Corporate Retreat – Movie Review (2/5)

CORPORATE RETREAT is a dark horror comedy about a teambuilding event that goes horribly wrong. It’s not by accident, mind you, but rather by design. In other words, something sinister and deadly is about to go down. Read our Corporate Retreat movie review here!

CORPORATE RETREAT is a horror comedy with a plot so dark and sinister, you’d think it was inspired by Saw. Seriously, the “tasks” the employees have to go through on this HR-planned (but definitely not managed) retreat feel like they could have been planned by Jigsaw himself.

At first, I was entertained and had fun watching this genre hybrid. Unfortunately, it turned out to be too long (even though it’s only 90 minutes), and it gets somewhat stuck. There’s too much of a lull and way too many unlikable characters. It’s a real problem when you start hoping that someone will be the next to die.

Continue reading our Corporate Retreat movie review below. Find it On Demand on July 10, 2026.

Complete the task or die

As revealed by the title of Corporate Retreat, this movie takes place at a team-building retreat meant to help corporate employees bond more. Or rather, these are not your average employees. They are a group of ambitious tech corporate executives, and they do not like to be told what to do.

Well, they’re going to have to get over this. The luxury team-building retreat is set at a remote desert estate and will essentially be hijacked by someone who wants to teach them a lesson.

The employees have several tasks they must overcome or complete. If they don’t, then they will die.

In that sense, I’m sure any horror fan can understand the comparison to the “games” created by John Kramer, AKA Jigsaw. However, as is the case with the “fun games” in the Saw movies, they can survive. It’s just that it requires some rather extreme and deep sacrifices.

Too many unlikable characters

What irks me about Corporate Retreat isn’t so much the plot itself. I am fine with that – even if I do feel it was done much better in the movie The Conference – but the characters are just too annoying. Way too often, I found myself not caring whether they were able to complete the tasks.

Also, even when things went well, sometimes they just gave up, and that annoyed me as well. For the record, I did enjoy the cast, so this was more about how the characters were written.

In Corporate Retreat, you’ll see Alan Ruck and Odeya Rush alongside an ensemble cast featuring Ashton Sanders (Moonlight), Sasha Lane (Twisters), Benjamin Norris, Zion Moreno (Find Your Friends), Tyler Alvarez, Elias Kacavas, Kirby Johnson, and Ellen Toland.

Plus, you’ll see Rosanna Arquette early on, but she isn’t really in a starring role.

Watch Corporate Retreat on VOD

The film is directed by Aaron Fisher (Inside The Rain) and co-written by Kerri Lee Romeo and Aaron Fisher. I also want to note that the special effects makeup was designed and created by British special make-up effects designer Gary J. Tunnicliffe.

The special effects absolutely worked amazingly for Corporate Retreat. Of course, Gary J. Tunnicliff is also known for his work on horror franchises. Not least the Hellraiser series from 1992-2018. Also, I should mention that the score was composed by Anna Drubich (Barbarian).

This horror genre-mix had its worldwide premiere at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. It was also awarded Best Ensemble Cast at the 2026 Fantaspoa festival and opened on 512 screens nationwide during its wide theatrical release in May.

Corporate Retreat is unrated, which won’t surprise anyone who watches it, as the violent and visceral scenes would’ve made for a crazy rating. Does that automatically make it a good horror comedy? Not to me, but I feel confident that others will have a blast with it, so do check it out. This is not a bad movie; it just didn’t impress me.

Corporate Retreat is out on VOD from July 10, 2026.

Details

Director: Aaron Fisher
Writers: Kerri Lee Romeo & Aaron Fisher
Cast: Alan Ruck, Odeya Rush, Ashton Sanders, Rosanna Arquette, Sasha Lane, Benjamin Norris, Zión Moreno, Tyler Alvarez, Elias Kacavas, Kirby Johnson, Ellen Toland