Regular moviegoers are well familiar with Fathom Entertainment, the company behind nostalgic returns of fan-favorite films to the big screen (including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade later this month). But it also showcases new films from time to time, including a recent festival standout that audiences might not have gotten to see at the theater otherwise. It’s a horror comedy titled Ick that was well-received at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival as well as the 2024 Fantastic Fest (where io9 saw and liked it).
Ick is directed by Joseph Kahn, noted for his extensive resume of stylish music videos as well as previous features like Torque and Bodied. Appropriately, one of Ick‘s standout qualities is its soundtrack, which is stuffed with pop-punk sing-alongs from early 2000s bands (Blink-182, Paramore, etc.)—important nostalgia fodder for the main character, played by Brandon Routh, a high school teacher who’s still longing for his decades-old glory days on the same high school’s football field.
And, of course, since this is a horror movie, the town where said high school is located has a problem described by the movie title: a mysterious and dangerous icky substance that seems to be growing in power.
Check out the trailer:
The cast of Ick also includes Mena Suvari as the Routh character’s former flame, and Malina Weissman as her teenage daughter.
Though it’s only getting a three-day release, that Ick is getting a chance to stretch out on a theatrical screen at all is encouraging news for other smaller, non-franchise horror films. Hopefully this is the start of a trend that will expand audiences for more future cult classics to come.
You can catch Ick in theaters in New York and Los Angeles starting July 24; then, it’ll get a nationwide engagement July 27-29. You can sign up to learn when tickets go on sale at Fathom Entertainment’s website.
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