Eli Roth is bringing a sinister new twist to the classic neighborhood ice cream truck with Ice Cream Man, an outrageous horror and dark comedy that turns sweet treats into the beginning of a terrifying nightmare.
The new film follows an idyllic community that is thrown into chaos when a mysterious ice cream man arrives with treats that have a disturbing effect on the children. What begins as innocent fun quickly becomes a bizarre and bloody descent into madness.
Ice Cream Man will be available to buy or rent on Digital September 22, 2026, from Paramount Global Content Distribution.
Ice Cream Man
- Director: Eli Roth
- Starring: Ari Millen, Benjamin Byron Davis, Karen Cliche, Dylan Hawco, Sarah Abbott, Shiloh O’Reilly, Kiori Mirza Waldman, Charlie Zeltzer
- Genre: Horror, Thriller
Plot
A quiet, seemingly perfect town gets an unexpected visitor when a mysterious ice cream man rolls into the neighborhood, offering children an irresistible selection of frozen treats.
But there is something seriously wrong with the ice cream.
After eating the strange desserts, the children begin experiencing a bizarre and deadly transformation. Before long, the kids embark on an increasingly unhinged kill spree, sending the entire town into chaos.
As the body count rises, the community begins to realize that the ice cream truck may be hiding something much more sinister than an unusual menu.
What follows is a darkly comic nightmare filled with killer children, gruesome violence and a terrifying mystery lurking beneath the surface.
Eli Roth Puts a Bloody Spin on Childhood Innocence
Director Eli Roth is no stranger to pushing horror into outrageous territory, and Ice Cream Man appears to embrace that same willingness to combine extreme horror with dark humor.
The film takes something instantly recognizable — the familiar sound of an ice cream truck arriving on a summer afternoon — and transforms it into something sinister.
The result is a horror premise that plays on the contrast between childhood innocence and shocking violence.
Cast
The film stars:
- Ari Millen
- Charlie Zeltzer
- Shiloh O’Reilly
- Kiori Mirza Waldman
- Sarah Abbott
- Benjamin Byron Davis
- Eli Roth
- Karen Cliche
- Dylan Hawco
- Charlie Storey
Roth is also involved on screen while taking on the film’s directing and writing duties.
Behind the Scenes
Ice Cream Man is directed by Eli Roth, who also developed the story.
The screenplay was written by Eli Roth and Noah Belson, with Roth also producing alongside Kate Harrison Karman, Christopher Woodrow and Raj B. Singh.
The filmmaking team appears to have leaned heavily into the movie’s practical horror elements, particularly when it comes to the gruesome fate awaiting the town’s residents.
Bonus Features
The Digital release includes several behind-the-scenes featurettes offering a look at how the film’s twisted concept came together.
Ice Cream Man: The Backstory
This featurette explores the origins of the movie and how the filmmakers transformed the idea of a twisted Pied Piper-style story into a horror film centered around children and madness. It also looks at some of the classic horror influences behind the project.
The Ice Cream Truck
Take a closer look at the film’s nightmare-inducing vehicle, including its strange treats, unsettling mascot and the ice cream truck jingle that takes on a much darker meaning once the horror begins.
Kidpocalypse
The film’s practical effects receive the spotlight in this featurette, including the gruesome prosthetic work used to create some of the movie’s most outrageous moments.
Audio Commentary
The Digital release also includes an audio commentary with director/co-writer Eli Roth and co-writer Noah Belson, giving fans an opportunity to hear directly from the filmmakers about the production and the creation of the film’s horror and dark-comedy elements.
Horror Meets Dark Comedy
What makes Ice Cream Man particularly intriguing is its mixture of horror and dark comedy.
Rather than simply presenting a straightforward slasher, the film appears to find humor in the sheer absurdity of its premise. An ice cream truck, children, colorful frozen treats and a sunny town provide the cheerful backdrop for increasingly disturbing events.
That contrast could make Ice Cream Man an especially fun choice for horror fans who enjoy their scares with an intentionally outrageous sense of humor.
Release Date and Digital Details
Ice Cream Man will be available to buy or rent on Digital September 22, 2026.
Ice Cream Man — At a Glance
Title: Ice Cream Man
Genre: Horror / Dark Comedy
Digital Release: September 22, 2026
Runtime: 86 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Director: Eli Roth
Story: Eli Roth
Screenplay: Eli Roth, Noah Belson
Producers: Eli Roth, Kate Harrison Karman, Christopher Woodrow, Raj B. Singh
Cast: Ari Millen, Charlie Zeltzer, Shiloh O’Reilly, Kiori Mirza Waldman, Sarah Abbott, Benjamin Byron Davis, Eli Roth, Karen Cliche, Dylan Hawco, Charlie Storey
Distributor: Paramount Global Content Distribution
Sometimes the ice cream truck is a welcome sound on a summer afternoon. In Ice Cream Man, it’s the sound that means trouble is coming.
