Ice Cream Man

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Date Reviewed: 05/08/2026

In 2007, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez released Grindhouse, a tribute to the exploitation films they grew up watching. Between the two feature films were a series of fake trailers by directors including Edgar Wright, Rob Zombie and Eli Roth. Roth's trailer, Thanksgiving, proved so popular that it eventually became a hit feature film in 2023. But it was actually too… good. It wasn’t the b-grade schlock that a grindhouse horror movie should have been. And this may be a driver for Roth returning to grindhouse territory with Ice Cream Man.

While Ice Cream Man doesn’t have the scratchy picture quality or rough cuts featured in Grindhouse’s Planet Terror and Death Proof, it has several other grindhouse movie elements. But this is where Ice Cream Man runs into trouble. If you know to expect these grindhouse characteristics going into it, you can sit back and have fun with the nonsense of it. If you go in expecting something resembling a quality film, there’s every chance you become one of the people leaving the cinema before the halfway mark. You can’t even go in thinking you’re going to see a standard Eli Roth horror movie like Hostel, The Green Inferno, or the aforementioned Thanksgiving. No, this trio of movies would be The Godfather Trilogy compared to what is served up (puns!) in Ice Cream Man.

A non-spoiler review can safely give you the plot outline – an ice cream truck shows up in a small idyllic town, and its weird merchant starts providing its townsfolk with the sweet treats within. A short time later, any child that has consumed some of the ice cream becomes what could be described as an ice cream zombie, hellbent on committing acts of violence, starting with their own parents. But why is this happening, and what becomes of the lucky few who missed out on the frozen dairy-based desserts? For the best part of an hour, Ice Cream Man conjures an absurd story that is filled with plot holes when all is revealed. But this seems a deliberate choice. The film is self-aware enough to poke fun at its own ridiculous premise and the impossible task facing its protagonists.

As such, a large portion of the movie is non-stop gore, with each kill trying to top the one that came before it. The FX here isn’t consistent, with some seemingly paying homage to 80s horror effects maestro Tom Savini, while others seem to use more modern techniques. And this level of gore will also turn-off sections of the audience.

The supporting performances range from awful to hammy without so much as a b-grader on the cast list. With the titular Ice Cream Man occupying a lot less screen time ina mute performance. But those with most of the lines are likeable enough, making them easy enough to root for, even if some of the humour will offend segments of the audience. Jokes touching on mental health, disabilities, and eating disorders are within. Obviously, some could find this offensive, but based on the visuals on display, Roth isn’t afraid of offending people. So much so that Roth created his own production company (The Horror Section) allowing him to control creation and distribution of his films, without studio interference. And he makes full use of it here.

Ultimately, Ice Cream Man is an intentionally trashy throwback that never fully commits to being either an authentic grindhouse relic or a polished modern horror film. There is fun to be had in its absurdity, but your enjoyment will depend heavily on whether you're willing to embrace the chaos.

Otherwise, it's like walking into Anchorman and expecting to see Network.

 Reviewed by Dion Gaunt