"Ice Cream Man" reaches US theaters on August 7, 2026, seventy-nine days from now, distributed by Iconic Events Releasing.
This is not a revival of the 1995 cult film sharing its title; it is an unrelated original from Eli Roth, made under his newly launched genre label, The Horror Section. Roth co-wrote the script with Noah Belson and directs. Principal photography ran through mid-2025 in Hamilton, Ontario, and the finished film runs 86 minutes.
The premise: an idyllic suburban town unravels after a mysterious ice cream man starts serving local kids a frozen treat that turns them into homicidal maniacs. Ari Millen plays the title character, with Charlie Zeltzer, Shiloh O'Reilly, Sarah Abbott, Benjamin Byron Davis and Karen Cliche filling out the town. Roth also appears in a supporting role, and Snoop Dogg contributes music to the soundtrack.
The reason to watch is less the premise, a familiar killer-disguised-as-innocence setup, than the context around it. Roth has called it his "most terrifying and insane" film yet, and it marks his first release under a label built specifically to fast-track practical, R-rated horror outside the studio pipeline, a structure that suggests a film aimed squarely at genre audiences rather than a four-quadrant theatrical push.
Confirmed: the August 7, 2026 US date, the Iconic Events Releasing distribution deal, the full principal cast, the 86-minute runtime, and the Ontario shoot. Unknown: how wide the theatrical release will be and whether any advance reviews will precede the date. No critical response exists yet ahead of release.
