Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5731 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-01-08
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Reviews
If a weekend of team building exercises in the woods sounds like your personal idea of torture, spare a thought for the poor pen pushers of Severance. As if the obligatory paintball and trust exercises weren’t enough, there’s a killer lurking outside their cabin--a killer holding a grudge against the unsuspecting employees of Palisade Defense...

Severance is one of the best British horror movies to come out of the last couple of years. It’s smarter than it has any right to be; screenwriter James Moran neatly sidesteps the numerous clichés littering the genre, balancing eye-watering gore with almost surreal humour, while Creep helmer Chris Smith’s assured direction sells even the daftest (and cruellest) moments.

Smith also draws great performances from a talented cast, including Dead Like Me’s Laura Harris, Black Adder’s Darling Tim McInnerny, and Danny Dyer of Mean Machine and The Football Factory.

Horror fans will lap this up; those lacking an iron stomach might watch some scenes from behind laced fingers, but will appreciate the fast-paced action and black humour nonetheless.--Sarah Dobbs

Synopsis
Seven colleagues from Palisade Defence embark on a team-building weekend away in Hungary only to find their holiday being sabotaged by a mysterious enemy. A motley group of employees from the company find themselves abandoned in a spooky forest when their coach driver refuses to continue to their destination. The group includes sycophantic manager Richard (Tim McInnerny, Darling in BLACKADDER), driven supervisor Maggie (Laura Harris, 24), and drug-taking joker Steve (Danny Dyer, THE BUSINESS). The septet quickly get lost. After taking some Mexican magic mushrooms, Steve swears that a balaclava-clad man crept up on him. Maggie dismisses Steve's alarm as a side-effect of the hallucinogenic drugs. The group come across an unwelcoming concrete building and decide to set up base there. When one of the group discovers a room filled with files in Russian and stamped with a logo similar to Palisade's, a number of conspiracy theories are suggested. When members of the group start being tracked down by an enemy intent on violence, the group realise that one of the theories may not be so ludicrous. The first half of SEVERANCE is played as a straight comedy, making an initial impression that the film is trying to be a holiday special of THE OFFICE, albeit with broader characterisation. Much like HOSTEL, the film switches half way through and becomes a bloody and gory horror film. Christopher Smith--who made the terrifying CREEP--has made a film that is not only packed full of humour but also features some inventively nasty scenes of bloodshed.

Customer Reviews

Not bad at all!
The plot is nice and simple. A (predominantly English) sales division working for a multinational weapons corporation are sent on a team building exercise in Hungary only to find themselves stuck in a dense forest where they are being hunted by a merciless European gang.

While Severance doesn't do anything particularly wrong, there are of course a couple of faults. Any work environment has to have some pretty unlikeable characters so it's unavoidable to feel less sorry for some when the killings start. Toby Stephens is undoubtedly one of the finest actors around, but he's yet to play a role in a successful film that really does him justice. Utterly capable and ever reliable Tim McInnerny (of legendary Blackadder fame) is amiable enough, but it's Danny Dyer that gets most of the punchy one-liners as the part-druggie, part-chav cheeky chappie he's grown accustomed to playing. Thankfully, cute Laura Harris hasn't been cast as the 'is she or isn't she the villain all along?' as it's really time she ditched that and moved on.

The two distinct genres don't always make for a happy marriage and eventually the tone shifts over to deadpan. At least one line is stolen from elsewhere but there's a couple of shots that felt like homages rather than plagiarism. There's more than enough laughs and nasty moments to fill both audience preferences. The fast pace means Severance doesn't risk outstaying a welcome, the special effects team did a great job and the camera work is suitably snappy. The only real risk is hype as anyone expecting anything other than a night out with a few grim moments and some genuine belly laughs will leave wondering what the fuss is about. Try to avoid thinking about where these guys took their inspiration from too as that wouldn't do anyone any good either. A solid 3 star experience that hopefully has some extra bits come home-entertainment time.

Pure entertainment
I recently invested in an unlimited pass for the cinema and have since tried to see as many films as possible. I can safly say that this is one of the best so far next to Scorcese's "The Departed".
Good performances all round, a good script and overall good pacing make this film never boring. It may be a tad predictable in the 'whos gonna die next' kinda way and the romantic subplot, but the fun is in seeing how it unravels. There are some genuinely funny moments which contrast nicly with some truely horrific ones. It is also very aware that it is a horror film underneath the comedy but nicely bypasses the pitfalls that so many horror films fall into.
The adverts claimed it was 'the best horror comedy since Shaun of the Dead' and there is certainly no lie there. Some people may even prefer this.
Great film

severance package
the staff of an arms company are taken in deepest eastern europe as part of one of those dreaded 'bonding exercises. things start to turn nasty as they (and their driver) are picked off one by one.
since the movie i watched prior to this was 'house of the dead 2' (don't do it people), an improvement was a given. billed as 'deliverance meets the office' that turns out to be a misnomer as time and plot restrictions mean that a character study is abandoned and we get thumbnail characters instead; the wide boy, the yes man, the oxbridge type and the the humanitarian. having said that, there are some very funny moments delivered as these guys interact. the film has its tongue firmly in its cheek, though it goes slighly more direct when the company owner tries out a prototype while 'the star spangled banner' plays'. it also has enough bizarre/ funny moments to keep things ticking over nicely; the tripped-out wide boy being lead through the woods on a string and the oxbridge guy's final moments to name two.
since its a slasher movie at heart there is a 'by the numbers' feel in that you can guess who's up for the chop/ shotgun blast etc, and when too. (come on it's not a spoiler - you know oxbridge is gonna die from the off, and if you're honest you'll admit you can't wait.) however it is an enjoyable film that doesn't take itself too seriously while scoring some points off its targets. something to make you dread those company outings even more than usual.