Severance (2006)

Rating: 6.5/10

A team-building weekend in the European countryside turns into a gorefest as the sales reps of an international arms dealer are hunted down, one by one.

Before delving any deeper, I'd like to go over my relationship with this film. I first watched it when I was about 14 and was going through a real horror phase. Around this time, Saw and Hostel were hitting theatres, and there was a bit of goremania running through Hollywood. My dad and I went to the local Blockbuster as we did every Saturday, and when my eyes washed over the provocative DVD cover, I was sold. Begging and pleading with my dad to let me rent it, he finally gave in and went to the counter with an ounce of frustration. He didn't really like me watching films like this, I would typically try my luck and cheekily place a pack of Haribos on the counter as the spotty teen was finding the DVD disk, but given the circumstance, I rightfully didn't push my luck. After watching this film, all I wanted to do was watch it again. In my teenage mind, it was fresh, hilarious, and wicked. What more could a 14-year-old boy wish for? I must have seen it another 3 or 4 times before returning it to my local Blockbuster (RIP). At the age of 27, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and revisit Severance. Until now, I believed my fondness for this film was all down to my immature teenage brain but watching it in 2021, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Now don't get me wrong, it's not groundbreaking and it's not without its flaws, but it's just plain fun. Although I must admit, it's a bit too much gore for me these days. Other than that, I still found it hilarious and full of suspense without having lots of cheap jump scares. Nobody does horror comedy like the British, and while this one is a little of its time, I have no doubt it'll scratch that itch.

We open on the sales reps watching a Palisade promotional video while driving through a wooded area. We learn that Palisade supplies all sorts of military weapons to armies around the world. From the onset, it's obvious that this film is full of horror archetypes. We have the blonde bombshell, the uptight boss, the organised rule lover, and the fool. As a teen, Danny Dyer's Steve was definitely my favorite part of the film and watching it today, not much has changed. We've seen this type of idiotic laid-back character dozens of times, but Danny Dyer just does a great job here. I think it's down to good writing, capturing the essence of the cockney bloke, and Danny himself doing what he does best. Although these characters have been seen repeatedly, there's something a little special about this ensemble. The gang are soon stranded and need to make their way to the cabin on foot. After a bit of bickering and further establishing who these characters are, they are led to a crooked old cabin, and it's here where they will need to fight for their lives.

The first act is hilarious and packed with lots of laughs. As we get into the midpoint, the gags are less and less frequent as the horror elements are heightened, but they do an outstanding job in maintaining the tone and keeping the film authentic and coherent. I adored the movie until about 10 minutes from the end. At this point, I felt like it just really lost a lot of steam, perhaps it was the change in the group's dynamic as characters die off, but I can't help but think the writers may have struggled to wrap the story up.

Conclusion

Severance encapsulates British humor at its finest while simultaneously making a great slasher. Considering the genre, the story is pretty good too. Sit back, grab a drink, enjoy the dark humor and the grotesqueness of the violence. This is an absolute belter of a horror-comedy.