Corporate Animals is a horror comedy film directed by Patrick Brice, starring Demi Moore, Jessica Williams, Ed Helms, Karan Soni, and Dan Bakkedahl. The movie was released in 2019 and revolves around Lucy Vanderton, the CEO of Incredible Edibles, an American company that sells edible food utensils.
Lucy is struggling to increase the company’s sales at the end of the year, failing which the company will be declared bankrupt. To motivate her employees to sell more products, Lucy organizes an outing to New Mexico, a deserted and barren desert. Lucy intends to unite her employees to work better together and provide them with experiences that will bring them closer.
The employees of Incredible Edibles, including Jess, Freddie, Derek, Aidan, Billy, Gloria, and Suzy, are taken for the outing. Lucy immediately instructs them to move a large rock, but their first attempt fails. On their second attempt to move the rock, it falls on a tree, breaking its trunk and injuring Aidan’s leg.
Brandon, the tour guide, suggests that they should climb a mountain using an easy route for beginners. However, Lucy insists that they take a more challenging route that leads them through a cave with large boulders. They enter the cave with only a small generator to light their path. While inside the cave, an earthquake shakes the ground, and Brandon panics, trying to escape by running towards the entrance. Unfortunately, he is killed by a falling rock. Lucy and her employees are now trapped inside the cave.
The situation deteriorates, and relationships between the employees start to crumble. Aidan begins to hallucinate, and Freddie confesses that his relationship with Lucy is not organic, but he was forced to do so, ultimately leading to his resentment towards her. The employees also uncover Lucy’s financial situation regarding the company, and the more secrets they uncover, the more they grow to hate her. But Lucy defends her actions, denying their accusations and reveals her selfish and manipulative nature.
Despite being stuck in the cave, Lucy and her employees continue to struggle with the strained relationships between them. They begin to feel hungry, and the only person with food is Adrian. When the food runs out, they have no other choice but to eat Brandon’s body. When they try to divide his body parts, they notice that Brandon’s arm is missing. Upon investigation, they discover that Lucy had hidden it, intending to eat it alone. Her actions are discovered, and tensions rise between her and the remaining employees.
Suddenly, the generator dies, and the cave is plunged into darkness. With no outside help or communication, Lucy and her employees are now trapped in the cave without any light. As the employees fight for survival, they realize that their most significant challenge is to overcome their differences and work together to find a way out of the cave.
Corporate Animals highlights the brutal working conditions of startup companies, including high targets and tough competition. The film uses satire to criticize the corporate world and the behavior of CEOs like Lucy, who disregard the well-being of their employees for the sake of their profits.
Despite the critical observations on corporate behavior, the film’s humor does not always hit its mark. The plot is predictable, and the tension between the characters seems forced. But still, it is an enjoyable horror comedy film that manages to hold the viewer’s attention, even with its somewhat lacking execution.
In conclusion, Corporate Animals is an entertaining comedy horror film that critiques the brutal realities of the corporate world. Although it suffers from a predictable plot and forced tension, it manages to provide its audience with some moments of black comedy that will leave them amused.
