Title: Corpus
First Non-Festival Release: TBD
Director: Corrin Evans
Writer: Lily Cowles, Corrin Evans
Runtime: 102 Minutes
Starring: Jeff Wahlberg, Brodie Townsend, Lily Cowles
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2026.
Amidst the dreamy blur of the late 90s club scene, Corpus follows Sayo (Jeff Wahlberg), a nightlife photographer and drug dealer dragged to a secretive party upstate by his best friend Vince, (Brodie Townsend), whom he not-so-secretly has feelings for. Joined by their buddy Ross (Michael Vlamis), the three intrepid men make haste to arrive on-time. Once there, they meet their hosts: Billie (Lily Cowles), Cata (Ching Vales-Aran), and Wren (Nuha Jes Izman). The party, held for some niche festival that the men are unfamiliar with, is intimate. Drugs, sexual tension, and provocation fuel the gradually changing relationships between the six people before transforming into something far more sinister than Sayo and his friends could ever imagine.
Corpus is a glittering, sensual supernatural horror film that delights with its dazzling imagery and seductive approach to storytelling.
Erotic horror with a supernatural twist, Corpus takes its relatively familiar setup and leads audiences to interesting places through its naturally compelling story while grappling with questions on identity and sexuality. Its creepy, remote setting serves as an isolating factor for its characters, keeping them vulnerable to the elements and each other. Corpus doesn’t do much with its setting – much of the action takes place in or just outside the mansion – and instead focuses on building up the relationships of its characters. Preferring nuance and strained relationships, the complexity of the relationships shows up primarily in Sayo and Vince.
The two make for a fascinating couple to follow. Anchored by Corpus’s coy approach to their development, the two men clash as much as they careen. Each time they feel the magnetic pull of their attraction force too much, they, almost always Vince, pull away, often denigrating their very apparent chemistry. Corpus handles this deftly. Relying heavily on dialogue, Corpus operates in the ambiguity, conveying emotion without ever getting too heavy handed or expository. It’s a sad bit of authenticity given to its queer characters, especially in the 90s, but works even mores because of the antagonists of Corpus.
Much of Corpus works because of the performances. Deftly capturing each specific moment in time, the cast works overtime in their portrayals. Since the events of Corpus rely on multiple performances to make it feel real, the pressure is on. Thankfully, each player brings their A-game. None are as scintillating as Brodie Townsend. Townsend’s take on the aspirational closeted gay leads to some truly perplexing [positive] and exciting moments in the film. His ability to capture the exact energy necessary to embody a character like Vince makes Corpus work by establishing him as the ultimate desirable object of Sayo’s affection and attention, even though it is bad for him.
A film about sexuality above all else, Corpus pits its coven of witches against the men in a fresh, grounded manner. Possession, rituals, and drugs aid in the witch’s goals of obtaining eternal youth. Preying on the crass sexuality of their male guests, the witches take their time buttering them up with compliments and promises, often using their wealth as in implication to satisfy their desires. And it’s in desire that Corpus finds itself exploring these themes.
The individual bodies of the characters in Corpus are less important than how they blend into each other. Steeped in mystique and horniness, the true nature of the danger is kept relatively hidden from the hapless men and audiences to the film’s benefit. Relationships blossom and degrade over hours, the sticky nature of their pasts constantly at odds with the respective goals of the two factions. Corpus juxtaposes the fluidity of sex and gender with the shifting nature of each character’s circumstances as they change throughout the night thanks to the supernatural powers used against them.
Visually, Corpus takes this idea and executes its brilliantly. The hazy, blurry cinematography evokes the feeling of intoxication and desire without overstaying its welcome. Bright, warm, and snowy, the imagery of Corpus is both provocative and captivating. It props up the sexier elements of the film while never forgetting its intentions as a horror film. Great use of light and shadows, especially in the nighttime shots, allows each chase and ritual to feel as terrifying as it looks. One particular chase scene manages to make the daytime forest feel threatening when paired with the other grounded genre elements.
Corpus is a shining example of how independent horror films do not have to reinvent the wheel to deliver something interesting and good. Strong character work, beautiful cinematography, and fascinating story development helps this low-fi, witchy thriller punch well above its weight. It suffers a bit from pacing issues and a lightness to its antagonists, but Corpus charms with its simmering, splendid take on supernatural horror. Put Corpus on your watchlist so you can focus on what you desire most: supporting unique, well-crafted independent horror.
Overall Score? 7/10
