Fantaspoa 2026 Review: Labyrinth of Lost Boys (2026) by Matheus Marchetti

Director: Matheus Marchetti

Year: 2026

Country: Brazil

Alternate Titles: Labirinto dos Garotos Perdidos

Genre: Slasher

Plot:

Desperate to grow as a person, a man decides to leave his small-town home and head to the city, where he begins a series of sexual experiences with the local men around him, unaware that a savage killer is out in the city targeting men like him and forcing him to stop the rampage.

Review:

Overall, this was a decent enough if slightly troubling genre effort. Among the best attributes within this one comes from the film’s open embrace and outright dwelling in the exploits of a gay youth coming to terms with the depravity of city life. Presented with the idea of the guy arriving from the country as a virgin and trying to become at one with the community that he finds himself a part of, this allows him to become immersed in the sexual underground of a section of the city that’s only too willing to indulge him. Even though it’s plainly obvious his nervousness and reserved nature are a product of his virgin status and doing what he can to indulge in the kinkier and freer group around him, the scenes of him enjoying the exploits of those willing to humor him include the use of toys, phallic objects being used in their proclivities, and hooking up with strangers in their house while others are outside unaware. This kind of approach allows him to learn more about who he is and what he wants out of life, telling an immensely important story in an extremely effective and immersive style that’s occasionally broken up by the belief that a serial killer targeting those around him might mean he’s next.

There are a few drawbacks here that hold this down. The biggest issue with this one is, strangely, those series of erotic touches throughout here that provide the film with more of a gay drama than a genuine genre effort. As mentioned, the idea of the content itself is fine, with the whole thing presenting an erotically charged atmosphere, open and reveling in the material it provides, but it does so at the expense of the more slashing experiences that are wanted in this kind of setup. Going around from random hookup to hookup, looking to expand his sexual boundaries with a variety of lovers and scenarios, makes for a sluggish start for those looking to see a bit of bloodletting occur as the balance is shifted extremely in that one direction. Rather than go for the obvious route in making it appear that one of his experiences is with the killer himself, which draws him into the line of fire, these are more about how much sexual pleasure can be obtained, all the while stories about a killer stalking gay men like him are continuously brought up yet never explored to the degree the sexual encounters are. While this is very much the point, that disparaging shift is a bit disconcerting and holds it up slightly.

Overview: ***/5

An immensely effective if somewhat flawed genre effort, this one serves much better as a queer drama than an outright genre effort since those are the drawbacks this one comes with. Viewers who appreciate what’s trying to accomplish or who don’t mind these kinds of genre efforts will have the most to like here, while most others out there will want to heed caution.

This review ran as part of coverage of the 2026 Fantaspoa Film Festival.