Macabre…ish Horror Review: The Conference
The Conference, 2023/ 1 hr 40 min
Swedish: Konferensen
City employees head to a team building retreat after a series of disastrous decisions are made by the team leader, Jonas (Adam Lundgren) on their current project. Decisions like stealing a farmer’s land (he ends up committing suicide as a result) to build on, a commercial for the coming community that features only blond, white people and a shopping plaza that no one asked for. The locals are pissed. But project manager, Ingela (Maria Sid) is pleased. It wasn’t the original plan or in the original contracts and at least one of the team members, Lina (Katia Winter), notices how big the discrepancies are and she complains.
Those complaints are ignored and hey, they’re all going on a trip! Almost immediately, after they arrive, people start going missing but they don’t notice. But as people start noticing, they almost immediately are killed off. And almost no one goes without a fight. And they fight like hell.
In the midst though, Lina finds evidence of their project’s fraud on Jonas’ computer. And she confronts him in front of everyone. She demands to know who forged her signature, ‘Was it you, Kaj (Christoffer Nordenrot)?’ She says to Jonas’ most loyal lackey. Then she announces that he sold them and the town out for the hope of a cushy job with IKEA. Jonas is stunned and pissed!
All the while, the killer has ramped up his spree, he’s killing faster and taking bigger risks. He’s also no longer hiding and becoming more brazen because he stole the head to Jonas’ costume and people just assume it’s him, until they’re fighting for their lives.
Now, there’s no hiding it. There is blood splatter, teeth and bodies tucked everywhere. Phone lines are cut, traps are laid and they’re in the middle of nowhere. The ever shrinking group scatters and runs for their lives. Jonas, even though he was nearly scalped, his mind is still firmly on Lina and the evidence against him. As soon as he gets the chance, he double crosses her and nearly drowns.
Four members of their group are trying to brainstorm and strategize their way out of this in front of the fire in the common room. Nadja (Bahar Pars) takes off to get the van keys and nearly dies for her effort. The killer quickly sets the van on fire, taking away their easiest mode of escape.
Jonas returns to his cabin and sees the state of himself and Annette (Cecilia Nilsson) helps him sew his scalp back down. He quickly abandons her when the killer arrives and leaves her to die. Annette thinks she might know who the killer is, she told Frans, they would be at this retreat. But she’s wrong.
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The group in front of the fire decide to try to use the zip line to escape across the lake and on the way, they see a newspaper and now they know who the killer is. Eva (Eva Melander) is terrified, she stays and hides. Torbjörn (Claes Hartelius) returns for her and when the killer gets there with his chainsaw, Torbjörn puts up his fists to fight. And with one ear barely hanging on, he does.
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Lina is terrified of heights but with the help of Amir (Amed Bozan), she goes on the zip line but there is a trap waiting on the other end, Amir sees it and quietly turns himself toward it, accepting his fate, saving Alina.
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Eva who originally runs and hides, comes back with a fury and a scythe and attacks the killer to save Torbjörn. This lady might be a track star but she uses everything as a weapon! When it looks like she and Torbjörn has run out of luck, Nadja comes back swinging a shovel and leaves the killer standing there, headless.
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Alina happens to find the killer’s boat which has a box in it with their phones and personal effects. She calls emergency. As the sirens approach, so does Jonas, he cannot let it or Alina go and he tackles her into the lake. Alina snatches back his scalp flap and it’s lights out for Jonas.
This Swedish slasher is directed by Patrik Eklund. This was kooky and fun. The weirdness of some of the employees really cranks up the humor and the kills in this flick. Despite being very bloody and gory, they do not show as much as is assumed. If you liked movies like Severance and Office Uprising, you might like this.