THE DAMNED (2025) review
written by: Jamie Hannigan
produced by: Emilie Jouffroy, Kamilla Hodol, John Keville, Conor Barry, Tim Headington & Theresa Steele Page
Nate Kamiya
directed by: Thordur Palsson
rated: R (for bloody violent content, suicide, and some language)
runtime: 89 min.
U.S. release date: January 3, 2025
The first month of the year here in the States usually sees a handful of horror movies dropping from American studios and a smattering of comedies and action flicks, most of them being quite subpar at best. 2025 is starting out differently; however, with the release of “The Damned,” a tense and haunting international horror thriller set in the 19th Century, that’s quite riveting. This is the feature-length directorial debut from Icelandic filmmaker Thordur Palsson (who established himself by helming Netflix’s “The Valhalla Murders”), who’s working with screenwriter Jamie Hannigan on a story that focuses on a small group of fishermen in a remote arctic fishing outpost during a harsh winter. There’s a palpable bone-chilling feeling throughout that’ll make you check to see if you can see your breath while watching this unsettling tale of guilt and regret that challenges sanity as madness gradually spreads.
Eva (Odessa Young) oversees an isolated fishing station nestled along an icy bay bordered by jagged rocks called the “The Teeth” that took the life of her husband a year ago. The young widow leads six fishermen, led by helmsman Ragnar (Rory McCann) and an older woman, Helga (Siobhan Finnegan), who’s well-versed in telling superstitious folk tales in their quiet community. They are a three-day mountain hike from the nearest village and are nearing desperation as their resources have depleted and this season’s catch has been woefully scarce. While Daniel (Joe Cole) and Hakón (Turlough Convery) try to remain positive, and Jonas (Lewis Gibbben) prays for their situation, Eva does her best to maintain a semblance of hope. While the men keep up morale by drinking and singing sea shanties, an underlying sense of dread remains.
One day, just before a fishing expedition, they all spot a ship sinking on the horizon near the Teeth. They can hear the desperate cries of the crew as they slowly sink into the icy waters. Eva has to make a hard call by stating they will not take a boat out to rescue them. Due to the perilous rocky waters, such an effort would risk their own lives, plus they are in no position to provide resources for more people.
Not long after, Eva and the starving fishermen find a barrel of salted pork washed ashore. Realizing it came from the sunken ship, the hopeless group sets out on frigid water to see if any other goods are floating near the wreck. This is a tragically bad idea when they encounter surviving foreigners clinging to the rocks. When they spot the fishermen in the rowboat, the foreigners franticly swim out, hoping to be rescued. Ragnar tells the crew to paddle back, knowing they’ll be capsized with too many passengers. Still, the distressed survivors begin to cling to the boat, grabbing at Eva and the fishermen, resulting in several of them drowning, including Ragnar. After that, all they have to account for their actions is a crate filled with lamp oil and six bottles of brandy.
Returning to the shoreline with an understandable sense of guilt and loss, Eva and her crew feel cursed. This feeling becomes stronger the next day when they find six dead bodies washed up on the shore. Helga warns everyone that the dead can come back as draugr, a vengeful undead creature of Nordic legend that manifests itself corporally but also haunts the minds and dreams of the guilty. Indeed, these draugr gradually emerge, making men go mad or turning them against each other. As Eva experiences her visions and nightmares, she must fight for her sanity to survive.
To convey the bleakness of “The Damned,” Palsson unites with another Icelandic talent, cinematographer Eli Arenson, who lensed last year’s “The Watchers” and A24’s folk horror “Lamb”. The story benefits from its wide, open, remote location, which convinces viewers of feelings of isolation and desperation. I definitely felt physically cold more than once while watching. What’s most fascinating about Hannigan’s story is that no one character can be seen as “bad” or “evil.” It’d not hard to relate to and understand the bad decisions made since options are few regarding survival. The eerie score from composer Stephen McKeon amplifies the tense feelings of guilt, fear, and loss. The music is sometimes a bit too hysterical, especially during unnecessary jump scares, but McKeon maintains an appropriate mood throughout.
As Eva, Young gives a convincingly conflicted performance, portraying the burdens of being a young woman in a leadership role that no one expects her to be in. The fishermen don’t make much of it, but the responsibility and dire situations weigh heavily on Eva. It also helps that no men are written or acted as stereotypical characters we typically see in a survival story. Their characterizations are realistic, showing their loyalties, doubts, and humanity. Palsson and Hannigan deftly navigate the juxtaposition in such harsh conditions, showing what can turn us into animals and how our society can still be found under the surface.
The gradual pace of “The Damned” is commendable, aligning itself with the growing menace and despair that is central to the story. As madness sinks in for the fishermen, it’s communicated in convincing and realistic ways rather than overtly gory or supernatural. The film excels at portraying how the ramifications of specific actions can gradually turn into madness with effective chills and unsettling horror. Considering this is the time of year when most horror movies will induce eye-rolling responses, it’s a relief to experience a well-made film.
RATING: ***
