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Rife with Cinematic Allusions (possible spoilers)

posted 17 years ago by Ohiowatha
31 replies | jump to latest

Did anyone else notice all the allusions to other big movies in Severance? Please help me sniff out some more! Here are the ones I noticed right off:

1) Nosferatu. In the story of the pre-WWI asylum legend, the inspector arrives just like Nosferatu. The long-nailed hands crossed over the chest, the shadows, etc. This one was obvious.

2) Blair Witch. When Jill walks dazed into the forest after the bus crash, but then comes to her senses in the middle of the woods, she awakens and wheels around to discover her horror--she's all alone in the woods. There's a close-up of her shivering and looking terrified, nose dripping and all. Plus, she just happens to look a lot like the girl in Blair Witch.

3) Deer Hunter. When they're playing paint ball, Billie and Steve walk into the woods to take their place in the game. They get to a clearing on a hill and Steve raises his gun and yells across the valley, "OKAAAAAAY!!!" Twice. This is just like in the Deer Hunter when Deniro's character comes to terms with "his" war and lets the deer go instead of shooting it. He then raises his rifle and screams over the valley, "OKAAAY!!!"

4) Rambo. Remember when Gordon tells everyone "No Rambos, ok?" This is to whet your appetite for the next allusion. They make a distinct point of it by having him say it twice, emphatically, once in a close-up. Then, at the very end of the movie, when the flamethrower killer gets shot-up by one of the topless Hungarian babes, she advances while firing her gun in slow motion with a bare, sweaty chest--just like in the most famous segment of Rambo.

5) Dr. Stangelove. The song at the end, "We'll Meet Again," is the same as in the final scene of Strangelove when the Doomsday Device goes off and all the A-bombs erupt during the credit sequence. Also, the "platoon buster mine" MK-114 or something, is the same serial designation as the radio aboard the B-52 in Strangelove.

6) Scream. This is too obvious, and maybe too general to be counted. Someone fill this one in for me...

So what do you think? Am I reading into this too much, or is the director having some fun with this? Considering how much fun this movie was, I'm inclined to think the inclusion of these allusions is not beyond the realm of possibility.

Anyone have any others to add?

[–] shantellew_2000 17 years ago

On the commentary, Chris smith admitted you'll see scenes from great cinema sprinkled in. I don't have his exact quote. Two more that he admitted to are...

1) The quick cut-aways when Harris and Jill find the bus driver's body are from From Dusk til Dawn.

2) The scene in the beginning where Danny Dyer's character sees himself over and over is from 2001:A Space Odyssey.

OR

[–] Ohiowatha 17 years ago

Thanks, Shantellew, I never would have noticed the Dusk til Dawn reference. I couldn't put my finger on the Dyer doubles, but knew it felt familiar.
Another one I've been pondering is when the coach driver is fighting with the boss and then he raises one fist, then points his finger up, and presses the door open button instead of punching him. I know I have seen this before, but can't figure out where.

Anyone?

Buler?

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] linden_arden 17 years ago

does anybody else find the camera creeping up the outside wall and into the window of the cabin strikingly similar to the famous shot in argento's "tenebre"? i mean, it is not the same of course, but i feel it is a very clear homage to argento's use of camera movement. anyone of the same opinion? or at least of the opinion that the makers of "severance" might have been influenced by argento's film making in a way at that point?

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[–] Jotun_Squid 17 years ago

Since Maggie is American, this isn't much of an issue...

Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket??

[–] furrycanuck 17 years ago

and he paid in euros because they're in Hungary.

[–] psdhart 15 years ago

in trivia :After the bus crash, Jill (Claudie Blakley) gets up from the crashed bus and waves to Harris (Toby Stephens) before walking into the forest. This is a reference to a similar scene in Krzysztof Kieslowski's Trzy kolory: Bialy (1994) involving Dominique (Julie Delpy).

[–] lathe-of-heaven 9 years ago

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[–] Pablo-60 17 years ago

The decapitation gag (you know, the one with the smile) in "Severance" is very similar to a scene in the low-budget 80's splatterfest "Street Trash". In it (spoiler - it's probably the last scene of the movie) the head of a guy who's just exploded (literally) lies on the floor, and a girl jumps over it. Then the guy's eyes roll upward, to catch an upskirt view, and joyfully smiles before passing on. It's bloody brilliant, and probably the inspiration for the head joke in "Severance".

