All articles tagged with #ice cream man
Eli Roth explains launching The Horror Section to bypass the traditional studio system and release Ice Cream Man as an unrated theatrical event, spurred by Terrifier 3’s success; he details building the company, financing, and shooting a 100-child sequence, and argues for pairing YouTube creators with veteran filmmakers to cultivate sustainable, boundary-pushing horror theater.“
Empire's John Nugent pans Ice Cream Man (2026) as a blood-soaked throwback that prioritizes graphic violence over story or character, condemning its sloppy plotting, problematic jokes, casual bigotry and even anti-art use of AI—leaving the film ugly, unpleasant and insubstantial.
Horror director Eli Roth says AI was used in a very small portion of Ice Cream Man, triggering social-media backlash and a broader debate about AI in filmmaking; Roth defends the move as a creative fusion of technology and artistry, signaling ongoing tensions in the horror genre over AI usage.
Eli Roth has confirmed that generative AI was used in Ice Cream Man, including a handful of animated sequences that he initially described as part of a traditional hand-drawn process. Dark Half is credited for AI work, and Roth later told Polygon that AI was used in a very small portion of a few scenes, emphasizing that technology and creativity helped realize his vision without detailing which sequences were AI-generated or how they were combined with human animation.
A roundup of four new releases—One Night Only (a rom‑com satirizing a government sex purge with a disappointing anti‑sex ending), Late Fame (a tender look at aging artist Willem Dafoe), Ice Cream Man (Eli Roth’s gross, practical‑effects horror that outstays its welcome), and Soulm8te (an audacious but blunt AI‑romance thriller)—delivers mixed verdicts, from sharp satire to blunt exploitation and heartbreak.
Director Eli Roth says AI was used in a very small portion of Ice Cream Man, noting he drew the frames and worked with animators, with an AI visual effects company credited; he previously mispoke about the technology as the film nears release.
Eli Roth acknowledged that AI contributed to a small portion of a few scenes in Ice Cream Man, after previously claiming there was no AI involvement. He described the AI work as a limited, collaborative tool to help realize his vision, noting the cartoon sequence was initially drawn by him and later refined by animators. The statement, in response to social-media scrutiny, highlights ongoing debates about AI’s role in filmmaking.
Eli Roth confirms Ice Cream Man uses AI in a very small portion of a few scenes, with one AI-assisted sequence hand-drawn and inspired by 1920s Mickey Mouse cartoons. He says the project is independent with minimal studio interference, but he didn’t specify which scenes used AI, amid earlier misstatements and speculation about AI credits.
Filmmaker Eli Roth is skipping studios and self-funding his next horror project, Ice Cream Man, releasing it unrated through his own company The Horror Section. With a $5.5 million budget funded largely by foreign pre-sales and Canadian tax credits, Roth aims for creative freedom and a modest theatrical plan, expecting to profit through home entertainment and to release 2–4 horror films annually while retaining ownership of his IP.
Eli Roth explains that Ice Cream Man was designed as the “Saving Private Ryan” of splatter, building the brutal mass-kill sequence one gag at a time and planning it with on-site, location-specific thinking. The centerpiece school massacre was choreographed across a single, memorable take and shot in a tight window within 19 days in an elementary school, using FrameForge storyboards to map camera positions. He involved parents beforehand, kept the child cast engaged with horror-fan sensibilities, and pursued an independent, unrated release under its own distribution label, emphasizing an ultra-indie, director-driven approach rather than studio control.
Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man is set for a wide August release (Aug. 7) in about 2,000 theaters through Iconic Events, with Roth directing, producing and starring; Nas is an executive producer as part of The Horror Section’s slate.
A Florida ice cream truck driver, Michael Keetley, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing two brothers in a 2010 mistaken-identity shooting related to a $12 robbery. Keetley, who was left permanently disabled after being shot five times during the robbery, targeted the wrong people in retaliation for the attack. He was found guilty of two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder. The victims had nothing to do with the attack on Keetley. Keetley's defense lawyers argued that he could not have physically carried out the shooting because of his injuries, but the judge sentenced him to six life sentences, to be served concurrently.
Michael Keetley, a former ice cream man, has been sentenced to life in prison for two counts of first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder. Keetley was convicted of shooting six men playing cards on a front porch in Ruskin on Thanksgiving Day 2010. Prosecutors say Keetley was out for revenge after being robbed and shot while on his ice cream route. The surviving victims remember the shooter dressed as a law enforcement officer, with a long gun, and asking for a man named "Creeper." Keetley's lawyers plan to appeal the conviction.