Manny the Movie Guy Talks Horror With Eli Roth Ahead of ‘Ice Cream Man’ Release

A familiar childhood sound takes on a terrifying new meaning in “Ice Cream Man,” the latest horror film from director Eli Roth.

Speaking with Manny the Movie Guy, Roth shared the inspiration behind the film, which transforms the nostalgic image of an ice cream truck into the centerpiece of a psychological horror story.

“When I saw that ice cream man pull up and I remembered watching all the kids run over, I thought, ‘What if this was a serial killer?’” Roth said. “I thought, what if that music could program you to kill your parents? That’s what the movie is — the perversion of innocence.”

Roth said he first came up with the idea more than two decades ago, but many people believed it was too disturbing to become a feature film.

“For years people told me that idea is too sick,” Roth said. “That’s how I know it’s the right thing to do for a horror film.”

Now a father, Roth says his perspective on the story has changed, drawing from the universal fear of not always being able to protect children from the dangers of the outside world.

“I have a baby girl and all I think is I want to protect her,” he said. “And I know that ultimately I can’t.”

While “Ice Cream Man” leans heavily into horror, Roth says the film also embraces dark comedy, creating an unsettling balance between shocking violence and humor.

The film is also the latest release from Roth’s independent horror label, Horror Section, which he says was created to produce movies that major studios would be unwilling to make.

“This is the kind of movie that the studios would never make,” Roth said. “The stuff that’s too dangerous for the studios, those are the movies I want to make.”

“Ice Cream Man” is being released unrated through Roth’s independent studio.

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