“Catholic Mass, But Make It A Rave”: Inside The Body’s Premiere Afterparty

Fall means UGG boots, absurdly big scarves, cozy dinners, and a new comfort show. Been lacking on the latter? Netflix is here to solve your woes with The Body, out Nov. 11, with a superstar cast of It girls both known and (relatively) unknown to add to your Instagram following list. If you’ve missed binging on high-school drama since Sterling Point ended, this show will fit right into your schedule: A group of Catholic-school cheerleaders (the Lions) in the early 2000s (think Bring It On meets Buffy The Vampire Slayer) take their small town by storm when they decide to make the most of a spooky autumn evening and perform a ritual, shifting the course of their fall semester and the town’s history. The cast includes Sofia Wylie, Sara Boustany, Kristina Bogic, Geena Meszaros, Shirley Chen, and Gabby Windey, all brilliantly directed by showrunner and creator Quinn Shephard.

The biggest must-binge television show of the moment needed a premiere to match, and as Shephard exclusively tells NYLON, the girls took the opportunity to soak it all in: “We were all so nervous for the premiere until Sofia [Wylie] reminded us in the group chat we’re basically just dressing up and partying together. I love my Lions so dearly, and knowing it’s the last night we’ll all have together before the world sees the show is so nostalgic.” That was, indeed, the name of the game, with a premiere at Los Angeles’ Los Feliz 3 Theater followed by a blowout rager at Hotel Lucile. “A night out with the Lions is always unforgettable!!!” Shephard says, and they weren’t the only high-school squad in the room — there were some Yellowjackets in attendance as well.

“Aesthetic goal for the party was the same as for the soundtrack: Catholic mass, but make it a rave,” Shephard says. “Thank you papa Netflix for throwing us a rager.” There were nuns, rosaries, votive candles, Mother Mary statuettes, and lots of lace worn by the cast to channel Madonna by way of a high-school dance. See inside the party with our exclusive pictures captured by the hardest-working party photographer in the business, Myles Hendrik, below.