[–] nobodysperfect 17 years ago

I noticed the Blair Witch, Deer Hunter and many, many Scream bits.

1) There was one point when they were looking into the basement, I thought it looked quite like the room at the end of BLAIR WITCH. In fact I was waiting to see a figure turned towards the wall in the corner.

2) When George was tied to the chair reminded me of HOSTEL, although I'm so glad that's as far as the homage went!

3) The first thing I noticed was when they first arrived at the house, and go out to the boiler room or some such outhouse. Just the shape and style of the building totally reminded me of Halloween.

4) WRONG TURN... repeatedly. But I suppose that's to be expected.

5) Rowing away at the end, I expected some sort of FRIDAY THE 13TH type shock. Especially with "We'll meet again".

The block of cheese reminded me of something else too... but I just can't but my finger on it!

[–] PrincessBoy 15 years ago

"WRONG TURN... repeatedly. But I suppose that's to be expected"
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Yeah, but Wrong Turn alluded to a number of film itself - The Hills Have Eyes, Deliverance, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre...

[–] Tremens66 17 years ago

Night of the Living Dead. When Billy proposes to barricade the doors and windows but they find out they don't have the necessary to do so.

[–] D-rev 17 years ago

I heard some on the commentary, but nice finds nonetheless. I have one (I think).

.) The Ice Storm
- When Gordon is jumping on the diving board. Elijah Wood's character does the same thing in the movie, though Gordon goes even further with the fun.

[–] jaben76 17 years ago

The title is somewhat similar to "Deliverance".

When George sees someone outside the coach at the beginning of the film there is also a short banjo music piece. Clear homage to deliverance.

[–] Ohiowatha 16 years ago

Good one, yes. That works.

[–] psdhart 13 years ago

Exactly, even the title is similar

[–] tarling_mike 17 years ago

The scene when steve (danny dyer)is being fed grapes by all the nurses is straight out of A clockwork orange.

i can't feel my legs.....keyser

[–] Ohiowatha 16 years ago

Excellent, straight up, yes. THIS is what I'm talking about. Not just similarities, but scenes ripped RIGHT from another movie, so exact, they must be paying homage.

[–] badger_spleen 17 years ago

the shot of the girl scratching her head wound after the bus crash is EXACTLY like the shot of sherilynn fenn scratching her head wound after the car crash in WILD AT HEART

no one will be safe until the last politicians' intestine is wrapped around the last priests' neck

[–] amsyco13 17 years ago

I just posted in another thread about movies that I thought about while watching Severance.

I think the Deliverence connection is stronger. Stronger then just the title. We get some city folk against a group of highly trained people (the baddies in Deliverence weren't exactly well trained) in their element.

I think there is a bit of First Blood, in almost the same was as deliverence, but especially in the use of booby traps.

I felt alot of Battle Royale, in the whole idea of being in the woods/forrest/jungle in a kill or be killed situation.

And I felt the torture of the safety guy was alot like the ear cutting off scene in Reservoir Dogs.

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Are you a bug Bill Murray?

[–] shannonhayes3 17 years ago

I definitely thought the opening sequence was eerily similar to "High Tension" though I'm not a horror movie buff, so perhaps that kind of opening sequence is used quite often.

[–] BiscuitPower 16 years ago

I already made a thread about this one but..

The bear trap = Cannibal! the Musical reference

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[–] mattfolwell 16 years ago

Nit sure if its already been mentioned but when the bus crashes it appeared to be just like the trailer crash from Friday 13th part 6.

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[–] zombie_sidekick 16 years ago

I know it was mentioned here twice, but for me the Ultimate Referemce is of course DELIVERANCE. The title and the premise is taken straight from the famous american movie.

When I watched Severance for the first time I though is some kinda nice homage-pastishe to Deliverance :)

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"Gdy w piekle zabraknie miejsca, umarli wyjda na Ziemie" - got it?