Just when you thought it was safe to hear the jingle of an ice cream truck again, Eli Roth is ready to turn childhood nostalgia into full-blown nightmare fuel.
The Horror Section has officially set an August 7, 2026, theatrical release for Roth’s latest descent into madness, Ice Cream Man, and this isn’t some quiet indie rollout; we’re talking a wide North American release on over 2,000 screens via Iconic Events Releasing.
The premise? Pure nightmare bait. A picture-perfect summer town goes completely off the rails when a seemingly harmless ice cream man starts handing out frozen treats with consequences that are anything but sweet. Think suburban innocence curdling into chaos — fast.
Leading the carnage is Ari Millen (Orphan Black) as the titular menace, backed by a stacked cast including Benjamin Byron Davis, Karen Cliche, Dylan Hawco, Sarah Abbott, Shiloh O’Reilly, Kiori Mirza Waldman, Charlie Zeltzer, and Charlie Storey. And yes, Roth himself steps in front of the camera too, because of course he does.
Behind the scenes, Roth is doubling down, co-writing with longtime collaborator Noah Belson and producing alongside Kate Harrison of Cream Productions. The film’s sonic chaos comes courtesy of Emmy-winning composer Brandon Roberts, with additional tracks from Snoop Dogg, because why not make your nightmares slap?
And if you’re here for the gore (you are), the practical effects team isn’t playing around. Steve Newburn and Oscar-winner Adrien Morot are handling the prosthetics, which likely means we’re getting the kind of tactile, stomach-turning horror that CGI can’t fake.
The film also marks the first release under The Horror Section banner, with Nas as executive producer through his Mass Appeal label alongside CEO Peter Bittenbender, signalling this isn’t just a one-off, but the start of something bigger (and probably bloodier).
Roth has never exactly been subtle, and Ice Cream Man doesn’t look like it’s about to start. If anything, this feels like a return to mean, nasty, crowd-pleasing form, the kind of movie that dares you to laugh right before it makes you regret it.
Consider your summer officially spoiled. Trailer coming soon (it is frozen to the bottom of the freezer)
