DVD Review: "Severance"

Sometimes advertising can taint the expectations of moviegoers before they've even seen a film. The tagline for "Severance" is as follows: "It's The Office meets Deliverance." Not only does that set the bar awfully high for the film, but what about those people who don't particularly like "The Office" or have never even heard of "Deliverance?" Such is the case with the marketing of "Severance", which is an original, well written thriller.

The film follows a group of office workers who embark on a team building retreat in the mountains of Eastern Europe. However, these people don't work in just any old office, they're employees of Palisade Defence, one of the biggest weapons manufacturers in the world (think Halliburton). Without giving away any major plot points, the idea behind the story is that someone or something wants these employees to pay for the sins of their company, and they must try to survive on their own in the middle of nowhere, with no means of calling for help.

Marketing "Severance" by likening it to other films/TV shows does it a disservice, especially in terms of it's originality. The script is intelligent and funny, yet the levity never undermines the elements of horror and suspense that make this a pretty thrilling film. My suggestion is to watch this film with no preconceived notions and you'll find it's a quality horror film that got somewhat lost in a market flooded with mediocre films.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Here is the trailer--