Severance – Review

Ah, the good old corporate camping retreat. Or for me, an absolute fucking nightmare. There needs to be no other elements introduced beyond that setting to be a full-on personal horror. I guess sharks would make it worse, but that’s about it.

Ominously opening with melodic classical music and girls running through Hungarian woods, with a man following, uncertainty levels are high. Cut to a charter bus carrying an office load of workers off to a team-building retreat. They are traveling across Europe to promote their company’s products. The defense software organization’s advertisement plays on a bus TV, and the marketing strategy is the focus. Steve (Dyer) however is focused on ordering escorts for his birthday party, and slipping off into the bathroom to smoke a joint. Fire officer coming through!!

Now, Steve is hungry as shit and goes to town on magic mushrooms he got off a security guard at a roadshow. This is a good start for Steve. Maggie (Harris) offers him 50 bucks to stop eating. Steve is looking for a really nice chilled out one, however he is truly hand shoveling mushrooms into his gullet.

A tree then blocks the road. There is a detour right there which the map shows as heading around, however the Hungarian speaking bus driver is adamant there is absolutely no way he is going that way. The team supervisor Richard (McInnerny) does not understand and tells his bus driver buddy to go anyway, who says no and leaves.

Richard elects they will walk; it can’t be that far! Team building weekend is still on!! The crew get their bags and all whine as they trek towards their company’s property. At least they get to listen to truly odd forest noises on the way. Probably just a bear. Steve wonders if he has pissed himself. He feels damp. Maggie is like Christ alive, what is wrong with this dude. Good thing Steve takes his pants fully off to pee shortly thereafter.

Severance is a wacky dark comedy horror tale. It highlights the terror of work retreats and adds in some maniacal violence. As the group finds their awful cabin lodge, they wrestle with each other’s personalities as well as someone in the woods. This is their chance to find out about themselves!

The limited cast and small budget don’t matter as the movie zips along briskly with some jokes and plenty of blood. The movie is self-aware, bringing some comedy and schlock to the presentation of gore and guts. It has a basic story and set-up, and is fairly short, so it’s a quick jaunt through corporate hell. Oh, and murder slashers are there, too. Or maybe it’s just the mushrooms.

Come to the weekend retreat and see if mushroom Steve can survive, and be amazed by how much of a cheese wheel Richard guts. You need your energy for the team games!