The Conference Movie Review

This Friday the 13th, Netflix has a fresh horror offering that, while not directly involving Jason Voorhees, is undoubtedly inspired by the iconic slasher. Patrick Eklund’s “The Conference” combines the biting satire of the Triangle of Sadness with the relentless tension of I Know What You Did Last Summer. The film follows a group of corporate workers who find themselves at a company retreat ahead of the launch of a controversial shopping mall project. The mall is set to displace farmers without proper compensation, sparking a string of chaotic and grisly events. What sets Eklund’s film apart is the sheer incompetence of the characters—greedy and morally bankrupt, they bumble through corporate deception, falsifying documents, and pretending that major retailers like IKEA are involved. As tensions rise, so does the body count, with the retreat taking a deadly turn far worse than any corporate team-building activity they could have imagined.

At the center of the story is Katia Winter (best known as Nadia from Dexter), playing Lina, arguably the most sympathetic character in a cast full of morally gray individuals. Returning to work after a leave of absence, Lina is shocked to discover that the company hasn’t compensated the local farmers whose land was seized to make way for their new shopping mall. Determined to uncover who’s responsible, she embarks on her investigation during a retreat held at what appears to be a rundown summer camp. Eklund and his co-writers Thomas Moldestad and Mats Strandberg make an effort to differentiate the employees, giving a few of them distinct characteristics, though many of them still follow the lead of the company’s overly cheerful boss, Ingela (played by Maria Sid), whose forced positivity and unsettling smile give her the air of someone dangerously out of touch with reality.

The movie doesn’t waste time before diving into its slasher elements. Soon after the retreat begins, the killer appears—a menacing figure lurking in the woods, armed with a machete, and donning a grotesque mask resembling a twisted fairy tale character, part dwarf, part nightmare. As employees argue over blame and Lina uncovers more about the shady business dealings, the killer begins dispatching them one by one. The slasher is efficient, brutal, and utterly relentless, making quick work of the corporate workers who once thought themselves untouchable.

One of the film’s highlights is its blend of horror with biting corporate satire. Films have long critiqued the empty mantras of corporate retreats and the false promises of motivational speeches, and The Conference leans into that tradition with a dark, humorous edge. Fans of shows like Severance and movies like Mayhem will notice similar thematic elements here, but Eklund handles them with an impressive pace. There’s no drawn-out exposition or slow build—he quickly sets the stage, establishes the stakes, and gets to the killing.

In the final act, the movie drives home one of its more cynical messages: these characters don’t need a crazed killer in the woods to tear each other apart. Corporate greed, lies, and ambition have already made them enemies. The Conference masterfully portrays the hollowness of the modern workplace, where colleagues will stab each other in the back, figuratively and literally, to climb the corporate ladder.

A Deep Dive into "The Conference":

Plot and Character Dynamics

Set in the Swedish countryside, The Conference begins with a team of municipal workers gathering at a lodge for what should be a celebratory retreat. Their office has just secured the necessary approvals for a controversial shopping mall, which has divided the group. Some, like the overly ambitious Ingela and her sycophantic sidekick Jonas (Adam Lundgren), are all too eager to reap the rewards, believing the mall will bring jobs and economic growth. Others, however, are concerned about the environmental impact and the question of whether the displaced farmers were treated fairly.

The film initially plays out as a dark comedy, with Eklund using clever writing and well-timed music to mock the awkward office politics. The retreat itself is hilariously disorganized—the Wi-Fi barely works, the meals are terrible, and the entire place seems poorly maintained. There’s a sense that something is off from the start, but the corporate employees, too focused on their internal squabbles, fail to notice.

As the movie progresses, disappearances become more frequent, and what starts as a dysfunctional office comedy slowly evolves into a full-blown slasher. The juxtaposition of ziplining and team-building activities with brutal murder scenes adds a layer of absurdity that works in the film’s favor. There’s a constant tension between the serious and the ridiculous, and Eklund expertly weaves these elements together. For a while, the film seems to be building toward a classic whodunnit, with several characters having potential motives for murder. Unfortunately, The Conference falters slightly when it reveals too much too soon, undermining some of the suspense.

Character and Plot Development

Where The Conference excels is in its character development. The team of employees feels authentic, with a diverse mix of personalities. Ingela is the relentlessly positive boss who refuses to acknowledge any negative feedback, determined to push through her vision of success at any cost. Jonas plays the role of the office golden boy, constantly praised for his work on securing the mall deal, though his ethics are questionable. Meanwhile, the older employees, such as Torbjorn, Eva, and Anette, represent a more traditional, principled stance, decrying the erosion of Sweden’s socialist values and the moral compromises made for profit.

Then there’s Lina, who stands apart from the rest. Having returned from a break, she has a clarity the others lack. As she investigates the shady dealings behind the land acquisition, she becomes the moral compass of the film, even as the world around her spirals into chaos. Her honesty and idealism clash with the corporate culture that’s more interested in results than fairness.

A Classic Setup with a Twist

Despite the film’s engaging characters and biting satire, The Conference leans heavily on slasher tropes in its second half. As the bodies pile up, the tension from the film’s earlier mystery begins to fade. The killer is revealed too soon, and while the characterizations remain strong, the plot falls into familiar slasher territory, sacrificing some of the nuances that made the first half so intriguing.

Still, The Conference offers a chilling atmosphere, with the remote Swedish lodge providing an eerie backdrop to the escalating violence. The dark humor and social commentary keep it from becoming just another slasher flick, but the film could have reached greater heights had it embraced the ambiguity of its mystery for longer.

In the end, The Conference is a sharp, satirical horror film that skewers corporate culture while delivering gruesome thrills. While not without its flaws, it offers a fresh take on the slasher genre, blending workplace drama with bloody mayhem in a way that’s both entertaining and thought-provoking.