Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalHispanic Heritage MonthIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre

  • 2009
  • R
  • 1h 27m
IMDb RATING
4.8/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
Carlos Takeshi in Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre (2009)
Trailer for Harpoon: Whale Watching Massacre
Play trailer1:32
1 Video
20 Photos
Slasher HorrorComedyHorror

An epic tale about a group of whale watchers, whose ship breaks down and they get picked up by a whale fisher vessel. The Fishbillies on the vessel has just gone bust, and everything goes ou... Read allAn epic tale about a group of whale watchers, whose ship breaks down and they get picked up by a whale fisher vessel. The Fishbillies on the vessel has just gone bust, and everything goes out of control.An epic tale about a group of whale watchers, whose ship breaks down and they get picked up by a whale fisher vessel. The Fishbillies on the vessel has just gone bust, and everything goes out of control.

  • Director
    • Júlíus Kemp
  • Writer
    • Sjón
  • Stars
    • Pihla Viitala
    • Nae
    • Terence Anderson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.8/10
    2.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Júlíus Kemp
    • Writer
      • Sjón
    • Stars
      • Pihla Viitala
      • Nae
      • Terence Anderson
    • 32User reviews
    • 81Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    Harpoon: Whale Watching Massacre
    Trailer 1:32
    Harpoon: Whale Watching Massacre

    Photos20

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 14
    View Poster

    Top cast43

    Edit
    Pihla Viitala
    Pihla Viitala
    • Annette
    Nae
    Nae
    • Endo
    • (as Nae Yuuki)
    Terence Anderson
    • Leon
    Miranda Hennessy
    Miranda Hennessy
    • Marie-Anne
    Helgi Björnsson
    Helgi Björnsson
    • Tryggvi
    Guðrún Gísladóttir
    Guðrún Gísladóttir
    • Mamma
    Stefán Jónsson
    Stefán Jónsson
    • Siggi
    Aymen Hamdouchi
    Aymen Hamdouchi
    • Jean Francois
    Snorri Engilbertsson
    Snorri Engilbertsson
    • Anton
    Gunnar Hansen
    Gunnar Hansen
    • Captain Pétur
    Thorvaldur Kristjansson
    Thorvaldur Kristjansson
    • Bjorn
    • (as Thorvaldur David Kristjansson)
    Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir
    • Hannah Traschle
    Carlos Takeshi
    • Nobuyoshi
    Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir
    Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir
    • Helga
    Hanna María Karlsdóttir
    • Signy
    Guðlaug Ólafsdóttir
    • Asa
    Miwa Yanagizawa
    • Yuko
    Kristinn Agust Fridfinnsson
    • Larusson
    • Director
      • Júlíus Kemp
    • Writer
      • Sjón
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews32

    4.82.1K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    4ElijahCSkuggs

    Whoooaa...................this sucked balls.

    What a poster! What a title! What a stinking piece of arctic garbage! Simple enough story. Group of unrelated people set off on a whale watching expedition. Something goes awry. Bad family of crazies show up. Tourists think they're being rescued. People start dying. Try to survive. There ya go.

    What a stinking horrible summary that was, huh!? And I could give a crap! This flick in no way deserves my cognitive efforts, and if you think you're gonna read a review that cares...get ready for a supriseis!!1

    I really don't even know where to start. I suppose starting with the good is the best case here...since anything positive was entirely slim-pickings. The make-up and blood effects were impressive. The ending was grim. That's it.

    The bad...which I forbid to dwell upon, encompassed everything else. The acting was amateur, the writing awful, the use of a Bjork song was appalling, the characters were annoying, and the direction....A word...A word...A word......atrocious. Yes! And the entire movie itself....abysmal! Look at me go, Ma!! To be fair to the entire crew and what not, the productions were indeed slick, but when it came down to telling a solid horror story, it not only dropped the ball, it dropped the ball from the top of the Empire State Building into a pile of steaming Orca excrement. Don't let the positive reviews fool you, or the useful/not useful voting. This movie sucks my ass!
    3Mr_Saxon

    Great Title. Terrible Movie.

    Around twenty minutes into this movie I started to wonder if "Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre" was meant to be a dark comedy. After all, how could this be a serious horror movie when it included scenes such as a traumatised woman singing Björk's "It's Oh So Quiet" over the loudspeakers of a ship whilst a tragedy occurs on the deck? Or the moment in the movie where the scene suddenly changes to a group of people discussing their love for whales? But if it's a comedy, where are all of the scenes designed to make you laugh - or at least smile? It's almost as though the scriptwriter was as confused about the movie they were making as I was about the movie I was watching.

    Obviously "Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre" is a homage to the far superior "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" - the original Leatherface (Gunner Hansen) even shows up here. However, everything that "Texas" did right, "Reykjavik" does wrong and then some. The victims here are some of the most one-dimensional stereotypes you could ever assemble from the loud, drunk Frenchman to the Japanese tourists with their camera gear, and none of them are particularly sympathetic or appealing. The only exception is a young black American man (portrayed by an actor in serious need of accent training) whose sexuality prompts one of the most unrealistic dialogue exchanges i've heard (and that's before you take into account the fact that this exchange takes place whilst the two characters are running for their lives from insane whalers). I'm not even sure who was supposed to be the main character in this movie which shows how problematic the story was.

