Severed was available for rent at my local Blockbuster for some time and I was finally able to get a hold of it. Severed tells the story of a zombie outbreak at a logging station way up north where...well...there isn't really anything else around. The logging firm has injected their trees with an artificial growth serum to gain higher yields and profits. In the first few minutes of Severed, a lumberjack saws through a tree that has been "spiked" by logging-protesters at the isolated camp and the sap in the tree mixes with the blood of the lumberjack. Zombie carnage ensues.
Severed does not really bring anything new to the zombie genre besides perhaps setting, however, the movie was surprisingly entertaining. It's not that I expected it to be bad, I rather assumed it would be on par with say a Sci-Fi channel feature (sorry to offend any Sci-Fi addicts). The acting, dialog, and special effects were all well done in this film and the pacing helped keep the movie from getting boring. The action as well as the blood flow remains constant throughout the film and at times there are some really tense moments (there is an intense sequence were a group of zombies move in on some protesters who have chained themselves to a tree).
The gore was also well done with some scenes displaying some good munching while other simply highlight blood-splatter with quick camera motions (28 Days Later style). The zombies were very convincing and quite gruesome looking as well, props to the make-up artist. Purists will enjoy the fact that these zombies are not "runners;" they shamble around George Romero-style instead of sprinting after victims like Zach Snyder's zombies.
Overall, Severed is a good zombie flick. The ending seems somewhat incomplete, but leaves a bit up to the imagination which isn't always so bad. The characters, although cliché, play their roles well keeping it from falling into the so-bad-it's-good zombie movie category. It's simply good. This combined with the well done (even if "borrowed" at points) attack/gore sequences make Severed an extremely enjoyable zombie flick for either the die-hard genre fan or anyone interested in an enjoyable late-night horror flick. I have since purchased the DVD and would recommend it to either of the above.
Severed does not really bring anything new to the zombie genre besides perhaps setting, however, the movie was surprisingly entertaining. It's not that I expected it to be bad, I rather assumed it would be on par with say a Sci-Fi channel feature (sorry to offend any Sci-Fi addicts). The acting, dialog, and special effects were all well done in this film and the pacing helped keep the movie from getting boring. The action as well as the blood flow remains constant throughout the film and at times there are some really tense moments (there is an intense sequence were a group of zombies move in on some protesters who have chained themselves to a tree).
The gore was also well done with some scenes displaying some good munching while other simply highlight blood-splatter with quick camera motions (28 Days Later style). The zombies were very convincing and quite gruesome looking as well, props to the make-up artist. Purists will enjoy the fact that these zombies are not "runners;" they shamble around George Romero-style instead of sprinting after victims like Zach Snyder's zombies.
Overall, Severed is a good zombie flick. The ending seems somewhat incomplete, but leaves a bit up to the imagination which isn't always so bad. The characters, although cliché, play their roles well keeping it from falling into the so-bad-it's-good zombie movie category. It's simply good. This combined with the well done (even if "borrowed" at points) attack/gore sequences make Severed an extremely enjoyable zombie flick for either the die-hard genre fan or anyone interested in an enjoyable late-night horror flick. I have since purchased the DVD and would recommend it to either of the above.