KOMBUCHA is a Fermented Nightmare of Corporate Horror and Killer Humor - FilmQuest Review
While at the FilmQuest Film Festival, I attended a screening of a crazy little horror flick called Kombucha, and man, this thing was a trip. I went in completely blind with no trailer, no expectations, and walked out with a big grin on my face.
It’s one of those small, wild indie horror movies that you just know is destined to find a cult following. It’s rough around the edges, sure, but it’s clever, funny, gross, and incredibly entertaining.
The movie centers on a mysterious, mind-altering drink that makes employees literally work themselves to death. Kombucha is a sharp, dark comedy-horror that skewers the nightmare of corporate culture, the false promises of “team synergy,” and the slow death of creativity that comes with a soul-sucking day job. Having done my time in the corporate trenches, this one hit close to home.
The film follows Luke (Terrence Carey), a struggling musician whose career isn’t exactly taking off. After running into his old friend Andy (Jesse Kendall), he’s offered a gig at the company, Symbio, which is a trendy, wellness-obsessed corporate beast that’s all smiles on the surface.
Luke reluctantly takes the job after splitting with his girlfriend Elyse (Paige Bourne), who’s tired of waiting for his big break. Things seem great at first, but then his new boss Kelsey (Claire McFadden) insists he try the company’s own brand of kombucha, which is a “custom blend” for their clients, and that’s when everything goes straight to hell.
Once Luke starts drinking the stuff, things spiral fast. His behavior changes. The side effects get worse. The more kombucha he chugs, the more unhinged his mind becomes. Elyse starts to worry, and when she reaches out to the loved one of a former employee who mysteriously died, she discovers Symbio might be running something way more twisted than a wellness program.
From that point on, the movie kicks into overdrive, throwing viewers into a chaotic mix of paranoia, corporate madness, and some gloriously disgusting horror.
What I love about Kombucha is how it turns office life into a literal nightmare. All those forced smiles, fake wellness initiatives, and meaningless buzzwords feel sinister in this world, like a cult pretending to be a company.
It’s a pitch-perfect satire for anyone who’s ever had to nod through a “mandatory fun” meeting while dying inside. The humor lands hard, but it never undermines the horror. Myers builds the tension beautifully, keeping things funny, gross, and wildly uncomfortable all at once.
Visually, the movie feels a lot bigger than its budget. You can tell it’s indie, but it never looks cheap. The production design sells the fake-perfect world of Symbio, and when things start to fall apart, the gore doesn’t hold back. Director Jake Myers, did an awesome job with this movie!
There are some genuinely gnarly moments that are bloody, slimy, and ridiculous in the best ways. It’s got that weird “what am I watching?” energy that makes it hard to look away.
In the end, Kombucha is a smart, grimly funny, and delightfully gross horror satire that absolutely nails its target. It’s a film that understands the everyday horror of trying to survive a toxic workplace and cranks it up to eleven.
It’s not for everyone, but if you’re into weird, witty, indie horror that isn’t afraid to get messy, this one’s worth tracking down when it’s eventually released. I had a fun time watching it, and honestly, I’ll never look at kombucha the same way again.