    This already unsteady boat is further sunk by gaping holes in logic which will leave you scratching your head in disbelief. For example, early in the movie we're introduced to a character whose presence seems to indicate that our victims have been lured into a trap. However, their fate actually has nothing to do with him but rather an unfortunate (and highly unlikely) accident. This is indicative of the poorly written script in which strangers suddenly and inexplicably relate their life stories to one another merely for the purpose of giving the audience some back-story, or act out of character to set up a specific plot point (see the crazy sequence of events which begins with the line "Your father was a real kamikaze!" for evidence of this).

    There is only one death scene that is of any interest and the villains aren't terribly memorable. Whilst it's exciting to see a slasher movie emerge from somewhere other than America, I can't recommend "Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre" due to its many, many flaws. You would be advised not to waste your time and to instead watch a movie like 2006's "Severance" which manages to be both funny and frightening - two things which "Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre" completely fails to be.
    bababear

    Just How Are We to React to This?

    The best thing I can say about HARPOON is that I watched it to the end (with, I must admit, increasing use of the fast forward button) hoping that it was going to come together. It didn't.

    The opening titles are shown over grainy footage of whaling boats. Then we are introduced to an assortment of irritating characters of various nationalities. They go out for a short (presumably about two hours, based on dialog muttered in passing) trip to, well, watch whales.

    The captain (the great Gunnar Hansen, the only familiar name in the cast) falls victim to a, well, harpoon. Then the irritating tourists, squabbling among themselves, get on board a "rescue" ship that turns out to be manned by crazies.

    This is not a case of watching untalented actors go through the motions. But the tone is so uncertain that we never become involved with these people in their struggle to survive. Is this supposed to be a comedy? If not, why does a scene in which one character's dying act is to decapitate another seem so hilarious in retrospect?

    At the very beginning a title card announces that this was a product of the Icelandic Film Company, which I presume to be an entity that encourages the development of that Country's cinema industry, possibly with funding or at least tax breaks from the Icelandic government. It would have been amusing to have been present when this film's producers set up their projector in the company's board room, as in, "You spend our $4 million on THAT?"

    Two positive notes about the film, though: 1. It has, oddly enough, some effective use of sound that gave my stereo speakers a chance to shine. 2. Neither the director nor screenwriter has gotten another credit on IMDb since making this turd.

    By the way, HARPOON may stink in most aspects but it has a great poster.
    6jjdosha

    A very good effort !

    There aren't many horror films from Iceland; however, this one is a very good start. "Harpoon" has all the great elements of a horror film, despite its less than stellar subtitle "Whale Watching Massacre." The director chose all the right performers to bring the characters to life; each actor did a great job at owning the person they were portraying; however, the director left much to be desired in the action department...and the film could've done without the few gasps of ironic comedy with the character Endo and the matriarch of the insane clan. Overall, the gore effects were good and a few surprising moments that the audience may not suspect. I really despised the ending because it disabled me from taking the film seriously overall, meaning the ending was too campy for this type of film. Kudos again to the actors who performed very well.
    4Leofwine_draca

    Icelandic slasher needs a good dose of style

    HARPOON: THE REYKJAVIK WHALE WATCHING MASSACRE is billed as Iceland's first horror film and their answer to THE Texas CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, with the action shifted to an inhospitable landscape and a ship. Unfortunately, it turns out to be as dull-witted and laughable as many a Hollywood slasher sequel, a film that strives to be horrific and entertaining and yet which ends up a mess.

    The first half of the film sets up the cast, which is fair enough, but it doesn't help that most of the characters are intensely irritating (with the exception of the black guy and the Japanese girl). Gunnar Hansen pops up for a worthless cameo, but after that we're mired in a mess of horror film clichés and predictable death sequences. It's all badly written and quite badly directed, two things which sap enjoyment from the production.

    One thing HARPOON does have going for it are some explicit gore sequences, although these aren't quite as grisly as you'd expect, with the emphasis being on the staging of each effect rather than going all-out to gross-out the viewer. But such moments aren't enough to save what is another forgettable, lamentable horror yarn.

    More like this

    Stopmotion
    5.6
    Stopmotion
    Fish Out of Water
    6.1
    Fish Out of Water
    I Remember You
    6.1
    I Remember You
    Harpoon
    5.9
    Harpoon
    Mannvirki
    6.1
    Mannvirki
    Harpoon
    Harpoon
    Dark Floors
    4.4
    Dark Floors
    Manhunt
    5.1
    Manhunt
    The Killer Is Still Among Us
    5.2
    The Killer Is Still Among Us
    Children of Nature
    7.2
    Children of Nature
    Scar
    4.1
    Scar
    Future-Kill
    3.8
    Future-Kill

    Related interests

    Roger Jackson in Scream (1996)
    Slasher Horror
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Gunnar Hansen portrays Captain Pétur but during post-production, his voice was dubbed.
    • Quotes

      Leon: You do as i tell you to do as i fucking say and you won't get hurt... i'm handing you over to the authorities

      [last lines]

      Leon: Get on your fucking knees clasp your hands behind your back... yeah like that

    • Alternate versions
      There are two US DVD releases, released in 2010, one the R-rated cut and one an Unrated Cut.

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ17

    • How long is Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre?Powered by Alexa
    • What are the differences between the R-Rated Version and the Unrated Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 4, 2009 (Iceland)
    • Country of origin
      • Iceland
    • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Icelandic
      • Japanese
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Harpoon
    • Filming locations
      • Reykjavík, Iceland
    • Production companies
      • The Icelandic Filmcompany
      • Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME)
      • Solar Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $4,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $43,476
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 27m(87 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.