Ice Nine Kills are back with another cinematic spectacle, this time stepping into Gotham City’s darkly twisted world with their new single The Laugh Track, a ferocious love letter to Tim Burton’s Batman and its iconic villain, the Joker. The track and its accompanying film-style music video are a perfect storm of metal, horror, and theatre, starring Scream legend Matthew Lillard, Phil Morris (Seinfeld, Doom Patrol), and returning collaborator Terry Kiser (Weekend at Bernie’s).
Spencer Charnas, the mastermind behind Ice Nine Kills, says The Laugh Track is inspired by Jack Nicholson’s unforgettable Joker performance from Batman (1989). “Why be a brooding bat when you can have the last laugh?” Charnas said. “Batman ‘89 took comic book material seriously, but it was never afraid to have fun. That balance of dark and playful is what we channel in Ice Nine Kills.”
The track’s heavy riffs, orchestral undertones, and maniacal energy mirror Burton’s gothic vision of Gotham. With lyrics referencing the Joker’s signature chaos and twisted humour, the song feels like a love letter to the golden era of comic-book cinema. The music video dives even deeper into that universe, mixing vintage noir with the band’s signature blood-splattered spectacle.
Lillard’s appearance adds an extra layer of cult energy. Known for his genre-defining roles in Scream and Five Nights at Freddy’s, he’s no stranger to horror fandom. His inclusion continues Ice Nine Kills’ tradition of blending metal with Hollywood horror mythology, a formula that has defined the band since their 2018 breakout album The Silver Scream.
The song follows the success of The Great Unknown, a track inspired by The Matrix, and A Work of Art, which was featured in Terrifier 3, the highest-grossing unrated film ever made. Both singles expanded the band’s self-contained “INKverse”, a world of interconnected videos, stories, and Easter eggs spanning albums, graphic novels, and conventions.
Ice Nine Kills have created an immersive horror-meets-metal culture through The Silver Scream and its sequel Welcome to Horrorwood, spawning gold-certified singles such as A Grave Mistake and earning global acclaim for their elaborate stage shows. They’ve toured with Slipknot, performed alongside Metallica on the M72 World Tour, and were crowned Rock Sound’s Best Live Act.
To coincide with The Laugh Track, Ice Nine Kills also launched Horrorwood Reserve, a new whiskey collaboration between Charnas and Lillard through Lillard’s company, Macabre Spirits. The bourbon, described as “the liquid soundtrack to your favourite slasher flick,” is aged five years in American oak and packaged in collector’s boxes designed by the band’s visual artist Michael Cortada. Two limited-edition sets-Golden Age and Silver Scream-include unique bottle toppers and celebrity cocktail cards.
The whiskey was officially unveiled at this year’s Silver Scream Con 4 in Worcester, which drew nearly 13,000 fans and featured appearances by WWE’s Rhea Ripley and The Walking Dead director Greg Nicotero. Lillard surprised the crowd by announcing his role in the INKverse during an Ice Nine Kills panel, further cementing the band’s grip on the horror-metal crossover world.
Spencer Charnas’ creative ventures continue to expand, with his Pretty Evil personal care line and upcoming feature film The Slashin’ of the Christ, co-written with Super Troopers writer Paul Soter and produced by Nicotero and Brian Witten.
Fans can catch Ice Nine Kills live when they headline a When We Were Young sideshow in Las Vegas on October 17, followed by their set at this year’s WWWY Festival. The band then heads to Europe for a headline run leading up to Silver Scream London on December 13 and 14, marking their first overseas edition of the horror convention.
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