Enter a Rotten Tomatoes movie slug to inspect the stored movie, batches, snapshots, and reviews.
Movie ID: 990
RT slug: ice_cream_man_2026
RT URL: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ice_cream_man_2026
Release year: 2026
Runtime: 86 mins
Wide release date: 2026-08-07
Limited release date: —
Festival premiere date: —
Streaming release date: —
Tomatometer final: —
Audience score final: —
Genres: Horror
Directors: Eli Roth
Writers: Eli Roth, Noah Belson
Producers: Christopher Woodrow, Eli Roth, Kate Harrison
MPAA rating: —
Executive Producers: —
Created: 2026-07-28 16:42:16
Updated: 2026-07-29 18:00:03
Ice Cream Man follows an idyllic summer town descending into madness when an ice cream man serves kids sweet delights with horrifying results.
—
Canonical reviews: 114
Canonical fresh: 31
Canonical rotten: 83
Canonical calculated Tomatometer: 27%
Latest snapshot UTC: 2026-08-14 10:36:43
Snapshot Tomatometer: 27%
Snapshot review count: 114
Snapshot fresh count: —
Snapshot rotten count: —
Source note: Imported from manual review paste batch #2748 (delta_update)
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| The Horror Section | distributor |
| Cream Productions | production |
| Billing | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ari Millen | The Ice Cream Man |
| 2 | Benjamin Byron Davis | The Priest |
| 3 | Eli Roth | Marty |
| 4 | Karen Cliche | Alison |
| 5 | Dylan Hawco | Chris |
| Batch ID | Status | Mode | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1006 | processed | — | 2026-07-28 16:42:16 | Processed successfully into movie_id=990 using update_mode=merge_non_empty. |
| Batch ID | Local Snapshot | UTC Snapshot | Entered % | Entered Count | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2748 | 2026-08-14 05:36:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-14 10:36:43 | 27% | 114 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 6 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=6, fresh=1, rotten=5, tomatometer=17%. Net new reviews added=6, fresh=1, rotten=5. Current canonical totals=114 reviews, 31 fresh, 83 rotten, tomatometer=27% (27.193%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (114 reviews, 27%). |
| 2696 | 2026-08-11 03:14:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-11 08:14:56 | 28% | 108 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 3 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=3, fresh=1, rotten=2, tomatometer=33%. Net new reviews added=3, fresh=1, rotten=2. Current canonical totals=108 reviews, 30 fresh, 78 rotten, tomatometer=28% (27.778%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (108 reviews, 28%). |
| 2693 | 2026-08-10 13:02:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-10 18:02:33 | 28% | 105 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 1 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=1, fresh=0, rotten=1, tomatometer=0%. Net new reviews added=1, fresh=0, rotten=1. Current canonical totals=105 reviews, 29 fresh, 76 rotten, tomatometer=28% (27.619%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (105 reviews, 28%). |
| 2672 | 2026-08-10 03:17:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-10 08:17:34 | 28% | 104 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 2 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=2, fresh=1, rotten=1, tomatometer=50%. Net new reviews added=2, fresh=1, rotten=1. Current canonical totals=104 reviews, 29 fresh, 75 rotten, tomatometer=28% (27.885%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (104 reviews, 28%). |
| 2667 | 2026-08-09 05:30:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-09 10:30:29 | 27% | 102 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 7 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=7, fresh=1, rotten=6, tomatometer=14%. Net new reviews added=7, fresh=1, rotten=6. Current canonical totals=102 reviews, 28 fresh, 74 rotten, tomatometer=27% (27.451%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (102 reviews, 27%). |
| 2665 | 2026-08-08 07:32:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-08 12:32:06 | 28% | 95 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 2 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=2, fresh=0, rotten=2, tomatometer=0%. Net new reviews added=2, fresh=0, rotten=2. Current canonical totals=95 reviews, 27 fresh, 68 rotten, tomatometer=28% (28.421%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (95 reviews, 28%). |
| 2649 | 2026-08-08 01:13:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-08 06:13:59 | 29% | 93 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 29 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=29, fresh=9, rotten=20, tomatometer=31%. Net new reviews added=29, fresh=9, rotten=20. Current canonical totals=93 reviews, 27 fresh, 66 rotten, tomatometer=29% (29.032%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (93 reviews, 29%). |
| 2627 | 2026-08-06 12:33:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-06 17:33:14 | 28% | 64 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 1 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=1, fresh=0, rotten=1, tomatometer=0%. Net new reviews added=1, fresh=0, rotten=1. Current canonical totals=64 reviews, 18 fresh, 46 rotten, tomatometer=28% (28.125%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (64 reviews, 28%). |
