“That’s not horror, that’s just giving up”: critics slam Ice Cream Man after Eli Roth’s AI confession
Horror director Eli Roth has recently come under fire for using AI in the making of his latest film, Ice Cream Man. His open embrace of the technology has sparked a heated response, proving audiences are still hungry for human-made movies that continue the legacy of classic cinema.
While Eli Roth has never been known for his high-brow horror, his shameless use of AI marks a shift towards the normalisation of the technology across filmmaking. With the technology permeating every creative sphere, Roth’s AI-augmented horror will undoubtedly not be the last of its kind.
ICE CREAM MAN – Official Trailer (Greenband) – Directed by Eli Roth | STUDIOCANAL – YouTube
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Roth’s Ice Cream Man follows the story of a mysterious vendor whose product turns the children of an idyllic town into rampant killers. Despite its novel concept, it wasn’t long before audiences began taking to socials, claiming that certain scenes seemed like the work of AI.
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Roth quickly clarified that suspicions were correct, telling Polygon, “AI was used in a very small portion of a few scenes in the film.” Defending his actions, Roth claimed, “It was an opportunity where technology and creativity came together to help bring my vision for the film to life.”
“Eli Roth saw Obsession and Backrooms creating a positive impact on horror this year and had to remind everyone what real Horror slop looks like,” one critic wrote. “AI sequences in a Roth flick? That’s not horror, that’s just giving up,” another added. Already a divisive figure in the horror movie sphere, Roth’s confession was merely added fuel to the fire for some. ‘My hatred of Eli Roth has once AGAIN been vindicated Possibly my most evidence-based hatred of a guy honestly,” another X user wrote.
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