ICK Review – Joseph Kahn’s Punk Rock Creature Feature Is Loud, Slimy, and Fun

Brandon Ruff and Mena Suvari face chaotic, gooey terror in Joseph Kahn’s monster mash ICK.

Review: ICK – Joseph Kahn’s Chaotic, Punk Rock Monster Mash Is As Annoying As It Is Fun

Joseph Kahn’s ICK, co-written by Dan Koontz, Samuel Laskey and Kahn himself, is the kind of monster movie that dares you to either love it or hate it. Starring Brandon Routh as former high school quarterback Hank and Mena Suvari as his sweetheart Stacey, the film takes small-town nostalgia, social media satire, and gooey creature-feature chaos, and throws it all into a blender at full speed. The result? A messy, loud, and ridiculously entertaining ride that feels like The Blob colliding with Slither—while someone live-tweets it.

The story revolves around an ever-growing organism known only as “The Ick,” which begins infecting a town (and potentially beyond), turning its victims into flesh-eating monsters. The narrative is cut with hyper-fast editing, whip-smart one-liners, and a relentless comedic pace that either lands perfectly or wears you down. At times, it feels like Kevin Williamson’s high school archetypes crash headfirst into a punk rock mixtape of monster mayhem—and the film knows exactly what it’s doing.

Is it annoying? Absolutely. But that’s kind of the point. There’s a gleeful, self-aware chaos at play that makes it impossible to look away, even during its most over-caffeinated moments. Between the rapid-fire humor, gooey creature effects, and the film’s unapologetic energy, ICK thrives in its own messy, dive-bar, midnight-movie aesthetic.

The ensemble cast adds plenty of punch, with standout performances from Melina Pauli Weissman as Grace, the sharp, rebellious final girl, Harrison Cone as her painfully overcorrect boyfriend Dylan, and Peter Wong as Grace’s father Ted Kim—caught up in his own awkward small-town entanglements.

Sure, the editing is frantic and the story often darts in too many directions, but it’s also a hell of a good time. ICK is a creature feature built for fans of ‘80s and ‘90s punk rock horror, the type of movie you’d watch in a sticky-floored dive theater at midnight with a rowdy crowd. It’s loud, silly, and utterly self-aware.

For me, it lands at 3 out of 5 stars—annoying in all the right ways and absolutely worth watching if you want a fun, monster-filled thrill ride that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Catch it in limited theaters now or keep an eye out for its inevitable streaming release.

If you’re into chaotic energy, slime-drenched monsters, and horror-comedy that revels in its own absurdity, ICK is pure, gooey fun.