Fridae

Oh God, enough about The Departed already. Yes, yes, it stars heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Jack Nicholson and Alec Baldwin. Yes, it's directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese, renowned maestro of crime dramas. And yes, it's a finely made film and a shoo-in for the Oscars.

But what if you've had a lousy week and you're looking for some brain-free popcorn entertainment? The sort of B-grade bollocks that combines goofy jokes with blood and gore. That sort of bizarre comedy that makes you laugh even as people are being attacked by psycho killers.

Well, we recommend the savagely funny and twisted horror-comedy Severance. It is a slasher flick that has a few chopped-off heads, a severed leg and most importantly, a funny bone. It has actors you've never heard of, but they all happen to be rather good. It's also a British film, so if you have a keen sense of irony, you'll love it.

The story opens with three people running in the woods, pursued by a madman. There are two blonde big-breasted women and one pudgy man. The women fall into a hole in the ground and start taking off their clothes. The man gets caught in another trap and blood starts pouring all over his face. What's going on? How did we get here?

The movie then stops and rewinds to the beginning of the story, where a group of English office workers are taking a trip to a Hungarian forest for a team-building project. A fallen tree trunk on the road forces the group to abandon their bus and get to their destination on foot. Little do they know that the forest is infested with bloodthirsty maniacs armed with big knives and flamethrowers.

The motley group of workers consists of the self-important boss (Tim McInnerny), the handsome yuppie (Toby Stephen), the foxy blonde (Laura Harris), the mousy girl in specs (Claudie Blakley), the gentle giant (Babou Ceesay), the ass-kissing dweeb (Andy Nyman) and the drugged-out skirt-chaser who doesn't give a shit (Danny Dyer).

Yes, these characters are stereotypes. But it is precisely the stereotypes, the stock formulas and the genre conventions that director Christopher Smith subverts to make you laugh. Oftentimes, he sets us up for a scare - only to surprise us with a silly gag. For instance, you might think the mousy girl Claudie would be the first to scream at the sight of creepy-crawlies. But when a huge hairy spider crawls on her, she simply picks it up and strokes it lovingly.

The horror starts to mount when the group finds a badly severed body in the forest. But the movie never abandons its offbeat sense of humor. There are plenty of false alarms, cheap shots and it's-so-disgusting-it's-funny sights. Part of the outrageous fun comes from watching how each of these characters meets his/her end and becomes worm food.

It's always tricky to mix terror and comedy, but director Christopher Smith does an ace job. In one very funny sequence, foxy blonde Laura has managed to strike back at her crazy attacker in the forest. As he lies on the ground semi-conscious, she sees a big rock to smash him with. She heaves and heaves but the rock is too heavy. So she picks a smaller rock instead and drops it on his face.

It's a throwaway gag that's charming in its casualness and simplicity. The film is full of them, and they amount to something quite special. Gosh, even the credits are funny.

Watch this with Coke, popcorn and some friends on a lazy Sunday afternoon. You won't regret it.