Director Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man is tanking with critics and on Kalshi’s Rotten Tomatoes market.
The market predicts Ice Cream Man will earn just a 26.1% Tomatometer score, although it currently holds a rating of 28% on its Rotten Tomatoes.
For informational purposes only. Not trading advice. Kalshi is not affiliated with The Ice Cream Man or The Horror Section. See full disclaimer below.
What's Ice Cream Man about?
Ice Cream Man is the first release from The Horror Section, Roth's new independent horror label.
The movie takes place in an idyllic American town where a mysterious ice cream vendor, played by Ari Millen, arrives to hand out treats to the local kids. A kid named Jared, played by Charlie Zeltzer, with a lactose intolerance, can’t enjoy the ice cream, but he finds something disturbing about the new vendor.
The ice cream truck drives through town late at night and the sound of its happy jingle causes the children who ate his treats to get up and murder their parents in increasingly gruesome ways using yard tools and household appliances.
Jared and a small group of survivors, including his older sister Lizzie (Sarah Abbott), must uncover the town's secret to break the spell causing the children to go on murderous rampages, and get rid of the creepy ice cream man once and for all.
The good reviews
The positive reviews are few and far between.
Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com gave the movie two-and-a-half out of four stars calling it “mostly pretty satisfying, even if there’s ultimately nothing surprising or essential here.”
“The filmmaker’s undisguised glee in being so gross and free ultimately makes this low-stakes exercise in bad taste a fun enough time-waster, even if you’ll likely forget the nutritionally empty Ice Cream Man soon after inhaling it,” Abrams wrote.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Frank Scheck described the movie as a splatter flick that’s made for the ultimate gorehound.
“There have been plenty of horror movies involving murderous children over the years, such as Village of the Damned and its sequel and, of course Children of the Corn,” Scheck wrote. “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.”
The bad reviews
Other critics were far less enthusiastic. Some of them are calling it one of the worst movies of the year.
The Guardian’s Jesse Hassenger published a brutal review of Roth’s latest gore horror fest, giving it one star out of five.
“The Horror Section is supposed to offer edgier fare to the ravenous, enthusiastic genre fans,” Hassenger wrote. “With this soft serve, it feels like it’s feeding them mainly contempt.”
The Wrap’s William Bibbiani wrote that the movie is just an empty film filled with increasingly brutal kills wrapped in a mean-spirited script with no real purpose.
“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,” Bibbiani wrote.
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman described the movie as a disappointing treat that just delivers empty calories.
“That the film knows it’s preposterous is supposed to be redeeming,” Gleiberman wrote. “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.”
The takeaway:
Kalshi markets now predict
Ice Cream Man’s Rotten Tomatoes rating: 26.1%
Follow Danny Gallagher on Instagram: @writerdannygallagher
Follow Kalshi on X: @Kalshi | Image Source: The Horror Section
The opinions and perspectives presented in this article belong solely to the author. This is not financial advice and does not constitute an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to trade any specific product. Information is provided for convenience only on an "AS IS" basis. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. 18+ only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Trading event contracts and trading leveraged products, including perpetual futures, involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Please carefully consider if it is appropriate for you in light of your personal financial circumstances. Kalshi products are not available in all jurisdictions. See kalshi.com/regulatory for more information. Kalshi is subject to U.S. regulatory oversight by the CFTC. Kalshi is not affiliated with The Ice Cream Man or The Horror Section.
