I recently watched a 2006 horror comedy called Severance. The films gets right down to business, starting things off with a forest chase scene where two sexy girls fall into a trap, and giving the viewer a taste of the upcoming gore by displaying a middle-aged man trying to save his own skin instead of helping the girls. Shortly thereafter he gets his comeuppance by getting stabbed in the belly. I like this film already.
Severance is a film about how a group of employees to a weapons manufacturing corporate go team building somewhere in the mountains of Eastern Europe. It is obvious from the start the motley crew – an incompetent manager, a competent assistant, a handsome jerk, a nerdy lady, a happy camper, a stoner and an anorectic hot American – can barely stand each other. They are less than thrilled at a prospect of a team building weekend (and if you've ever been to one of those, you'll know how they feel). Their only common factor seems to be the disdain for their brown-nosing manager. As the road gets cut off, the group takes a short-cut through the woods, despite the fact the local driver refuses to go down that route, and rather throws them out of the bus. They are left with little choice but to try to find the luxury lodge on foot. They do end up at a lodge which is somewhat lacking in the hot spa and luxury department... Not long after, people start getting killed.
Boy, do they learn team building.
There is something wonderfully gritty about British films. They feel more real than those gleamed-to-perfection Hollywood productions where the protagonist is always good-looking, and everything happens in perfect shooting conditions, and the heroine's make-up never fails. The difference is probably cultural more than a matter of film-making ability: British sense of humour tends to be dry, black, and mostly focuses on things that go wrong. The wonder of the film is that no matter how gruesome the action gets – and believe me, it does get gruesome – that tiny little tickle that makes you think it's actually pretty funny when someone's leg gets chopped off by a bear trap is weaved in so subtly you find yourself laughing before you even realise how sick it is. Brilliant! The film is well-paced and offers some of the best horror flick one-liners I've heard for a while. “Shall I make a cup of tea?” - ha! No? I guess you had to be there.
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Article comments
1 - Gary
This was a well written article. If you wanted to succeed in getting me interrested in seeing this movie, consider it a success. As for a suggestion to a really scary movie, have you seen Eden Lake? Or Last House on the Left? These titles are at least guarenteed to cause some chest tightness on your part. No? Then you are what we call a "hard ass". Great review!
2 - Laura T
Thanks, Gary! I'm glad you enjoyed the article and, if you get around to watching the film, I hope you won't be disappointed.
I haven't seen either of your suggestions, but rest assured I've added them to my list of "Is It Scary Yet?" films to watch. There shall be further reporting on my excursion to the dark side of the film business...!