| 2621 | 2026-08-06 10:12:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-06 15:12:55 | 29% | 63 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 2 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=2, fresh=1, rotten=1, tomatometer=50%. Net new reviews added=2, fresh=1, rotten=1. Current canonical totals=63 reviews, 18 fresh, 45 rotten, tomatometer=29% (28.571%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (63 reviews, 29%). |
| 2613 | 2026-08-06 09:09:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-06 14:09:34 | 28% | 60 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 11 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=11, fresh=2, rotten=9, tomatometer=18%. Net new reviews added=11, fresh=2, rotten=9. Current canonical totals=61 reviews, 17 fresh, 44 rotten, tomatometer=28% (27.869%). WARNING: entered headline 60 reviews / 28% did not match current canonical totals 61 reviews / 28%. |
| 2610 | 2026-08-05 13:52:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-05 18:52:13 | 30% | 50 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 2 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=2, fresh=0, rotten=2, tomatometer=0%. Net new reviews added=2, fresh=0, rotten=2. Current canonical totals=50 reviews, 15 fresh, 35 rotten, tomatometer=30% (30.000%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (50 reviews, 30%). |
| 2586 | 2026-08-05 12:22:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-05 17:22:11 | 31% | 48 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 1 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=1, fresh=1, rotten=0, tomatometer=100%. Net new reviews added=1, fresh=1, rotten=0. Current canonical totals=48 reviews, 15 fresh, 33 rotten, tomatometer=31% (31.250%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (48 reviews, 31%). |
| 2584 | 2026-08-05 11:47:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-05 16:47:09 | 30% | 47 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 1 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=1, fresh=0, rotten=1, tomatometer=0%. Net new reviews added=1, fresh=0, rotten=1. Current canonical totals=47 reviews, 14 fresh, 33 rotten, tomatometer=30% (29.787%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (47 reviews, 30%). |
| 2581 | 2026-08-05 09:11:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-05 14:11:46 | 30% | 46 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 1 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=1, fresh=0, rotten=1, tomatometer=0%. Net new reviews added=1, fresh=0, rotten=1. Current canonical totals=46 reviews, 14 fresh, 32 rotten, tomatometer=30% (30.435%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (46 reviews, 30%). |
| 2578 | 2026-08-05 08:46:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-05 13:46:50 | 31% | 45 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 7 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=7, fresh=2, rotten=5, tomatometer=29%. Net new reviews added=7, fresh=2, rotten=5. Current canonical totals=45 reviews, 14 fresh, 31 rotten, tomatometer=31% (31.111%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (45 reviews, 31%). |
| 2576 | 2026-08-04 18:20:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-04 23:20:17 | 32% | 38 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 1 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=1, fresh=1, rotten=0, tomatometer=100%. Net new reviews added=1, fresh=1, rotten=0. Current canonical totals=38 reviews, 12 fresh, 26 rotten, tomatometer=32% (31.579%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (38 reviews, 32%). |
| 2574 | 2026-08-04 16:15:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-04 21:15:20 | 30% | 37 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 1 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=1, fresh=1, rotten=0, tomatometer=100%. Net new reviews added=1, fresh=1, rotten=0. Current canonical totals=37 reviews, 11 fresh, 26 rotten, tomatometer=30% (29.730%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (37 reviews, 30%). |
| 2573 | 2026-08-04 15:45:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-04 20:45:23 | 28% | 36 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 2 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=2, fresh=1, rotten=1, tomatometer=50%. Net new reviews added=2, fresh=1, rotten=1. Current canonical totals=36 reviews, 10 fresh, 26 rotten, tomatometer=28% (27.778%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (36 reviews, 28%). |
| 2561 | 2026-08-04 14:40:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-04 19:40:24 | 26% | 34 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 1 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=1, fresh=0, rotten=1, tomatometer=0%. Net new reviews added=1, fresh=0, rotten=1. Current canonical totals=34 reviews, 9 fresh, 25 rotten, tomatometer=26% (26.471%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (34 reviews, 26%). |
