Severance [Special Edition]

Director: Christopher Smith Christopher Smith

Overview

When the president of a high-profile international-arms supplier takes his six best employees to an Eastern European mountain retreat as a means of rewarding them for all of their hard work, their team-building getaway turns into a life-or-death game of kill or be killed in Creep director Christopher Smith's suspenseful comedy thriller. Palisade Defense isn't just the leading supplier of weaponry for the war on terror, it's a company that truly cares about its employees. When the Palisade Defense's European sales division exceeds expectations, the president decides that his dedicated employees deserve a relaxing corporate team-building retreat. The trip takes a turn for the worst, however, when a deadly enemy infiltrates the retreat with the singular goal of ensuring that no one gets out alive.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/18/2007
UPC:	0876964000956
Original Release:	2006
Rating:	R
Source:	Magnolia Home Ent
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:36:00
Sales rank:	49,283

Special Features

Commentary with director, cast and crew; The Making of Severance; Being Danny Dyer featurette; Deleted scenes and outtakes; Not So Special Effects featurette; The Genesis of Severance; Behind the Scenes; Danny Fight Scene Training; Alternate ending storyboards

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Toby Stevens	Harris
Claudie Blakley	Jill
Andy Nyman	Gordon
Babou Ceesay	Billy
Tim McInnerny	Richard
Laura Harris	Maggie
Danny Dyer	Steve
David Gilliam	George
Juli Drajkó	Olga
Judit Viktor	Nadia
Sandor Boros	Coach Driver
Levente Törköly	Lodge Killer
János Oláh	Flamethrower Killer
Attila Ferencz	Head-squish Killer
Bela Kasi	Headbutt Killer
Roland Kollárszky	Knife-In-Butt Killer
Péter Katona	Stone Thrower Killer
Nick Greenall	Big Gun Killer
Matt Baker	Nose-Feratu
Steve Dawson	Guard 1 In Harris' Story
Johnnie Schinas	Long-Haired Girl In Richard's Dream
Leon Macpherson	Corporate Video Palisade Worker
Arnold Zarom	Corporate Video Palisade Worker
Laura Bushell	Corporate Video Office Blonde
Murray Golding	Corporate Video Office Blonde
Jamie Higgins	Corporate Video Office Blonde
Murray Higgins	Corporate Video Office Blonde
Leanne Lee	Corporate Video Office Blonde
Nerys Martin	Corporate Video Office Blonde
Stephanie Ratcliff	Corporate Video Office Blonde
Cindi Svensson	Corporate Video Office Blonde
Toby Stephens	Actor
Levente Lezsák	Landmine Killer
Matthew Baker	Nose-feratu
John Frankish	Doctor John 'Victor' Frankish in Jill's Story
John Cole	Corporate Video Office Blonde
Christian Henson	Composer

Technical Credits

Christopher Smith

James Moran

Christopher Smith	Director,Screenwriter
Jason Newmark	Producer
James Moran	Screenwriter
Steve Christian	Executive Producer,Producer
Michael Kuhn	Executive Producer,Producer
Alexandra Arlango	Producer
Finola Dwyer	Producer
Malcolm Ritchie	Producer
Jill Tandy	Producer,Executive Producer
Colleen Woodcock	Producer
Mark Woolley	Producer
John Lewis Aschenbrenner	Sound Effects
Nick Baldock	Sound Effects
Rosa Romero	Producer
James Clarke	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Combining comedy and horror is no easy task, but strike the right balance and you'll have fans of both genres clamoring for more. Though director Christopher Smith's Raw Meat-inspired 2004 shocker, Creep, was scarce with the laughs, it did display a vicious streak a mile wide while showing a filmmaker who was willing to take a few well-calculated risks to rile up the viewer. Now Smith has returned, a bit more confident in his abilities as a director, and ready to have a little more fun. The result: a smart, slaphappy shocker that begins tightening the screws from scene one and refuses to let up as it follows a well-drawn group of characters on a fight for their lives against some seriously sadistic predators. Whereas Creep was straightforward in its intentions to frighten the viewer through a series of briskly paced set pieces, this time around Smith, collaborating brilliantly with co-screenwriter James Moran, seems eager to toy with viewers and never truly allow them to gain their footing until his characters have ventured well beyond the point of no return. Tension is consistently balanced by sucker-punch gags that are both gruesome and highly effective, and the manner in which Smith paces his shocks ensures that viewers will never know what is coming next -- a jump or a laugh. The manner in which the typically office-bound drones interact and attempt to assess their increasingly dire situation in a decidedly non-florescent environment is well-complimented by a talented cast of actors as well. From Danny Dyer's likeable, psychotropic mushroom-muncher to Toby Stephens' self-absorbed yuppie scumbag, Laura Harris' blonde and bold American, and Tim McInnerny's clueless company CEO, it's obvious that the performers are having as much fun playing the characters as the writers did crafting them. With Severance Smith has not only obliterated any concerns of a sophomore slump, but also placed himself atop the short list of horror filmmakers who possess the potential to adapt and expand into other arenas of filmmaking as well. Whatever cinematic excursion Smith dreams up next, it's certain to be an interesting and exhilarating ride.