'Ice Cream Man': The First Reviews for Eli Roth's Bloody Horror Movie Are Not Screaming With Delight | Just Jared - Celebrity News and Gossip

Ice Cream Man is arriving in theaters this week, and the critics are speaking out.

The movie, set to be released this Friday (August 7), “follows an idyllic summer town descending into madness when an ice cream man serves kids sweet delights with horrifying results.”

Hostel and Thanksgiving director Eli Roth both directs and stars in the new horror film, which he also co-wrote with Noah Belson.

The cast also includes Ari Millen as the titular character, Benjamin Byron Davis, Karen Cliche, Dylan Hawco, Sarah Abbott, Shiloh O’Reilly, Kiori Mirza Waldman, Charlie Zeltzer, and Charlie Storey.

It should be noted that it is not a remake or reimagining of the 1995 film.

Find out whether critics are into Eli Roth‘s latest horror movie…

Ice Cream Man currently has a 26% Rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes.

TheWrap says: “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.”

AV Club gives it a C: “This creative zeal eventually sputters out. Thanksgiving used inventive variations on its gimmick to build toward its sicko smorgasbord finale, an escalation of gnarly ingenuity that Ice Cream Man lacks.”

THR says: “There have been plenty of horror movies involving murderous children over the years… But Roth doesn’t hide his desire to outdo them all with this effort that can only be described as sick and twisted. And I’m sure he’ll take that as a compliment.”

Variety says: “That the film knows it’s preposterous is supposed to be redeeming. But Roth’s it’s-all-a-big-joke attitude here is a cop-out that’s beneath him, a way to avoid making a horror movie that truly engages us.”

Slant gave it 2 out of 4, writing: “Eli Roth aims for social commentary in the homestretch, but if the moment doesn’t feel satisfyingly nihilistic, that’s because his stab at building out the story has all the consistency of soft serve.”

IGN gave it 4 out of 10, writing: “It’s a movie that inflicts plenty of head trauma but ultimately reveals itself as having no real brains of its own.”

Screen Rant gave it 3 out of 10: “Suddenly, the lack of imagination in Ice Cream Man‘s execution doesn’t seem so easily forgivable. Instead, it looks more and more like a wasted opportunity to make something interesting out of its fun idea.”

FandomWire gave it 6 out of 10: “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.”

Daily Dead gave it 1.5 out of 5: “It’s like Roth forgot to put his film in the freezer, and all the decorative appeal, or any valuable substance, melted away.”

San Francisco Chronicle gave it 2.5 out of 4, writing: “After a while, it becomes clear there are only so many grotesque Roth motifs that the human body lends itself to. But that doesn’t stop him from going on and on, again and again. Thankfully, the director has more than gore on his mind.”

Find out the status of Thanksgiving 2.

Posted To:Eli Roth Ice Cream Man Movies News Reviews