It’s tough to splice horror and comedy, and it’s something that, despite a valiant effort, Severance never quite nails. Which isn’t to say it’s neither funny nor scary; it consistently manages being one or the other, but while the twain occasionally meets, all too often the swing from humour to deadpan derails it. Within a simple story — weapons company sales personnel find themselves hunted at their retreat in a Hungarian forest — we’re given less than likeable characters.
This works for the comedy, but proves problematic come bumping-off time, when the humour dries up, as if the writers got bored with a straight slasher plot. There’s enough of both genres here to please fans, but it never hits the bullseye at which you know it’s aiming.