VHS Vibes, Punk Screams—and the Worst CG This Side of 2004
Brandon Routh just punched a sentient slime mold—and horror fans are divided. Joseph Kahn, the genre-bending mind behind Detention and Bodied, has dropped the first official trailer for Ick, a PG-13 horror comedy that looks like Stranger Things hooked up with a Blink-182 music video and forgot to use protection.
But here's the thing: it's not the goo you should worry about. It's the VFX—blobby, cheap, aggressively undercooked—that might turn this ride from “fun throwback” into “should've stayed in 2007.”
Three Nights of Mayhem—Mark Your Calendars or Stay Home
This isn't just hype—it's a countdown. Ick slithers into U.S. theaters via Fathom Events for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it run: July 24, then again from July 27–29, 2025. The drop date is no accident. With summer genre fans in full heat and Millennial nostalgia peaking like a Dashboard Confessional chorus, it's clear Ick is aiming to be the ironic sleepover hit of the season.
It's prom night meets body horror, with a soundtrack that screams “Hot Topic 2006”: Paramore, Blink-182, All-American Rejects. But will Gen Z care—or will they just meme it to death?
This Changes Nothing (and That Might Be the Point)
Kahn isn't chasing awards here. He's chasing chaos. The premise? A sentient alien goo—“The Ick”—has been quietly spreading across America for twenty years. Now it's ready to ooze into the spotlight, and only a washed-up science teacher (Routh) and his too-smart student (Malina Weissman) stand in the way.
But don't expect The Thing or The Faculty. This is PG-13 horror—the kind that winks more than it wounds. The trailer's tone is irreverent, the visuals candy-colored, and the mood lands somewhere between Are You Afraid of the Dark? and an adult swim fever dream.
It's not high art. It's high camp. And honestly? That might be its only defense.
Inside Joke or Inside Job? The Hidden Nostalgia Game
Here's what most people missed: Ick is less about alien goo than it is about generational rot. The monster isn't just a metaphor—it is the metaphor. A slick, creeping embodiment of millennial burnout, cultural stagnation, and “meh” apocalypse vibes. This is a movie where the monster grows slowly, unnoticed, while adults just… let it happen. Sound familiar?
And Grace, the sharp student at the center? She might be the ultimate Gen Z heroine: sardonic, emotionally allergic, and ready to roast her mom (played by Mena Suvari) harder than the alien.
It's the Millennial version of Goosebumps—but grungier, gloopier, and with way more eyeliner.
Would You Watch This or Burn $20? No Judgment (Some Judgment)
Genius or garbage? Depends on how much irony you can stomach. For every viewer who vibes with Ick's chaotic blend of high school melodrama, alien goo, and mall-punk throwbacks, there'll be another dry-heaving at the CG tentacles.
Still, for three nights only, it's your chance to relive prom night—slimier, sadder, and with a power chord kick to the teeth.
