Muscle Beach (2026)
Director: Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman
Cast: Ike Catcher, Lindsey Normington, Kirk Baltz, Farley Jackson, Max Hawksford
Did you know? To prepare for his role as Abe, the lead actor spent three months living out of a van on Venice Beach and trained alongside real local bodybuilders, many of whom appear as background extras in the gym and pier scenes.
Why Watch: “Muscle Beach” isn’t just a bodybuilding drama—it’s a sun-scorched noir where ripped physiques hide ancient secrets and a missing friend points to something sinister beneath the waves. With its eerie blend of steroid-era tension, supernatural dread, and a raw, emotional comeback story, this film swaps the usual gym montages for a haunting descent into Venice Beach’s dark underbelly. Perfect for fans of “The Beach” meets “Under the Silver Lake,” it’s the year’s most muscular—and most mysterious—must-watch.
After burning bright and crashing hard in Hollywood, legendary bodybuilder Abe heads back over the 405 to Venice Beach, the place where his journey began. But the familiar boardwalk now feels foreign—a sharp, toxic edge rides the ocean breeze, a wave of mysterious overdoses has the gym crowd on edge, and eerie sightings on the pier whisper of something ancient stirring beneath Venice’s sunlit surface. To make things worse, Jay—his former lifting partner, old roommate, and the friend he left behind in his climb to stardom—has vanished. Now Alice, Jay’s ex and Abe’s own past love, is left to care for their infant son alone.