This week OWC writer Adam Holtzapfel takes us back to a 2006 for a look at the underrated British horror flick Severance.
by Adam Holtzapfel
With recent releases of work place horror like The Belko Experiment, Bloodsucking Bastards, and Mayhem it prompted me to go back and take a look at Severance.
This 2006 British flick clocking in at 96 minutes is one I had forgotten about. I remember really enjoying it when I first saw it, but never going back to revisit it, which was a mistake.
Written by James Moran with a screenplay written by Moran with director Christopher Smith this film takes viewers on a ride that makes them part of the team.
Following an office team building retreat we see employees picked off one by one as they stay in a remote cabin in the mountains. The first shot of the film is two women trapped in a hole in the ground as a man has his throat slit. This immediately let’s you know this isn’t your dad or grandfather’s typical slasher in the woods flick.
From there the coach driver leaves the employees Palisades stranded on the side of the road to find the cabin themselves. During this we find out some of these mother fuckers are tripping balls. We’re not saying to eat shrooms, but if you do this isn’t the ideal situation to indulge in them.
As the team finds the Palisades Luxury Lodge they’re treated to the typical moral building speech of I can’t spell success without you. Once that wraps up they go off on their own discovering a pool covered in leaves and a basement with hidden files.
While looking over the files, discussion begins of the lodge being a former Russian asylum. Queue the flashbacks, upstairs a pie is discovered and served with dinner. This leads to Richard chipping his tooth on a bone in the pie. Seriously kids, how many times do we have to tell you not to eat the mystery pie.
From here you can guess where the film goes. What works for it is the story, the fx, the kill scene, and how it builds tension. This film has aged really well and holds up 13 years later.
Pair this with the above mentioned films for a night of at least your day at the office wasn’t this fucked up marathon.
Using the Dead On Movie Reviews letter grade system this gets a strong B in my book. This should have a home in any genre fans collection.
