20 Recent Horror Movies That Made ONE Huge Mistake

19. Using Generative AI (And Lying About It) - Ice Cream Man

Eli Roth's new slasher film Ice Cream Man could've simply been another critically panned horror flick that came and went in the blink an eye, if not for the firestorm of controversy Roth ignited with the film's craven use of Generative AI - and his decision to initially lie about it.

In the lead up to the film's release, Roth claimed that several animated sequences throughout the film were created using hand-drawn animation, only to later claim that he "misspoke" and confirm that AI was used in their creation.

But Roth only issued this statement after the AI visual effects company Dark Half was noticed in the film's credits, leaving many to understandably assume that Roth hoped to at-best downplay the level of Gen AI use in the final movie.

Ultimately Ice Cream Man was a critical and commercial flop, and while AI use likely had little impact on its bottom line, it ensures the film has an extra black mark against it beyond just, y'know, being absolutely terrible.