Ice Nine Kills just dropped a new merch promo, and instead of showing off the actual gear or — heaven forbid — hiring a real artist, they’ve gone full mid-tier AI to do the job.
The result is a janky fever dream featuring a poorly rendered Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees hanging out in what looks like an off-brand horror lounge designed by an algorithm having a panic attack.
The band posted the AI-generated image to Instagram to hype up their merch sale, and fans clocked it almost instantly. Knives upside down. Freddy holding… what exactly? Bottles that defy all logic and physics. And a side table full of “objects” that don’t even try to pretend to be real. It’s not just uncanny — it’s lazy.
You don’t need software to tell you it’s AI, but if you’re curious, people ran the image through detection tools like WasItAI and HiveModeration. Spoiler: it’s AI. But really, the red flags are right there. Weird anatomy, physics-defying props, and a total lack of the gritty detail you’d get from, say, an actual human who lives and breathes horror design.
Plenty of fans on Reddit have already called it out, and the general vibe is pretty unified: why not just use your own merch photos? Or better yet, pay an artist who probably grew up worshipping Freddy and Jason and could bring this idea to life with some actual flair and intention?
As of now, Ice Nine Kills hasn’t commented on the backlash. Maybe they’re hoping it’ll slide under the radar, but for a band that prides itself on theatrics, gore, and horror-fan devotion, this just feels tone-deaf.
AI has its place. But when your whole brand is built on cinematic detail and killer visuals, using a lifeless, generated image to sell shirts isn’t just a bad look — it’s missing the entire point.
Support your scene. Hire an artist. This ain’t it.
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