Fantasia Film Festival 2026 – Corpus starts in the seedy New York club scene where we meet Sayo (Jeff Wahlberg). A nightlife photographer and drug dealer, Sayo runs into manipulative old flame Vince (Brodie Townsend) while snapping pics on the dance floor. This fateful run in will land Sayo an invite to a party in upstate New York and into a wild body horror nightmare. Written by Lily Cowles and Corrin Evans, with Evans directing, Corpus is a lurid tale of beauty and survival at any cost. It’s a moody, queer erotic thriller thick with mystery that works despite the occasional slump in pacing here and there.
Sayo is nice. A little too nice. In fact it seems that once he hits the club he’s giving out more samples than he is selling. He might be a pushover for his clients and club owners, but his boundaries are firm with Vince. A rising male model, Vince gets nearly everything he wants with his looks. After being invited to a weekend party in upstate New York Vince begs Sayo to join him as a personal photographer. The two jump into a convertible with party pal, Ross (Michael Vlamis,) and the three look forward to remote rager filled with drugs, booze, and stunning models everywhere. Then they arrive at the mansion.
Nearly empty, the massive estate crumbles around it’s three inhabitants. Wren (Nuha Jes Izman) is the first to find the men. She greets them carrying a beheaded chicken. Next we meet Billie (Lily Cowles,) A photographer that extended the invitation to Vince, and her partner Cata (Ching Valdes-Aran). Vince asks his hosts about the party and is told that they decided to keep things intimate. Dinner is served and there is a welcoming, yet mysterious vibe, almost ceremonial. The mood breaks when the wine and drugs appear and the party, though small, starts popping off.
Still we know things are about to go south, but how? We are given small clues here and there, but nothing solid. Cowles and Evans are far too in love with the anticipation than they are in the actual revea. We are made to sit through long scenes of vacant stares and obtuse developments but eventually the trap is revealed and the real horrors begin.
I can honestly say that Corpus, once it got going, was surprisingly original. A totally original concept that explores carnal desire as much as the power we give it. As we follow Sayo and Vince through their weekend from hell, Cowles and Evans remember to write these characters as a pair with a complicated history. For their part, Wahlberg and Townsend translate the script into performances that are giving both familiarity and comfort despite the resentment. You hope that, at some point, Vince might rise from his shallow vanity and see Sayo as more than another trick to manipulate.
As I said before, Corpus delivered with a truly original concept and a respectable level of substance. While a bit repetitive in its build up, it makes up for it with a fun third act that hits you with a few very cool surprises.