| 2560 | 2026-08-04 12:50:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-04 17:50:16 | 27% | 33 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 1 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=1, fresh=1, rotten=0, tomatometer=100%. Net new reviews added=1, fresh=1, rotten=0. Current canonical totals=33 reviews, 9 fresh, 24 rotten, tomatometer=27% (27.273%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (33 reviews, 27%). |
| 2558 | 2026-08-04 12:20:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-04 17:20:19 | 25% | 32 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 1 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=1, fresh=1, rotten=0, tomatometer=100%. Net new reviews added=1, fresh=1, rotten=0. Current canonical totals=32 reviews, 8 fresh, 24 rotten, tomatometer=25% (25.000%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (32 reviews, 25%). |
| 2557 | 2026-08-04 11:55:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-04 16:55:19 | 23% | 30 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 3 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=3, fresh=0, rotten=3, tomatometer=0%. Net new reviews added=3, fresh=0, rotten=3. Current canonical totals=31 reviews, 7 fresh, 24 rotten, tomatometer=23% (22.581%). WARNING: entered headline 30 reviews / 23% did not match current canonical totals 31 reviews / 23%. |
| 2546 | 2026-08-04 10:30:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-04 15:30:19 | 25% | 28 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 2 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=2, fresh=0, rotten=2, tomatometer=0%. Net new reviews added=2, fresh=0, rotten=2. Current canonical totals=28 reviews, 7 fresh, 21 rotten, tomatometer=25% (25.000%). Entered headline matched current canonical totals (28 reviews, 25%). |
| 2545 | 2026-08-04 09:30:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-04 14:30:15 | 24% | 25 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 2 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=2, fresh=1, rotten=1, tomatometer=50%. Net new reviews added=2, fresh=1, rotten=1. Current canonical totals=26 reviews, 7 fresh, 19 rotten, tomatometer=27% (26.923%). WARNING: entered headline 25 reviews / 24% did not match current canonical totals 26 reviews / 27%. |
| 2542 | 2026-08-04 08:45:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-04 13:45:27 | 24% | 25 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 24 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=24, fresh=6, rotten=18, tomatometer=25%. Net new reviews added=24, fresh=6, rotten=18. Current canonical totals=24 reviews, 6 fresh, 18 rotten, tomatometer=25% (25.000%). WARNING: entered headline 25 reviews / 24% did not match current canonical totals 24 reviews / 25%. |
| 2512 | 2026-08-03 09:46:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-03 14:46:14 | — | 2 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 1 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=1, fresh=0, rotten=1, tomatometer=0%. Net new reviews added=1, fresh=0, rotten=1. Current canonical totals=2 reviews, 0 fresh, 2 rotten, tomatometer=0% (0.000%). WARNING: delta batch had no complete entered headline values, so no rt_score_snapshot row was created. |
| 2511 | 2026-08-03 09:13:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-08-03 14:13:03 | — | 1 | processed | Mode=delta_update. Processed 1 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=1, fresh=0, rotten=1, tomatometer=0%. Net new reviews added=1, fresh=0, rotten=1. Current canonical totals=1 reviews, 0 fresh, 1 rotten, tomatometer=0% (0.000%). WARNING: delta batch had no complete entered headline values, so no rt_score_snapshot row was created. |
| ID | Critic | Outlet | Fresh? | Score | RT Time Raw | Approx Published UTC | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 243263 | Korey Coleman | Double Toasted | Rotten | — | 2026-08-14T04:00:16.000Z | 2026-08-14 04:00:16 | A lot of AI is used in Ice Cream Man. While that is bad, there's so many other problems in this film, including an ending that was clearly rushed. |
| 243264 | Tyler Thier | In Review Online | Rotten | — | 2026-08-13T23:57:51.000Z | 2026-08-13 23:57:51 | [The film] doesn’t necessarily break with [Roth's] tradition, still ending on a dour and unresolved note, but...at every turn in its final act, the film attempts to unpack the...lore and to mute the transgression of its seemingly unprovoked onslaught. |
| 243265 | Graeme Tuckett | The Post NZ | Rotten | 1.5/5 | 2026-08-13T23:15:33.000Z | 2026-08-13 23:15:33 | This film plays more like something that was jotted down on the back of a beer mat, with enough room left over to scrawl "Sod it, that'll do" at the bottom. |
| 243266 | David Griffiths | Subculture Entertainment | Rotten | 2.5/5 | 2026-08-13T07:51:34.000Z | 2026-08-13 07:51:34 | Ice Cream Man is a real let down. Even the premise of killer kids is not new but what really lets down this film is some lazy screenwriting and a frustrating finale that is nothing but a disappointment. |
| 243267 | Armond White | National Review | Fresh | — | 2026-08-12T21:34:34.000Z | 2026-08-12 21:34:34 | Roth’s notion of a blood-thirsty revolution recalls last year’s Weapons but outdoes it with the ingenious logic that powered the vision of generational chaos in Brian Taylor’s great Mom and Dad. |
