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This time of year, athletes are busy training to compete in intense endurance events—marathons or triathlons or obstacle races like the Tough Mudder. But in the indie horror comedy Obstacle Corpse, the obstacles are just the beginning of the deadly challenges for the unsuspecting participants.
Obstacle Corpse follows a group of competitors as they set out to win the Guts & Glory Race of Death. Sunny (Sylvie Mix) is just trying to prove to her disapproving dad that she’s got what it takes to survive the apocalypse—and she’s brought her reluctant best friend, Ezra (Alan Tyson), along for the adventure. But they soon discover that this isn’t just another challenging obstacle race. They were invited by competitors who were given an extra challenge: to murder their guest along the way. And while Sylvie and Ezra fight for survival, yet another threat lurks nearby.
While the race’s organizers take bets from wealthy viewers who are streaming the competition (as someone is always doing in situations like these), the enthusiastic participants set out to tackle one obstacle after another. The challenges themselves may not seem especially grueling (in fact, my 11-year-old has been tackling the same challenges for years at her favorite local park, where the film was shot), but in addition to running through tires and crawling through tunnels, they soon find themselves fighting for their lives. One by one, the invited competitors turn on their guests, who are beaten, stabbed, and otherwise brutally murdered along the way. And, at the same time, a delightfully unhinged food truck driver (Donovan Riley Wolfington) picks off competitors and staff alike.
As the story plays out, writer/director Hope Madden leans into the absurdity of it all, allowing her cast to have a whole lot of fun with the idea of clowns and baseball players and neon-clad wrestlers running around in the woods, taking on a series of challenges before dying in gruesome ways. And, eventually, it’s just a bloody free-for-all. But while it definitely has its share of blood and gore, this isn’t really the kind of horror film that will keep you awake at night—because it’s all so playfully done.
Obstacle Corpse takes an indie budget, a bunch of entertaining characters, and your favorite city park and turns it into a wild—and sometimes wildly comical—adventure. It’s clear that the cast and crew had a blast making it—and that just adds to the film’s entertainment value.
You can join the deadly competition by viewing Obstacle Corpse in select theaters and on demand.
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