CORPORATE RETREAT movie poster | ©2026 Passage Pictures

Rating: Not Rated
Stars: Alan Ruck, Odeya Rush, Sasha Lane, Elias Kacavas, Ashton Sanders, Zión Moreno, Benjamin Norris, Tyler Alvarez, Kirby Johnson, Ellen Toland, Rosanna Arquette
Writers: Aaron Fisher and Kerri Lee Romeo
Director: Aaron Fisher
Distributor: Western Film Services/Passage Pictures
Release Date: May 22, 2026 (theatrical); July 10, 2026 (VOD, digital)

In the vein of 2006’s SEVERANCE (the movie, not the streaming series) and 2017’s THE BELKO EXPERIMENT, CORPORATE RETREAT is a horror movie about what happens when business team-building goes very wrong.

In a flash-forward, we see an isolated compound on a mountain above Los Angeles, where several dead bodies are in the swimming pool and on the floor. These are not the only casualties.

We are then introduced to the upper-echelon executives of Immaculate Pond Technologies, heading toward their weekend event with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Onscreen captions helpfully identify the characters for us.

The company’s general counsel, Cliff (Elias Kacavas), hasn’t mentioned to the others that he’s skipping the group bus and driving up in his own convertible. Likewise, Cliff hasn’t told his girlfriend and traveling companion Ginger (Odeya Rush), a grad student going for her degree in abnormal psychology, that they’re off to a romantic getaway, rather than him dragging her along for this professional obligation.

Gathering at the bus as scheduled are Chief Executive Officer Devin (Benjamin Norris), Chief Financial Officer Carl (Ashton Sanders), Chief Human Resources Officer Billie (Kirby Johnson), Chief Technology Officer Omar (Tyler Alvarez), Chief Revenue Officer Deborah (Rosanna Arquette), and Chief Operating Officer Aubrey (Ellen Toland).

From their cars and clothing, we can tell that Immaculate Pond Technologies is doing very well. With the exception of Deborah, these execs are all Gen Z or millennials.

Reference is made to Arthur (Alan Ruck), who used to dictate what happened on corporate retreat weekends. Without him to boss everyone around, the retreat is being run by two enthusiastic young women, Amber (Zión Moreno) and Lola (Sasha Lane).

Amber and Lola want to lead the execs – plus Ginger, since she’s here – through the Seven Gateways, which they promise will bring spiritual fulfillment and enlightenment.

Director Aaron Fisher and his co-scripter Kerri Lee Romeo aren’t coy. They let us know right away something is way off, not just in the flash-forward, but with a murder that occurs seven minutes in and a lie about it shortly afterward that gives us some idea of who is on what side.

Much of the humor comes from some characters who are completely serious about their out-there notions and even the nature of the dangerous games. Straight-faced jokes and survival tactics are rolled together with violence that is not just graphic but potentially stomach-churning, even for gorehounds. Special effects makeup creator Gary J. Tunnicliffe has wrought moments that may be hard for some audience members to watch. This isn’t a criticism – CORPORATE RETREAT clearly wants to make us wince a lot – but it’s hardcore.

CORPORATE RETREAT unspools with momentum. Things get so wacko so fast that we’re sprinting along with the characters, wondering how any of them, even the antagonists, are possibly going to get out of this maniacal mess.

In a satisfyingly adept cast, Ruck is masterfully bonkers, Young is persuasive as someone who isn’t going down without a fight, and Sanders is affecting as a man who just wants to get home to his family.

CORPORATE RETREAT walks its horror-comedy tightrope nimbly. It services its premise and maintains its tone from start to finish, but it’s not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach.

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