| 243268 | Kiko Martinez | The Cinesnob Podcast | Rotten | C- | 2026-08-12T19:36:52.000Z | 2026-08-12 19:36:52 | About as entertaining as a brain freeze. |
| 238422 | Nestor Bentancor | Nestor Cine Desde Hollywood | Rotten | — | 2026-08-11T07:37:56.000Z | 2026-08-11 07:37:56 | Eli Roth’s worst film to date is about as enjoyable as a scoop of spoiled ice cream. [Full Review in Spanish] |
| 238423 | Tim Robey | Daily Telegraph (UK) | Rotten | 1/5 | 2026-08-10T20:48:19.000Z | 2026-08-10 20:48:19 | The laughably bad Ice Cream Man is rather like last year’s smash-hit horror Weapons, if you tried to spoof it with terrible production values and told it backwards. |
| 238424 | Abbie Bernstein | Assignment X | Fresh | B | 2026-08-10T20:47:32.000Z | 2026-08-10 20:47:32 | A gory riff on the Pied Piper with an ice cream truck and possessed killer kids. |
| 238413 | Dennis Harvey | 48 Hills | Rotten | — | 2026-08-10T17:22:43.000Z | 2026-08-10 17:22:43 | Ice Cream Man is lively and colorful, but falls short even of its lowbrow aspirations. While diverting enough as a splattery time killer for undiscriminating genre fans, it would need to be better just to qualify as a guilty pleasure. |
| 236764 | Sarah Vincent | Sarah G Vincent Views | Fresh | — | 2026-08-10T02:37:27.000Z | 2026-08-10 02:37:27 | Roth is rightfully more concerned with mayhem than story, but with a little sprucing up of the latter and making the characters less useless or slow, a huge swath of the middle act would not begin to feel monotonous, so the ending hits harder. |
| 236765 | Matthew Passantino | Big Picture Big Sound | Rotten | 1.5/4 | 2026-08-09T14:11:16.000Z | 2026-08-09 14:11:16 | …it's just an empty exercise in gore. |
| 236727 | Rosa Parra | The Latino Slant | Rotten | 1/10 | 2026-08-09T02:51:52.000Z | 2026-08-09 02:51:52 | Ice Cream Man is like empty calories, much like the ice cream it features. It’s excessively gory without any meaningful story behind it. |
| 236728 | Carla Hay | Culture Mix | Rotten | — | 2026-08-08T22:59:28.000Z | 2026-08-08 22:59:28 | Ice Cream Man is polluted with too much bad acting and a flimsy story to be enjoyable. This misguided horror movie has a dreadfully dull chief villain and replaces suspense with blood-soaked gore and imagery of children being murderers. |
| 236729 | Luis Bond Alvarez | Diario las Américas | Fresh | 3/5 | 2026-08-08T22:45:30.000Z | 2026-08-08 22:45:30 | Its depiction of excessive violence involving children and sequences that straddle the line between gore and comedy make for a rather outlandish blend—one that will please genre fans but alienate critics and the general public [Full Review in Spanish] |
| 236730 | Murjani Rawls | Substream Magazine | Rotten | — | 2026-08-08T21:08:25.000Z | 2026-08-08 21:08:25 | "Ice Cream Man" fails to invoke the spirit of vintage, creep-induced slasher films and melts before giving any sugary satisfaction. |
| 236731 | Erik Childress | Movie Madness Podcast | Rotten | 2/4 | 2026-08-08T14:58:01.000Z | 2026-08-08 14:58:01 | This one went down smoother than most Eli Roth projects if only for how he is able to keep up the pace of the creative gore in the first hour. After that it stops dead to explain away the evil to offer up an ironic climax more befitting of a short film. |
| 236732 | John Urbancich | JMuvies | Rotten | 2/5 | 2026-08-08T14:31:04.000Z | 2026-08-08 14:31:04 | If it comes from Roth, he of such blood-drenched screen staples as "Cabin Fever," "Thanksgiving," and his "Hostel" trilogy, gross always feels like the go-to word, and it does again here. |
| 236733 | Jack Martin | Film Feeder | Rotten | 1/5 | 2026-08-08T13:59:23.000Z | 2026-08-08 13:59:23 | Ice Cream Man is a morally reprehensible horror-comedy that already suffers from nonsensical plotting and obnoxious filmmaking, but its deeper parallels make it so much more distasteful to digest. |
| 236723 | Alistair Ryder | Vague Visages | Rotten | — | 2026-08-08T10:13:03.000Z | 2026-08-08 10:13:03 | Roth is still driven by shock tactics over building tension, refusing to craft an effective scare because he knows he can get the same reaction from an audience by lazily pushing the buttons of bad taste. |
| 236724 | Ridge Harripersad | CGMagazine | Rotten | 4/10 | 2026-08-08T09:16:38.000Z | 2026-08-08 09:16:38 | "Ice Cream Man is one of those films you go see while making out with Johnny Whats-it, the enforcer on the high school hockey team, at the back of the theatre." |
| 236577 | Ed Potton | The Times (UK) | Rotten | 2/5 | 2026-08-07T22:20:16.000Z | 2026-08-07 22:20:16 | This kind of thing needs a sharp script to go with the gore and there aren’t enough zingers here. |
| 236578 | Nick Johnston | Vanyaland | Rotten | — | 2026-08-07T20:53:30.000Z | 2026-08-07 20:53:30 | Roth’s Ice Cream Man is a garbage plate of mismatched details from better films, only without the fun and camaraderie of a backyard barbecue. |
| 236579 | Rachel Shatto | MovieJawn | Fresh | — | 2026-08-07T20:36:49.000Z | 2026-08-07 20:36:49 | For those who miss the VHS-era grindhouse—or who are seeking splattery gore that pushes beyond the typical boundaries of theatrical violence—there is a sticky treat waiting here. |
