Studios used to relegate January as the yearly "dumping" ground for horror movies they had little faith in, though that has changed significantly in recent years. This January boasts high-profile films like The Wolf Man and Companion, but don't sleep on The Damned, a psychological arctic horror film from director Thordur Palsson set in 19th century Iceland.
Odessa Young stars as Eva, a widow who oversees a remote fishing station formerly owned by her husband. Perched in a bleak and wintry tundra, the region is no easy place to live and work. Resources are scarce, and Eva's crew must adhere to strict guidelines to survive and ensure each man can return to his respective family with money in his pockets.
So when they notice a sinking ship off the shore along a perilous stretch of rocks they've dubbed the "teeth," the fishers must quickly decide if they're willing to row out to sea and rescue the ship's drowning crew, knowing that they could be jeopardizing their survival. Do they have enough resources to spare a dozen extra mouths?
Their decision and its aftermath are horrific enough, establishing an unrelenting aura of unease that slithers around your gut—not unlike an eel seen in a particularly gruesome and memorable early scene. It's peak psychological drama, the sickening knowledge of willfully standing by and doing nothing as something horrific unfolds before you.
As Palsson is a native Icelander himself, he imbibes The Damned with folklore about the Norse legends of the Draugr to create terror throughout the film as a nightmarish situation unfolds.
The Damned has a simple premise and is ultimately the tale of a haunting, but Palsson works well in tandem with cinematographer Eli Arenson to emphasize the haunting yet beautiful setting that elevates scares into the paranoid terror of a group of people at the mercy of their surroundings and the ancient evil stalking them.
The film unfolds from her point of view, meaning we're front and center in her increasing paranoia. Beyond Eva, most of the other characters felt rather underwritten. The performances are compelling, but the writing doesn't give the actors much to work with. This is disappointing because the film's final scene, which provides a thought-provoking twist, lacks an emotional punch.
Palsson is a skilled director, and The Damned is at its best when it's using environmental storytelling or setting up artful shots that sometimes reveal far more character insights than the script. The Damned is a worthwhile watch, even if it doesn't entirely achieve what it sets out to do.
The Damned is now playing exclusively in theaters.