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Severance
Magnolia Pictures


6.4

based on 23 reviews
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How did we calculate this?

based on 7 votes
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MPAA RATING: R for strong bloody violence, language, drug content and some sexuality/nudity

Starring Toby Stephens, Claudie Blakley, Andy Nyman, Babou Ceesay, Tim McInnerny, Laura Harris, Danny Dyer, and David Gilliam

Working nine to five is a real killer, but teambuilding holidays can sometimes be even worse. Forget office politics, only the smartest will survive this bloody office outing. (Magnolia Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Comedy \| Foreign \| Horror \| Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	James Moran (also story) Christopher Smith
DIRECTED BY:	Christopher Smith
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: September 25, 2007 Theatrical: May 18, 2007
RUNNING TIME:	90 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA
LANGUAGE(S):	Germany / UK

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

I prefer my horror with a chaser of wit, and Severance, a modest but very lively British import, serves it up in harsh but high style.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Gianni Truzzi

The result is a cathartic hoot, relishing its own carefully doled out carnage.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

What's more refreshing about Severance is how the movie's humor offsets the violence, and even that is pretty restrained (at least by modern standards).

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Director and co-writer Christopher Smith, mischievously blending "The Office" with "Friday the 13th," keeps things fierce and funny enough to give Steve Carell ideas.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Severance still seems a few rewrites away from living up to its potential, but it's remarkable how much just a modicum of wit can spice up the standard backwoods slice-and-dice. Scaring people with a horror film is easy; entertaining them takes a little skill.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Compared with the recent spate of blockbuster sellouts, Severance is a worthy package, and fair compensation for time spent. Best to watch on the big screen, of course.

TV Guide Ken Fox

It's both very funny and very scary, and never descends to the level of spoof.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Suffice to say it's got plenty to do with corporate karma. And the word severance is more than just a double play on words - it's a triple whammy.

Chicago Reader Meredith Brody

For horror fans who crave a few laughs along with their ritual decapitations and limb severings.

Los Angeles Times Gary Goldstein

Along with lots of pitch-dark humor, James Moran's often clever script is peppered with winks and nudges about the war on terror that helps distinguish the film from the recent spate of torture flicks.

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

A lively romp through terrain less traveled than you might think.

The Hollywood Reporter Ray Bennett

A winning combination of laughs and genuine shocks.

Variety Derek Elley

Escalating blend of black humor and grisly goings-on in the wilds of Hungary fully delivers in its latter half.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The chintzy characters, hair-raising deaths, and one spectacular rocket-launcher joke aren't enough to give "Hostel" a run for its blood.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

It's modestly effective at creating a mood and at critiquing both business place mores and the evils of Western hubris. But, chiefly, it's about gory scares and sniffling laughs.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Half hearted in its mockery of corporate culture and schlock. The filmmakers want to have it both ways -- the funny and the sadistic -- but rarely do so at the same time with any success.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

You'll need a strong stomach, but director Christopher Smith mixes lots of laughs into the gore. Despite its predictable finish, Severance is bloody good fun.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Manages to mix in a few good gags with the requisite gore.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

Definitely worth your time, if not your $9.50. In other words, wait a few months and definitely check it out as a rental.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Severance is a British horror-comedy that, from the get-go, has two distracting strikes against it.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

None of the killings has any suspense, and the capital I irony -- that these people make their living selling death in small mechanical packages and munitions to the world and are now being hunted down by the same devices -- never begins to produce any results. Put it on a level with a mid-series "Halloween."

Village Voice Scott Foundas

When Smith's Grand Guignol tableaux are strung together, they lack any forward momentum. Some take inspired comic flight. The rest crash to the ground and, like so much else in Severance, go splat.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

There are a few scares, but not enough to make up for the murky script.

The average user rating for this movie is 6.4 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Pauline M. gave it an8:
Not as good as Shaun of the Dead in the comedy horror but a really good film all the same.

Joshua gave it a5:
I was really excited to see this movie whenI first saw the trailer. Then after a few months I forgot about it and ended up watching it because someone else rented it. I can't say I was disappointed or overjoyed by the movie - a bad sign for a horror movie to have no effect on the viewer. It might have something to do with the fact that I am losing interest in the horror/comedy subgenre.

Riren gave it a7:
Despite mild political relevance (military profiteering bad!) and some general humor (haha, the pot head saw the killers and no one believes him), Severence is a movie for horror fans. Most of the humor and all of the best humor are grim nods to trappings of the 70's and 80's horror films, which are quite funny to a familiar audience, but to an unfamiliar one just seem like poor directing. It boasts a very good cast and a delightful spirit under its morose pretenses, making it the sort of film you'll have to force yourself to laugh at in the beginning, like a kickstart, and will be off coasting for the rest of the picture.

Blanco A. gave it a9:
One of the funniest toungue-in-cheek horror films I've seen in a LONG time. The plot is pretty clever, and the cast is terrific. The story, while a social comment on defense contractors and the like, is great while not beating you over the head. Most definitely recommended.

Arthur C. gave it a6:
Amusing and satirical. Sort of loses focus toward the end. However, the rocket launcher gag is hilarious. No Shaun of the Dead, but passable horror-comedy.

Joe C. gave it a7:
If you enjoyed Shaun of the Dead, chances are you will get your money's worth with this one. The first 80 minutes of this movie are excellent for what it is. The last 10 minutes keep it from being a cult classic. You have a handful of people who work for a company that builds weapons for national defense. They go to the woods to partake in team-building activities. What could go wrong?

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Severance Magnolia Pictures

Severance
Magnolia Pictures