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Did you people see the same film I saw?

A Disappointing Continuation

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Severed could have been good. That is, if the director had avoided the temptation to pander to zombie clichés. After what started as an intriguing premise this film actually loses steam when the first zombie appears. The opening sequence which depicts some surprisingly well done footage of the logging industry in full detail was much more interesting than the zombie action that was to follow. Indeed, I was mildly entertained at the serious tone set at the start of the film. Angry protesters, aka tree huggers, lay in ambush for their routine harassment of the weary but resigned lumber workers who try to make their way out of the forest after a hard days work. It's a scene that you intuitively know has played out a thousand times over and thus has a feeling of authenticity.The zombies here are portrayed in a straight-forward manner. Typical make-up, blood and gore. No distinguishing mutations or behaviors. Despite the gratuitous violence there is nothing frightening about the proceedings. No special effects or CGI to liven things or provide a visual spectacle. Just regular people lurching, shaking and growling with make-up on. A by the numbers direct to video genre film with an ambiguous ensemble cast and unique but wasted setting. 4 out of 10 stars.

As a complete fanatic for zombie movies Severed is better than,shall we say Stripper Zombies or Redneck Zombies but nowhere near as good as my personal favorite Dawn of the Dead(1978).Yes it is cliché filled and predictable,but is well paced.I give it 8 stars for the standout performance of Sarah Lind and the fact she is absolutely HOT!Fighting caged zombies ala Day of the Dead and Land of the Dead is not an original idea as shown in Severed.Character "Carter" played well by JR Bourne seemed awfully similar "Carter J. Burke" in Aliens as the sniveling company man but was still entertaining.As usual the likable black guy "Mac" played by Julian Christopher is killed off.The action although well paced is also familiar to 28 days Later.Oh yeah did i mention Sarah Lind is HOT!!!

I was expecting another straight to DVD turkey, but surprisingly not. Generic storyline but a good original setting with high production values, good acting and good casting. If the plot had a bit more padding or there was a bit more to the story it would be getting close to being quite good. As it is, it felt like it would have made a great X-Files episode similar to the lumberjacks one they did make. Yeah you've seen it all before and yeah the characters do some dumb things, but on the whole it ticks most of the boxes. The zombies in particular are very good, convincing and scary. I've seen better but I've seen much worse. Zombie fans will enjoy

Bahumbug. After the initial set-up I was thinking that it looked liked it was going to be competent and hopefully amusing low-budget Indie horror effort. My perception changed when the jerky, in-your-face camera work came to the party. Why do that! There's better ways to get the adrenaline pumping. It was like the person behind the camera was having a mental fit, and it did become aggravating and hard to make-out what was happening. And the story just couldn't escape its formulaic staples and messy structure, despite a surprisingly effective conclusion that I didn't see coming. Still I was left unsatisfied. To bad that it sets up one vanilla flavoured, over-used cliché after another and then it drags on. Then when you thought it couldn't get anymore the same, they chuck in another sub-plot that is just as worthless and poorly drawn up. Even the clunky script leaves a lot to be desired about the token characters and their rash reactions. Pretty much the premise goes onto steal ideas from other horror movies. It wants to be serious, but the over-the-top nature of its erratic mayhem and many unintentionally laughable sequences destroy that aspect. The film has a slick look with beautiful location choices, and Carl Bessai's tight direction is dry, but it's undone by the overall execution where it succumbs to repetition and static build-ups. It seemed to want to rely on some extreme blood splashing about, and having everything move so fast. But the shocks are weak, and the suspense is never there. I thought there were some fine-tuned performances amongst the slack-jaw ones though. Nothing great, but adequate. The music surprised because it was one of the few things that clicked with its eerie chimes in a nicely arranged harmonious score.