Eli Roth sparks backlash and debate after admitting he used AI in The Ice Cream Man

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Eli Roth has been a fixture on the horror scene for more than 20 years. He often appears in documentaries about the genre and even helmed Eli Roth's History of Horror on AMC for three seasons. The director made his debut with 2002's Cabin Fever. The movie follows a group of recent college grads who stay at a remote cabin. There, they contract a flesh-eating virus, which causes paranoia and hostility among the friend group.

Cabin Fever has some gnarly and impressive practical effects, as does Hostel and some of his other movies. So, it likely came as a surprise to the horror community when Roth admitted this week that his latest movie, The Ice Cream Man, used some generative AI. This also sparked several headlines and intense backlash on social media.

Roth admitted using the technology during a recent interview with Polygon. Initially, however, Roth made it seem like no AI was used in the film, stating at the time to Polygon, "I have an animation background and I drew it," he said, before continuing, "I worked with an animation team and I wanted it to took and feel like - there's an old Mickey Mouse cartoon where he goes to a haunted house and there's brooms and dancing skeletons and this kind of flowing dancing stuff and the jittery style of the animation. So I drew the loop cycles and the styles. Then I had some animators help kind of make it a little more fluid, and I worked with an artist to give it a bit of an old-timey jittery feel. But I sat there and I drew out the frames that I wanted, and I tried to match the style of the 1920s haunted Mickey Mouse cartoons."

Shortly after, Roth clarified to Polygon that a "very small portion of a few scenes in the film" did use generative AI. He also stated that he "misspoke," adding, "It was an opportunity where technology and creativity came together to help bring my vision for the film to life."

Prior to the controversy surrounding Roth's film, AI has been a hot and intense topic. Right now, there's a fight over the pollution, drain on natural resources, and other issues caused by data centers. Just days ago, Politico ran a story with the headline, "Anger Over Data Centers Is Fueling a New Political Movement." Yet, some cinema icons, including Martin Scorsese, have embraced the technology, to the point he's backing an AI start-up company, Black Forest Labs, that assists with image generation. In a statement to The New York Times, the iconic director said, "I'm interested in the intersection of technology and storytelling, and seeing how that can push the bounds of creativity to create deeper and richer experiences of audiences."

It's also unclear the long-term impact that AI will have on Hollywood and other industries, especially regarding job loss. According to an economic report from June, California employment data pointed to increased job losses in Hollywood, as studios increasingly use AI tools. The employment data from Los Angeles County showed that the motion picture and sound recording industry lost 6,700 jobs in the year up to May 2026 because of the increased integration of AI into production workflows.

In the meantime, it will be up to audiences to decide if they want to see The Ice Cream Man or not. Social media is not real life, but the intense reaction to Roth's comments may indicate that the horror community, at least, still prioritizes human-made projects.

The Ice Cream Man opens in theaters on Friday and follows a sinister ice cream vendor who hands out free treats that turn children into brutal maniacs.