| 236580 | Rachel Wagner | Rachel's Reviews (YouTube) | Rotten | — | 2026-08-07T20:02:39.000Z | 2026-08-07 20:02:39 | It was a miserable experience to watch. There are better slasher films this year |
| 236581 | Juanma Fernández París | El Nuevo Día (Puerto Rico) | Rotten | 2/5 | 2026-08-07T19:12:01.000Z | 2026-08-07 19:12:01 | There isn't much I can highlight as positive in this film. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 236582 | Damond Fudge | KCCI (Des Moines, IA) | Fresh | — | 2026-08-07T19:06:33.000Z | 2026-08-07 19:06:33 | Ice Cream Man serves up a scoop of hilarious dark humor on top of a scoop of gloriously gruesome horror, covered in sprinkles of inappropriateness, all dripping down a cynicism cone. In other words, a film right up my alley. |
| 236583 | John Nugent | Empire Magazine | Rotten | 1/5 | 2026-08-07T19:03:17.000Z | 2026-08-07 19:03:17 | Ugly, unpleasant and utterly insubstantial, this ice cream just leaves a bad taste in the mouth. |
| 236584 | Chuck Bowen | Style Weekly (Richmond, VA) | Rotten | — | 2026-08-07T18:55:43.000Z | 2026-08-07 18:55:43 | As annoying provocations go, "Ice Cream Man" may prove unsurpassably bottom barrel even for Roth. |
| 236585 | Robert Abele | Los Angeles Times | Rotten | — | 2026-08-07T18:52:15.000Z | 2026-08-07 18:52:15 | Maybe someday, Roth will temper his empty-calories instincts and make more of a meal out of his twisted ideas. |
| 236586 | Alan Jones | Radio Times | Rotten | 2/5 | 2026-08-07T18:38:19.000Z | 2026-08-07 18:38:19 | There’s nothing of any substance here and, in the limited sub-genre of psycho youngsters, Cooties, Devil Times Five and The Children did it way better. Sadly, no one will be screaming for Ice Cream Man. |
| 236587 | Mark Kermode | Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube) | Rotten | — | 2026-08-07T17:49:58.000Z | 2026-08-07 17:49:58 | It's very, very much vanilla Eli Roth |
| 236588 | Al Alexander | Movies Thru the Spectrum | Fresh | B- | 2026-08-07T17:35:59.000Z | 2026-08-07 17:35:59 | It’s hard not to yield to the joys of witnessing a director invoking his sick childhood fantasies with unbridled enthusiasm. |
| 236589 | Steven Prokopy | Third Coast Review | Rotten | 1.5/4 | 2026-08-07T15:28:17.000Z | 2026-08-07 15:28:17 | Roth is a much better filmmaker than this amateur-hour production would lead anyone to believe. |
| 236590 | David Nusair | Reel Film Reviews | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2026-08-07T15:23:26.000Z | 2026-08-07 15:23:26 | ...as silly and schlocky an endeavor as one might’ve anticipated... |
| 236591 | Dustin Chase | Galveston Daily News | Rotten | D- | 2026-08-07T13:46:08.000Z | 2026-08-07 13:46:08 | If filmmaker Eli Roth was determined to make a film so bad, it would make his previous flop "Borderlands" look like a quality film; He surely has succeeded with "Ice Cream Man". |
| 236592 | Tanner Gordon | Spectrum Culture | Rotten | — | 2026-08-07T05:30:17.000Z | 2026-08-07 05:30:17 | Though it has its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, enjoying Roth’s latest relies on one’s ability to handle copious on-screen viscera, which the filmmaker unleashes with reckless abandon instead of any recognizable plot. |
| 236593 | Michael Gingold | Rue Morgue Magazine | Rotten | — | 2026-08-07T04:24:26.000Z | 2026-08-07 04:24:26 | It’s got plenty of extreme splatter, all right, but it peaks early in that department, and doesn’t offer enough else to compensate. |
| 236594 | Russ Simmons | KKFI-FM (Kansas City) | Rotten | 1/5 | 2026-08-07T02:04:09.000Z | 2026-08-07 02:04:09 | "Ice Cream Man" lands a few twisted laughs, but you may feel like taking a shower afterward. |
| 236595 | Mark Meszoros | The News-Herald (Willoughby, OH) | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2026-08-07T01:03:24.000Z | 2026-08-07 01:03:24 | If the appeal is discovering what grotesque occurrences Roth and co-writer Noah Belson have cooked up, trust that the pair have packed plenty into the sub-90-minute affair. |
| 236596 | Aaron Peterson | The Hollywood Outsider | Rotten | 5.5/10 | 2026-08-07T00:04:49.000Z | 2026-08-07 00:04:49 | This is not elevated nor prestige horror. It is not trying to explore grief, trauma, or the human condition. It is a blood-soaked carnival ride built entirely around practical gore, dark humor, and audience reactions. |
| 236597 | Erik Piepenburg | New York Times | Fresh | — | 2026-08-06T23:30:25.000Z | 2026-08-06 23:30:25 | Millen makes a macabre yet oddly debonair antagonist, a welcome departure from the barely believable ghouls of previous ice cream man horror movies. |
| 236598 | Richard Whittaker | Austin Chronicle | Rotten | 1/5 | 2026-08-06T23:27:47.000Z | 2026-08-06 23:27:47 | It’s just more interchangeable adults we’ve never seen before looking shocked as a bunch of pre-teens start scooping their eyeballs out. |
| 236599 | Kim Newman | Sight & Sound | Fresh | — | 2026-08-06T22:13:42.000Z | 2026-08-06 22:13:42 | In theory, it's mind-shattering ultimate horror; in practice, it's ice cream itself—insubstantial and delicious. |
