A band carving out its own niche and sticking with the schtick takes a lot of guts, especially if they know not everyone will get what they do. That is the case with Ice Nine Kills, a band that works a lot of horror-themed material into their brand of metal.
Vocalist Spencer Charnas and his mates have released songs that aren't simply takes on horror films, but those are also far from their most memorable. Plus, albums such as The Silver Scream easily adapt to live performances. The band has co-headlined tours, of course, but isn't afraid to open for metal gods like Slipknot, either.
Pushing the act one step further, though, Ice Nine Kills won't only likely be releasing a new album in 2026, but the band could be working on its first horror film, too. The film is set to be called The Slashin' of the Christ. The script has been written, but the project has no director or cast yet.
Ice Nine Kills set to release a new album and working on a movie in 2026
The script was written by Charnes, as well as Paul Soter (Super Troopers, Club Dread), and the producer will be Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead), as well as Charnas. While the project might seem like a stretch for a metal band, it isn't too much of one, it seems.
After all, both Dave Grohl and Rob Zombie have released their own horror films, and both were pretty good. The key is not to try to sell the film as a remake of Citizen Kane. Instead, it should be fun for those making the movie and fans who go to see it.
As Charnas told Metal Hammer, "Like everything we do, there’s horror, there’s violence, but there’s a wink to the camera. We’re not taking ourselves too seriously."
The wink is the important part, at least in theory. The key is to have the film seems like a straight piece of work. Too much of a nod to a knowing audience could make the project far too campy. Films like The Naked Gun work because the audience already knows it is in on the joke before watching the film. The filmmakers don't need to double-down on that.
The other trick Ice Nine Kills must pull off is coming up with something totally original. Their horror-themed music is fun, but often takes on horror classics. The brilliance of the music and Charnas's vocal ability is what makes their metalcore worth a listen.
Even if the film is a dud (and that's a big if; the movie could be quite good), at least fans can assume the new album will not be. Ice Nine Kills rarely releases a bad song.