Horror's Definitive 'Ice Cream Man' Movie Existed Decades Before Eli Roth's New Film
After the poor reception to Borderlands (2024), Eli Roth may get his redemption arc with Ice Cream Man, slated for release in mid-2026. In the film, a mysterious “Ice Cream Man” operating an ice cream truck seemingly puts a secret ingredient in the ice cream that turns children into vicious murderers. The 42-second teaser promises a horror story as grisly and dark as Children of the Corn (1984), yet with the same touches of absurdity and dark humor as Weapons (2025).
As excited as we are for a campy movie of bloodlust-filled children, horror actually already has a definitive Ice Cream Man movie that debuted over three decades before Roth’s new film.
1995’s ‘Ice Cream Man’ Is A Cult Favorite
Ice Cream Man (1995) was a direct-to-video slasher that beat Roth to the concept of an ice cream man with sinister intentions. Interestingly, it wasn’t an established horror director who brought Ice Cream Man to life, but Paul Norman, a pornography film director, who made it to the Adult Video News Hall of Fame. To direct Ice Cream Man, he utilized the pseudonym Norman Apstein.
The film follows Gregory Tudor (Clint Howard), a man recently released from the Wishing Well Sanatorium. Disturbed by his time at the abusive sanatorium, Gregory takes over a local ice cream business and begins mixing animal and human remains into the ice cream. When several local kids begin to suspect his involvement in disappearances around town, they set out to prove to the police what Gregory’s ice cream business truly entails.
Initially, audiences and critics weren’t receptive to Ice Cream Man, and it really struggled to find its audience. Over the years, though, it hit the mark. It’s a low-budget, absurd, and campy horror film, marking the perfect ingredients for a cult classic. You can’t help but be fascinated and amused by the bizarre film. From featuring actors like Jan-Michael Vincent, who visibly appears to hate being in the film, to having a child wear a pillow under their shirt to play the “fat kid” archetype, it has the kind of lore and absurdity that just keeps giving.
Is Eli Roth’s ‘Ice Cream Man’ A Remake Of The 1995 Movie?
Despite the cult status of Ice Cream Man and Clint Howard’s interest in a sequel, Roth’s Ice Cream Man is not a remake of the 1995 movie. The two films are unrelated, as the new Ice Cream Man movie is an original story by Roth and Noah Belson. It is also unrelated to the comic book anthology series of the same name from W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo. According to Roth, he had the idea for Ice Cream Man over two decades ago and promises it’s his most “terrifying and insane” film yet.
Why To Watch Both ‘Ice Cream Man’ Horror Movies
While the original Ice Cream Man has a cult following, Roth’s new movie could very well become the new definitive Ice Cream Man. Both certainly have that camp appeal and absurdity that demonstrate how fun horror can be, though they’ll appeal to audiences for different reasons.
The original Ice Cream Man is an excellent watch for anyone intrigued by B-movies with enduring legacies. If you’re one of those cinephiles with an endless fascination with The Room (2003) or are part of the cult following of low-budget splatter films like The Toxic Avenger (1984), you’ll love Ice Cream Man. Although its appeal largely stems from the “so-bad-it’s-good” phenomenon, Ice Cream Man does have a few merits, including the cartoonishly evil performance from Clint Howard and a few stomach-churning gross-out special effects. You can tune in for Howard’s performance and stay for the endless avenues for fan discussions around the oddball movie.
Roth’s Ice Cream Man will likely have some of the same merits as the original, including that penchant for absurdity. I can see it being more in the vein of his other slasher horror comedy, Thanksgiving (2023), in that you’ll really be coming for the over-the-top gore and inventive kills. It seems like the kind of horror comedy that’s equal parts twisted and fun. Then, of course, Ice Cream Man won’t be dogging comparisons to Children of the Corn and Weapons with its killer children and mysterious Ice Cream Man villain. If you’re a fan of Roth and inventive, campy, and wild horror movies, Ice Cream Man will be right up your alley.