| 236600 | Jesse Hassenger | Guardian | Rotten | 1/5 | 2026-08-06T21:52:08.000Z | 2026-08-06 21:52:08 | The Horror Section is supposed to offer edgier fare to the ravenous, enthusiastic genre fans. With this soft serve, it feels like it's feeding them mainly contempt. |
| 236601 | Daniel M. Kimmel | North Shore Movies | Fresh | 3/5 | 2026-08-06T20:19:39.000Z | 2026-08-06 20:19:39 | One of the happy summer memories from childhood is the arrival of the ice cream truck. Eli Roth must have similar memories because he’s turned them into a nightmarish splatter horror film called ICE CREAM MAN. |
| 236602 | Robert Denerstein | Denerstein Unleashed | Rotten | — | 2026-08-06T20:05:29.000Z | 2026-08-06 20:05:29 | I'm not going to describe all of Roth's bloody inventions, but if Roth was looking for a satirical edge, he misses. Roth can't squeeze much thematic juice out this gory kiddie revolt against adult authority. |
| 236603 | Jake Wilson | Sydney Morning Herald | Fresh | 4/5 | 2026-08-06T19:59:31.000Z | 2026-08-06 19:59:31 | Where other horror directors are bent on proving how grown-up and responsible the genre has become, Roth is proudly committed to infantile lunacy, brought off here with a panache not easy to forget. |
| 236604 | Frank Swietek | One Guy's Opinion | Rotten | D | 2026-08-06T19:30:28.000Z | 2026-08-06 19:30:28 | Just a ghoulish cartoon...a succession of gruesomely gory murder sequences, done up in chintzy practical special effects, that grow increasingly tedious despite their escalating grossness. |
| 236605 | Jeff York | The Establishing Shot | Rotten | 1.5/4 | 2026-08-06T18:23:55.000Z | 2026-08-06 18:23:55 | Roth misses a real opportunity to say something sharper about children as acceptable collateral damage in the modern world, from Columbine to Gaza. What remains is mostly bloodletting, with little weight behind it. |
| 232316 | Joshua Ryan | Sunshine State Cineplex | Rotten | 4/10 | 2026-08-06T16:17:31.000Z | 2026-08-06 16:17:31 | It’s among Roth’s worst movies, mostly because it feels bland and fails to deliver on the expectations built up by Roth’s filmography. |
| 232308 | Keith Garlington | Keith & the Movies | Fresh | 3/5 | 2026-08-06T14:47:24.000Z | 2026-08-06 14:47:24 | "Ice Cream Man" succeeds in being the gratuitously gory and absurdly funny horror-comedy concoction that Eli Roth envisioned. It has all the ingredients to entertain those who know what they’re getting into and repulse those who don’t. |
| 232309 | Richard Crouse | Richard Crouse | Rotten | 1/5 | 2026-08-06T14:25:36.000Z | 2026-08-06 14:25:36 | No amount of spurting blood or intestinal tug ‘o war can make up for Ice Cream Man’s one-dimensional storytelling, dull characters and uninspired villain. It’s as much fun as an ice cream scoop with no sprinkles. |
| 232265 | Mark Dujsik | Mark Reviews Movies | Rotten | 2/4 | 2026-08-06T14:00:34.000Z | 2026-08-06 14:00:34 | The movie ... is too limited in its aims and, beyond the squirmy effectiveness of its mostly practical effects, its execution to succeed. |
| 232266 | Maitland McDonagh | MaitlandOnMovies (Substack) | Rotten | — | 2026-08-06T13:06:52.000Z | 2026-08-06 13:06:52 | Roth promised to surpass the excesses of 'Hostel' and 'The Green Inferno,' and in sheer volume of blood and outrageous kills, he arguably succeeds. Yet he also substitutes over-the-top escalation for psychological dread or emotional investment. |
| 232267 | Peter Gray | The AU Review | Rotten | 0.5/5 | 2026-08-06T07:42:08.000Z | 2026-08-06 07:42:08 | A film so obsessed with topping its last kill that it forgets to give audiences a reason to care about anything else. |
| 232268 | Anthony O'Connor | FILMINK (Australia) | Rotten | 6.5/20 | 2026-08-06T06:34:34.000Z | 2026-08-06 06:34:34 | … a genuinely contemptuous film. |
| 232269 | Jim Schembri | jimschembri.com | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2026-08-06T04:45:41.000Z | 2026-08-06 04:45:41 | There’s no other way to put it: in the realm of old-school B-grade drive-in era schlock-horror splatterfests, Ice Cream Man clocks in as a singularly demented, marvellously unhinged mini-masterpiece. |
| 232270 | John Odette | Pop Culture Leftovers | Rotten | — | 2026-08-06T03:38:33.000Z | 2026-08-06 03:38:33 | If someone is already not a fan of gore, ridiculous plots, or Eli Roth himself, Ice Cream Man is not a recommended selection. Even though it spurts out a few laughs, Ice Cream Man entertains too little and melts too quickly. |
| 232271 | Randy Myers | San Jose Mercury News | Fresh | 3/4 | 2026-08-05T23:21:15.000Z | 2026-08-05 23:21:15 | Regardless, it is well-made horror that never lags in its steamroll of committed carnage and comes with clever touches with these adults getting their just desserts. |
| 232272 | Rebecca Johnson | Nerdspin | Rotten | D- | 2026-08-05T22:11:18.000Z | 2026-08-05 22:11:18 | While the inventive kills may appeal to viewers looking for unrelenting brutality, the repetitive story, weak characterization, poor dialogue and underwhelming performances leave the film feeling like an empty exercise in shock value. |
| 232273 | Brian Farvour | The Playlist | Rotten | D- | 2026-08-05T20:38:36.000Z | 2026-08-05 20:38:36 | Roth has intermittently proven that he knows how to make horror, but in this 86-minute misfire, it’s unclear what he is trying to accomplish. |
