Corporate Retreat Review : One of the worst of 2026

Horror fans have enjoyed some standout films in 2026, making it especially disappointing when a promising concept results in one of the year’s worst offerings in the form of “Corporate Retreat” from

Passage Pictures.

The frustrating aspect of “Corporate Retreat” is that its premise practically sells itself. Imagine the basic setup of “Saw”, but instead of a criminal mastermind, you have an egotistical tech billionaire. A group of corporate executives is locked inside a luxury wellness retreat, and the carnage begins. It’s a pitch that should have fans lining up. Unfortunately, director Aaron Fisher delivers a film that confuses gore for substance and shock value for entertainment.

Alan Ruck stars as a self-absorbed CEO who traps his employees in a deadly spa experience filled with gruesome challenges disguised as team-building exercises. This character is a clear mashup of several real-world tech moguls, spouting self-help nonsense and corporate buzzwords, all while convincing himself that he’s changing lives. While this setup is humorous, the film never evolves beyond that initial joke.

The corporate satire is painfully broad, with low-hanging fruit as the primary targets. The HR representative is exactly as anticipated, the executives are selfish caricatures, and the wealthy CEO is completely detached from reality. We’ve seen sharper commentary on greed and ambition in films like *American Psycho* and *Sorry to Bother You*. *Corporate Retreat* chooses to point at the joke rather than actually tell one.

Then there’s the gore. Let’s be clear: I don’t mind gore at all. I’ve sat through the traps in “Saw”, the mayhem of *Terrifier*, and countless low-budget splatter films. Blood isn’t the issue for me. Gore works best with underlying tension and when we care about the characters involved. In this film, eye-gouging, mutilation, and various acts of bodily destruction become repetitive because there’s no reason to invest in the victims.

Odeya Rush tries her best to inject some humanity into the story, but most characters feel like placeholders waiting for their next brutal end. As a result, the kills only generate a shrug. Worst of all, the once promising Ashton Sanders is relegated to a token role. Real talk, there is no way a brutha would ever put himself in this situation.

Ironically, Ruck emerges as the film’s biggest asset. He understands exactly what kind of absurd movie he’s in and fully commits to the performance. Every time he’s on screen, “Corporate Retreat” threatens to become the darkly funny horror satire it should have been. Unfortunately, the screenplay never rises to the level of his performance.

By the time the credits roll, “Corporate Retreat” feels less like a savage critique of corporate culture and more like a mandatory workplace seminar with extra eyeballs on the floor. There’s blood, screaming, and plenty of carnage, but ultimately, there’s no compelling reason to care.

Grade: F

“Corporate Retreat” is now in limited release.