The Damned

I watched the Icelandic film 🇮🇸 The Damned (2024) in theaters this evening. The storyline follows an Icelandic fishing team that is hunkered down in a shack together trying to survive winter. One day they see a crashed ship in the water with an abandoned crew with nothing they can do to rescue them. After a few days they head out to see if they can obtain supplies and set off a series of unfortunate events that sets a curse on their camp.

This picture is directed by Thordur Palsson, in his directorial debut, and stars Odessa Young (Assassination Nation), Joe Cole (One of these Days), Lewis Gribben (T2 Trainspotting), Rory McCann (Game of Thrones) and Mícheál Óg Lane (The Guard).

The Damned is one of those movies that feels like it's missing an ingredient from beginning to end. The atmosphere and desperation of the circumstances is perfectly established with the attire, settings and backdrops. There's good use of background music to establish the drama and intensity. The movie does start with a bang. I'll also say eels aren't used enough in horror movies. There's awesome use of an ax and a fantastic throat slash. There's a strong buildup to the final scene, but the conclusion was disappointing.

In conclusion, The Damned has more than enough going on to keep your attention, but doesn't live up to its potential. I would score this a 6.5/10.

GenX reporting-in from the first screening at our AMC. I see almost every horror film. This is the first of 2025, an Icelandic horror about malnurishment, regrets, ghost stories, alcoholism, and fisherman. The cinematography, scenery, costumes and acting are all Very well done, A++. Decent gore. I could understand most of the dialogue, but I wish my theatre would offer open captions for films like this. If I was at home I would pause and rewind parts. It's very good, but not good enough to view it again. In the end it falls short in its climax. Some of the horror is sliced-in or not on screen for long, cut short. But honestly we would be complaining if this film was longer, as its the perfect run time for a slow burner like this; Less boring that way. The landscape and vibe is haunting. Do you have to see this film in the theatre? A: No. If you have A-List or Movie Pass and extra time definitely check it out. It's almost great 6/10 for costumes, scenery and acting.

This 2024 co-production between Ireland and Iceland shows it's strength in its cinematography. It has beauty within the frigid temperaturea and stark landscape. It's storyline begins begin well with the first and second act, great introduction of hearing a woman's oral storytelling to the main cast.

Odessa Young, delivers a strong performance as the widower of a ship owner and its seaman crew. The rest of the films is a play of what you see as folk story to answer what it just human tragedy and conflict. Director Thordur Palsson co-scripted with Jamie Hanniga. Aside from Young, it stars Joe Cole and Lewis Gribben as the widow's sea crew.

Many reviews are in sort of agreement that in the films third act, it has flaws. I see it as a interesting plot twist or just fact about the life at sea. Palsson's direction captured the seafarer's concerns: about having the provisions, managing one's sanity on the boat whether its darkness or blinded by northern wind blasts.

As far as this film being marketed as a "folk horror" film, like others film it plays on surreal effects, then on just the folkloric. For the average horror fan, the film may not much to deliver. But for those seeking a steady story and outlook to landscape scenes - it's for you.

What a fantastic kickoff for horror movies in 2025. This psychological horror flick is expertly crafted and features a strong female lead set against the backdrop of an Icelandic fishing village. The film opens with a group of fishermen enjoying dinner in a cozy cottage while a local woman shares a folk tale that sets the stage for the eerie journey ahead. It's got that slow-burn, atmospheric kind of horror, focusing on a folklore creature called the Draugr. The cast is amazing, with Odessa Young delivering a standout performance. The cinematography is stunning, capturing the freezing, snowy Icelandic landscape near the beach. Those exterior shots are just gorgeous to look at and perfectly convey the film's mood and themes. The music is spot-on, and the whole production is top-notch.

The Draugr seems to represent strangers in this wild setting where resources are scarce and food is limited, forcing characters into tough and traumatic decisions. But this movie goes beyond just showing how unforgiving nature can be; it digs into human nature itself-relationship dynamics, loss, grief, guilt, trauma, survival versus morality-the nature of evil, superstition and folklore, female agency, and what leadership truly means. It really explores how isolation and harsh conditions can play tricks on our minds and how we struggle to deal with hard truths. The themes here are just fantastic.

There's a line in the movie that really stuck with me: "The living are always more dangerous than the dead." I couldn't agree more. And by the way, that's a solid tip for all the horror filmmakers out there!

In summary, I highly recommend this movie to everyone-not just those who love psychological horror. It's such a breath of fresh air in today's horror scene and offers a really satisfying experience overall. Great performances from the entire cast, especially Odessa Young. Make sure to give it a watch without expecting it to be super scary!

I struggle to say anything really "bad" about this movie. I LOVED the movie for about 1hr and 26mins. Those final ~3ish minutes kind of soiled the entire movie for me.

I felt like the movie was VERY well done for what they were working with. It counts as an indie Irish folk horror film and in that regard, this movie is AMAZING. The acting was very well done, I felt like I couldn't find a single actor/actress that didn't feel like they weren't giving everything they had for their role.

The scenery in this movie as well, BEAUTIFUL. Filming in Iceland was an outstanding choice because every outdoor shot in this movie is gorgeous.

The jumpscares, though not plentiful, are set up and land very well for the average viewer, barring two really cheap jumpscares but that's allowed.

I enjoyed how the plot moved forward naturally, and it felt like none of the characters decisions were made in typical horror movie fashion aka "without a brain".

This movie also made me feel really bad for pretty much the entire crew. I felt like, even though they did NEARLY everything right, they still were punished for it. I understand that they set the tone early by explaining the folklore that these spirits are just full of rage with how their endings came to be, but it still felt bad having seen the characters do everything right and still get punished for making the correct choices. It felt like there was nothing they could do to stop what happened, and that left a bleak and sorrowful feeling during the entire movie. THIS IS NOT A BAD THING HOWEVER AND ADDED TO MY ENJOYMENT OF THE MOVIE.

That all comes, in my own opinion, undone with the ending. To keep the review spoiler free, I won't spoil the ending but, it did leave me feeling a little bit like "why did we do all of this"/"how did we not know this by now".

Overall however, the ending, after much consideration, wasn't enough to sway the rating or drop it too much, this is still a fantastic film and if you are a horror fan you should definitely watch this one. ESPECIALLY if you like the folk horror genre. Solid 7/10 when ranked with horror movie

Pros Solid acting Beautiful scenery Good jumpscares Good plot Great Sound design Good emotion

Cons Bad ending.