| 232274 | Billie Anderson | Exclaim! | Rotten | 2/10 | 2026-08-05T19:55:30.000Z | 2026-08-05 19:55:30 | 'Ice Cream Man' feels like an algorithm's understanding of contemporary horror: a little nostalgia, a little religious trauma, some internet anxiety, some gore, and the hope that the audience mistakes the pile of references for a coherent point of view. |
| 232275 | Charles Koplinski | Reel Talk with Chuck and Pam | Rotten | 0/4.0 | 2026-08-05T19:09:01.000Z | 2026-08-05 19:09:01 | "Man" is a vile piece of work, catering to the most immature and callous among us. |
| 232241 | Maxance Vincent | InSession Film | Rotten | F | 2026-08-05T18:25:37.000Z | 2026-08-05 18:25:37 | [Ice Cream Man] is a cheaply made, dull, and inept slasher that wants to provoke but has no thought of its own. |
| 232242 | Jon Winkler | InBetweenDrafts | Rotten | 4/10 | 2026-08-05T18:21:32.000Z | 2026-08-05 18:21:32 | It won’t surprise you to learn that Ice Cream Man is a tasteless affair. Roth’s script features kids talking with enough crude sass and insensitivity to make the youngsters of Sleepaway Camp jealous. |
| 224453 | Jenn Adams | Strong Female Antagonist | Fresh | C+ | 2026-08-05T16:51:16.000Z | 2026-08-05 16:51:16 | The film is a blood-splattered extravaganza of practical effects and cheeky kills with a bare-bones plot that gets the job done. |
| 224445 | Paul McGuire Grimes | Paul's Trip to the Movies | Rotten | 1/5 | 2026-08-05T14:46:05.000Z | 2026-08-05 14:46:05 | There’s no real suspense or tension that’s built in for the sake of jump scares, and I would expect a finer eye for that coming from Eli Roth. |
| 224416 | Nicholas Bell | Fish Jelly Films (YouTube) | Rotten | 1.5/5 | 2026-08-05T13:56:54.000Z | 2026-08-05 13:56:54 | It's unclear what Eli Roth is trying to serve with Ice Cream Man, an arguably tasteless horror film which squanders both comedic and creepy opportunities with schlocky, cheap tendencies. |
| 224391 | Joseph Robinson | Fish Jelly Films (YouTube) | Rotten | 2/5 | 2026-08-05T12:53:26.000Z | 2026-08-05 12:53:26 | The comically over-the-top violence is tailor-made for the Midnight Madness crowd, but Ice Cream Man quickly runs out of flavor thanks to its flimsy script, making it more messy than memorable. |
| 224392 | Joey Magidson | Awards Radar | Fresh | 3/4 | 2026-08-05T12:24:12.000Z | 2026-08-05 12:24:12 | Ice Cream Man is an absurdly violent and decently entertaining little horror treat from Eli Roth. |
| 224393 | Doug Jamieson | The Jam Report | Rotten | 1/5 | 2026-08-05T12:06:40.000Z | 2026-08-05 12:06:40 | Gore isn't a substitute for suspense. References aren't a substitute for originality. And shouting louder than everyone else isn't the same as having something worth saying. |
| 224394 | Jim Slotek | Original Cin | Rotten | D | 2026-08-05T11:58:40.000Z | 2026-08-05 11:58:40 | Endless blood, guts and decapitations with barely a story. But is it the beginning of a horror franchise? I’ll quote a line from comedian Seán Cullen, who said his favourite charity was, "Stop the Children." |
| 224395 | Chris Joyce | Movies and Munchies (YouTube) | Rotten | 2.5/5 | 2026-08-05T06:22:48.000Z | 2026-08-05 06:22:48 | With little character development and a belated, ham-fisted delivery of the lore, the story lacks any memorability that would keep me flocking back to its sweetly bloody butchery. |
| 224396 | Andrea Chase | Killer Movie Reviews | Fresh | 3/5 | 2026-08-05T04:18:29.000Z | 2026-08-05 04:18:29 | A subversive gloss on Americana that reveals a town without pity and a de riguer dark secret. Along with innards of all types. So many innards. One note it may be, but Roth has taken that one note and put it through, ahem, baroque paces. |
| 224397 | Elliott Collins | Movie Files | Rotten | — | 2026-08-05T00:01:09.000Z | 2026-08-05 00:01:09 | .5/5 Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man had the potential to be a fun, over-the-top B-horror movie, but it’s undone by flat performances, inconsistent tone, and a messy script. Easily one of the worst movies of the year! |
| 224389 | Mike McGranaghan | Aisle Seat | Fresh | 3/4 | 2026-08-04T22:42:56.000Z | 2026-08-04 22:42:56 | I can’t defend it on most rational levels, but as a piece of exploitation fare, it recreates the vibe of the trash classics Roth was obviously inspired by. |
| 224387 | Fred Topel | United Press International | Fresh | — | 2026-08-04T20:35:20.000Z | 2026-08-04 20:35:20 | As graphic and intense as writer/director Eli Roth's Hostel movies but applied to a good-naturedly macabre romp. |
| 224385 | Robert Kojder | Flickering Myth | Rotten | 2/5 | 2026-08-04T20:19:40.000Z | 2026-08-04 20:19:40 | Much like the ice cream itself, the moments of outrageously grisly fun (following an unforgivably slow first act) in Ice Cream Man unfortunately and quickly dry up. My thoughts are also lowered learning AI was used |
| 224386 | Travis Hopson | Punch Drunk Critics | Fresh | 3/5 | 2026-08-04T20:06:03.000Z | 2026-08-04 20:06:03 | Ice Cream Man is Roth’s sickening idea of a good time, and I have to admit, I had a good time with it, too. |
