Ice Cream Man
**Critic’s Note: It came to my attention after watching “Ice Cream Man” that it was partially made using generative AI. My grade is not reflective of this fact.
It’s been over two decades since I watched an Eli Roth-directed film. I watched “Cabin Fever” and “Hostel,” and I kind of hated both of them. (“Hostel” was the “better” of the two, but it just didn’t jive with me.) Yes, his trailer for “Thanksgiving” was terrific (and I’ve heard decent things about the later feature film, as well as a few other films of his), but I just never really was interested enough to dive back in. “Ice Cream Man” came across my email, and I’ll admit- I was intrigued. Would it be enough to get me to look at some of his other films? Let’s continue.
Roth wrote the screenplay with Noah Belson, and it is a fairly straightforward premise. It’s summer in a small town (or at least, it’s about to be), and children and teenagers are looking forward to setting their own schedules for the next few months. An ice cream truck arrives, and naturally, a lot of kids want ice cream. There’s something about the man in the truck (played by Ari Millen), however, and it’s not long when the kids are acting a bit…funny. Not everyone eats the ice cream, though- siblings Jared (Charlie Zeltzer) and Lizzie (Sarah Abbott) do not, and when all manner of bloody havoc are going on in town, themselves, Tommy (Shiloh O’Reilly) and Mia (Kiori Mirza Waldman) are all that’s left to stop the madness.
I’m not saying the movies are even on the same level of quality, but I did get a bit of “Weapons” vibes off of “Ice Cream Man” in how the kids become weirdly possessed. Here, it’s not really a mystery, and the violence is as much the point as anything, but the basic premise feels like it was developed to be reminiscent of “Weapons,” even though I know this was no doubt in development prior to “Weapons” coming out last year. Overall, I have mixed feelings about “Ice Cream Man.” I actually think the makeup effects are quite good in this, and Millen makes an unnerving, silent villain, but all in all there really is not a lot to this film when push comes to shove. When we get down to the “how is this happening,” however, when the kids meet up with a priest (Benjamin Byron Davis), the “why” leads to some nice twists (even though it’s basically “A Nightmare of Elm Street,” IYKYK), especially how the end plays out. Having said all that, though, I enjoyed “Ice Cream Man” more than I thought, but I’ll easily move past it in quick order. It’s actually a lot like the treats at an ice cream truck- delicious in the moment, but not good for you, and easily forgotten.
