Severance

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

I can't figure out why my dad would Netflix this one. This is the kind of shit I watch, but not him.

It's a new school slasher movie, the kind like Wrong Turn 2 or Hatchet that seem to be made by guys who, like me, grew up watching all the 70's and 80's slasher movies, and maybe revere them a little and want to make a more respectable, well-made version of what they were going for.

This isn't a bad movie per se, but it doesn't really work, mainly due to constant and mostly unsuccessful attempts at humor. It also falls into the same trap that Wrong Turn 2 did, where it wants to be both a gory, over-the-top comic slasher and a dark, disturbing and genuinely frightening horror movie, and it never figures out how to reconcile the two sides. They end up canceling each other out. It's about a bunch of British business people and tries to work in some satirical humor, so it kind of feels like a cross between The Office and Wolf Creek. Not a good combo.

The direction is also very mixed. They find a nice look for the movie, and it seems like the director has a good idea of how to generate suspense. On the other hand, many of the important moments of violence/action/surprise are poorly staged or mishandled, and much of the impact is diminished.

Any shit, this was a weird choice to make, dad. But I respect you for sitting through the whole thing. And yeah, that part where they guy tries to jam that severed leg into the fridge was pretty funny.