Ice Cream Man (2026)
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A suburban town descends into madness after children consume treats that turn them into homicidal maniacs.
The story
In the town of Bayleen Bay, an ice cream truck operated by a mysterious, silent man becomes a hit among local children. Jared Mayfair, who is lactose-intolerant, avoids the treats but becomes unsettled by the Ice Cream Man's presence and notices the children are in a trance while watching videos of a cartoon character. After the truck visits the neighborhood at night, the children who consumed the treats become possessed and begin a violent rampage. The following day, Jared and his friends Tommy and Mia notice the strange behavior of their peers. When the truck arrives at their school, the children begin attacking adults and force-feeding treats to others, forcing the three friends to barricade themselves inside.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Bayleen Bay, a mysterious ice cream truck run by a silent man becomes popular with children. Jared Mayfair, who avoids the treats, notices the children are in a trance. After the truck visits at night, the children become possessed and begin murdering their parents. The next day, Jared, Tommy, and Mia notice the chaos and barricade themselves in their school as the children attack adults and force-feed others. Meanwhile, Jared's sister Lizzie consumes a treat but manages to vomit it up; she and her ex-boyfriend Chris flee to a local church. There, they find a walk-in freezer and a priest who reveals the Ice Cream Man is Jonathan Smiley. He was a man wrongly accused of harming children to cover up the actions of predatory priests. While in prison, he was visited by a necromancer who granted him power for revenge. To stop him, the kids must find and kill the necromancer and his siren in a nearby cemetery. They eventually reunite with Lizzie and Chris at the cemetery. During the confrontation, the children are forced to feed treats to Mia and Tommy, and they kill Chris. They then stab the bodies in the grave, only to realize they have killed their own parents. The priest is revealed to be the necromancer who tricked them. Ultimately, Jonathan leaves the decimated town with the possessed children to find his next target.
- First release year
- 2026
- Runtime (minutes)
- 86
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Eli Roth
- Writers
- Eli Roth · screenplay; Noah Belson · screenplay; Eli Roth · story
- Cast and characters
- Ari Millen · Jonathan Smiley / the Ice Cream Man; Charlie Zeltzer · Jared Mayfair; Shiloh O'Reilly · Tommy; Kiori Mirza Waldman · Mia; Sarah Abbott · Lizzie Mayfair; Benjamin Byron Davis · the Priest; Dylan Hawco · Chris
- Genres
- Black Comedy; slasher; supernatural; horror
- Themes
- Revenge; Betrayal; Consequences of the past
- Tone and mood
- Dark; Gory; Unsettling
- Setting
- Bayleen Bay, a suburban town.
- Premise and plot tags
- Slasher; Mind Control; Zombie-like; Food-related
- Content notes
- Gore
- Reception
- The film received negative reviews from critics who criticized its tone, humor, and lack of substance. It was also a major box office disappointment.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 34 · scale: 100 · review count: 19
- Production trivia
- The film used generative AI in select scenes.; The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario.; The soundtrack was provided by Snoop Dogg.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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