| 222333 | Robin Clifford | Reeling Reviews | Rotten | C- | 2026-08-04T18:21:26.000Z | 2026-08-04 18:21:26 | I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a fan of horror films. I am a guy who loves movies, though, and can appreciate good filmmaking – even if it is a horror movie. I do not consider "Ice Cream Man" a good movie. |
| 222332 | Noah Berlatsky | Splice Today | Fresh | — | 2026-08-04T17:13:16.000Z | 2026-08-04 17:13:16 | Most Eli Roth fans will turn on Ice Cream Man hoping for 90 minutes or so of excruciating brutal, inventive and gratuitous gore. And those fans won’t be disappointed. |
| 222330 | Nathaniel Muir | AIPT | Fresh | — | 2026-08-04T16:51:17.000Z | 2026-08-04 16:51:17 | This is a Roth original and it may be the most Eli Rothiest thing he has ever done. The kills are over the top and the story is unremarkable in its best moments and irritating at worst. |
| 222327 | Cody Dericks | Next Best Picture | Rotten | 2/10 | 2026-08-04T16:44:17.000Z | 2026-08-04 16:44:17 | Awful dialogue, non-existent characterizations, an unremarkable villain, and obnoxious AI-generated images. As memorable and enjoyable as a post-dessert stomach ache. |
| 222328 | Luis Pomales-Diaz | Horror Press | Rotten | 2/10 | 2026-08-04T15:57:55.000Z | 2026-08-04 15:57:55 | It’s a badly made snow cone, where the cheap syrup hasn’t gotten through the ice: a flat, one dimensional, and mostly flavorless affair. |
| 222329 | Peter Sobczynski | Auteurist Class (Substack) | Rotten | — | 2026-08-04T15:36:03.000Z | 2026-08-04 15:36:03 | The latest from Eli Roth is terrible. (Insert tedious ice cream-related pun here.) |
| 220836 | Shawn Van Horn | Collider | Rotten | 5/10 | 2026-08-04T15:05:40.000Z | 2026-08-04 15:05:40 | With Ice Cream Man, Roth has an interesting idea, but with so little behind it, the movie quickly melts. |
| 220837 | Avi Offer | NYC Movie Guru | Rotten | — | 2026-08-04T14:57:34.000Z | 2026-08-04 14:57:34 | An asinine, repetitive and unimaginative horror comedy that's neither funny, bonkers nor scary enough to become a guilty pleasure. |
| 220834 | Simon Abrams | RogerEbert.com | Fresh | 2.5/4 | 2026-08-04T14:18:09.000Z | 2026-08-04 14:18:09 | It’s mostly pretty satisfying, even if there’s ultimately nothing surprising or essential here. |
| 220835 | Christian Toto | HollywoodInToto.com | Rotten | 1.5/4 | 2026-08-04T13:35:11.000Z | 2026-08-04 13:35:11 | Eli Roth's ode to old-school practical FX stumbles on genre basics. |
| 220749 | Nate Adams | The Only Critic | Rotten | D | 2026-08-04T12:37:53.000Z | 2026-08-04 12:37:53 | Roth strips things back so aggressively that all that’s left is about 83 minutes of relentless bloodshed propping up the barest outline of a story. |
| 220750 | Sebastian Zavala Kahn | Loud and Clear Reviews | Rotten | 2/5 | 2026-08-04T06:54:20.000Z | 2026-08-04 06:54:20 | A tedious and repetitive gorefest that never manages to feel scary or even tense, despite the shock value. |
| 220751 | David Gonzalez | The Cinematic Reel | Rotten | 2/5 | 2026-08-04T06:40:08.000Z | 2026-08-04 06:40:08 | I wanted to believe Thanksgiving marked the beginning of a new chapter for Roth. Instead, Ice Cream Man feels less like the next step forward and more like a disappointing slide back into old habits. |
| 220752 | Roberto Tyler Ortiz | Geek Vibes Nation | Rotten | 1/10 | 2026-08-04T05:35:33.000Z | 2026-08-04 05:35:33 | weak performances, clunky dialogue, flat comedy, and surprisingly uninspired direction prevent the movie from capitalizing on any of its strengths. Even the title character ends up feeling like an afterthought. |
| 220753 | Sean Boelman | FandomWire | Fresh | 6/10 | 2026-08-04T05:13:18.000Z | 2026-08-04 05:13:18 | If you know that you’re just in for a gorefest with a demented edge, you’re sure to have a good time, even if it lacks much in the way of cinematic nutritional value. |
| 220754 | Karina Adelgaard | Heaven of Horror | Rotten | 2/5 | 2026-08-04T05:03:41.000Z | 2026-08-04 05:03:41 | ...just 10 minutes into this Eli Roth movie, I was not happy. It all feels too stiff, the editing is sloppy, and the plot is virtually non-existent. Yeah, I’m disappointed. |
| 220755 | Patrick Cavanaugh | The Wolfman Cometh | Rotten | 2/5 | 2026-08-04T05:00:17.000Z | 2026-08-04 05:00:17 | A relatively fun first 30 minutes that then goes on for another 60 minutes. Would have made a better fake trailer for Grindhouse 2 than a feature. |
| 220756 | Chase Hutchinson | IGN Movies | Rotten | 4/10 | 2026-08-04T04:46:27.000Z | 2026-08-04 04:46:27 | It’s a movie that inflicts plenty of head trauma but ultimately reveals itself as having no real brains of its own. |
| 220757 | Brian Eggert | Deep Focus Review | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2026-08-04T03:57:08.000Z | 2026-08-04 03:57:08 | A convincingly assembled nightmare that horror fanatics will probably enjoy for its sheer gross-out factor. But as with most of Roth’s output, the problem lies in the screenplay. |
| 220758 | William Bibbiani | TheWrap | Rotten | — | 2026-08-04T03:43:38.000Z | 2026-08-04 03:43:38 | It would be more exciting to watch a documentary about the professionals, weirdos and professional weirdos making the fake guts and disembodied limbs than to watch the film they were actually working on. |
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