Severance (2006)

Another pleasant surprise! British humor has always been hit-and-miss for me. For example, I love the original Office, but I hate the Monty Python stuff; and if you look through the handful of British horror-comedies I've reviewed, you'll see a similar inconsistency. But I love the perfect execution of gore and British humor here. From beginning to end, Severance had me hooked and wholly entertained.

Like The Office, Severance plays up the awkwardness of professional colleagues attempting a team-building getaway. We get all of the important characters: the inadequate yet passionate boss; the lackadaisical, fun loving burnout; the one black guy (i.e. Stanley); the dorky overachiever; the bookish brunette; the office cutie everyone loves; and so on. If you've ever been on one of these pathetic team-building getaways, or if you've had experience in "cubeland," this movie is a treat!

Initially I pegged the movie as being another highly cliched slasher, thus explaining Netflix's reason for offering it on instant viewing. Then the movie proved itself to be what I had it pegged for, but with a pleasant surprise. In other words, it does employ all of the cliche elements of the classic slasher, but it successfully plays off of them to offer its own twists. Lines such as "I didn't want to be accused of not killing him when I had the chance" capture the spirit of this slasher parody.

Aside from a massive amount of fun, the structure and plot are equally enjoyable. With a Tarantino-esque revisit to the opening scene, I was pulled further into the story for the final leg of the movie. If you love the juxtaposition of gore and humor, especially awkward, subtle, and/or understated humor, you'll love Severance. Check it out on Netflix while it's available on instant viewing.