beyond the basic elements of the story. This makes it nearly impossible for the audience to connect to the characters in any meaningful way. The film fails to develop its premise in a way that allows for creative interpretation, and this lack of imagination is evident in nearly every element of the production. While the film focuses on scenarios that are violent and disturbing, the creative team behind the film fails to imagine a world where candy and desserts exist in the realm of the evil and the unknown. What the film lacks is a sense of imagination and creativity, both of which could have allowed for a more exciting and strange world where desserts and candy are not all that they seem. Without these, the film becomes a collection of disjointed and bizarre scenes, which left the audience and critics unsatisfied.

Who Should (and Shouldn't) Indulge

“Ice Cream Man” is a movie with a particularly specialized audience. That’s not to say there aren’t parts of the movie that more mainstream audiences wouldn’t enjoy; it’s just that the audience who would find the most enjoyment from the movie would be extreme horror fans. People who don’t mind (or even appreciate) Eli Roth’s more edgy and obnoxious style would get the most enjoyment. The mainstream audience member who has no issue with movies that push the boundaries of good taste, even if they are disturbing and painful to watch, might get some perverse enjoyment from the movie. The movie is very dark and delves into some extremely violent, disturbing, and shocking areas for the sole purpose of being shocking. The audience who enjoys movies that cater to this idea would get the most enjoyment out of the movie.

The common consensus among film critics for “Ice Cream Man” is it’s a train wreck, and most will agree that it is something best avoided. A Metacritic score of 34 (out of 100) reflects this, with the score indicating ‘generally unfavorable’ reviews. Audience ratings on the site are somewhat better at 4.5, but these still reflect a great deal of unease and let-down. Many have found the film’s presence beyond poor taste and offensive, focusing on what they feel is the mean-spirited nature of the film. Particularly disturbing to critics was the presence of children, and specifically very young kids, committing acts of extreme violence, including a ‘joke’ wherein a 12-year-old girl is depicted having an eating disorder. People with an interest in the horror genre will likely be frustrated to find that in addition to a lack of anything resembling a morality in this production, there is also absolutely no depth to be found, and very little justification for this sick, repetitive, and ultimately pointless film.

A Bitter Aftertaste

The end of the world doesn't happen in the way you'd expect. In fact, it happens in much the same way as the beginning. Eli Roth's anthology has comedic elements that are awkward at best. Trying to masquerade horror with comedy is evident in many scenes of Roth's directing debut. Gratuitous violence is plentiful. The idea of child murderers is fascinating but quickly loses steam and reminds the audience of the directors lackluster ability to explain what's going on. The narrative feels like a diluted game of telephone. The elements of dark comedy that work feel more like sporadic bursts than anything systematic or structured. There is little to nothing to entertain or stimulate the viewer. A running gag quickly loses its comedic value and more than likely elongates an already bloated and unbearable feature. If you enjoy exploitation films with offensive elements, CocoFlix has a ton of them. "Ice Cream Man" is firmly in that genre with elements of Roth's signature style.