THE CONFERENCE on Netflix is a new horror-comedy from Sweden (org. title: Konferensen). Not only is it funny, it is a full-blown slasher, which means it’s perfect for Friday the 13th. Or any fun movie night, really. A great cast portrays amazing characters. Read our full The Conference movie review here!
THE CONFERENCE is a new Netflix horror-comedy about a team-building conference that ends in a bloodbath. It’s from Sweden (org. title: Konferensen), has so much Scandinavian humor, and is very direct in its tone. At the same time, it’s also strangely laid back. If you’ve watched The Trip, you’ll have an idea of what to expect.
Also, this is a full-blown slasher movie which makes it perfect for watching on its Friday the 13th release date. Actually, I could watch this on just about any occasion and will definitely be watching it again. I was worried the 100-minute runtime would be too much, but it wasn’t. It really wasn’t.
Continue reading our The Conference movie review below. Find it on Netflix from October 13, 2023.
A very immersive teambuilding experience
The Conference is the Swedish comedy slasher I never knew I always wanted. A movie about a teambuilding conference that evolves and escalates in ways no one expected. The participants are municipal employees made up of wonderfully stereotypical yet warm and humorous characters.
The teambuilding conference quickly spirals into a nightmare. At first, on an emotional level when people start accusing others of corruption. Obviously, this makes for a somewhat tense work environment.
The actual survival story comes soon after when a mysterious figure appears. He stalks and murders the participants, one by one, but these Swedish municipal employees aren’t that easy to kill. Ultimately, turning the movie into a brilliant comedy slasher!
Having just watched Hulu’s Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House about immersive horror experiences, I got a few deja vu moments.
Well, except for the fact that none of these participants signed up for the extreme survival challenge, they discovered themselves in.
Oh no, they were pretty much just looking forward to eating and drinking on someone else’s dime. In fact, it’s an inside joke that this is the true team-building event of the conference.
You should know that even though this is a Swedish production, you may recognize a few of the actors. Including Katia Winter (The Wave, Dexter), Adam Lundgren (Chernobyl), Bahar Pars (A Man Called Ove), and Christoffer Nordenrot (Clark).
Watch The Conference on Netflix now!
The new Swedish horror-comedy has been one of the most unexpected surprises from Netflix in quite some time. It’s based on a novel by Mats Strandberg and directed by Patrik Eklund, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Thomas Moldestad. This particular screenwriter also co-wrote one of my favorite Scandinavian horror movies Cold Prey (org. title: Fritt vilt) from 2006.
That might explain why the slasher elements are truly brutal. Also, the deaths tend to be very creative as this killer does not give up.
Even though The Conference had me from the beginning, I kept expecting it to take some dumb turn or have a lull in the story. It just never happened. Also, I loved that pretty much everyone tried to fight back. Not in the best or most efficient way necessarily, but usually by creative means. I really mean it with this one: Watch it!
The Conference is on Netflix from October 13, 2023.
Details
Director: Patrik Eklund
Screenwriters: Thomas Moldestad, Patrik Eklund
Cast: Katia Winter, Eva Melander, Adam Lundgren, Lola Zackow, Bahar Pars, Cecilia Nilsson, Christoffer Nordenrot, Maria Sid, Amed Bozan, Claes Hartelius, Martin Lagos
Plot
A ragtag group of public sector employees battle not only their own discord but also a bloodthirsty killer during a seemingly innocuous retreat.
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