The Damned
Directed by Thordur Palsson
A 19th-century widow has to make an impossible choice when, during an especially cruel winter, a foreign ship sinks off the coast of her Icelandic fishing village.
Where to Watch The Damned
- jackmeatAugust 4, 2025My quick rating - 6.0/10. Kicking off with a lone woman trudging through a whiteout, The Damned wastes no time setting its tone—bleak, cold, and oppressive. Fitting, considering I just got power back after nearly 27 hours without it, thanks to what this town dares call a snowstorm. Compared to the visual avalanche director Thordur Palsson throws at us, my weather woes seem like a light dusting. Set in the 19th-century Icelandic Westfjords, a location that feels practically tailor-made for supernatural horror, the story centers on Eva (Odessa Young), a recent widow grappling with the moral weight of survival. When a ship crashes offshore during a brutal winter, she and her fellow starving villagers must decide whether saving the survivors is worth risking what little they have left. It’s a grim setup, but one that’s laced with creeping dread and icy folklore. The film shines most in its atmosphere. Cinematographer Eli Arenson captures Iceland’s desolate beauty in wide, windswept frames of towering snowbanks, rocky outcrops, and gray skies that feel as heavy as the moral choices facing the villagers. The sound design is equally sharp: howling wind and sudden silences all used to unsettling effect. It's the kind of movie that doesn't shout “horror” so much as whisper it directly into your ear. Odessa Young is a powerhouse here, carrying the emotional weight with a quiet intensity. As Eva, she’s tough but haunted, and her gradual unraveling feels both earned and unnerving. There are a few well-executed jump scares scattered through the film, but The Damned leans more on psychological and folkloric horror, particularly the concept of the draugar—restless undead who may or may not be lurking just beyond the veil. When you live with 20 hours of winter darkness, it makes perfect sense that the line between myth and madness would blur. Thordur Palsson makes a strong debut here, both writing and directing with a sure hand. The pacing may be a touch too glacial for some, especially if you're not into slow burns, but there's real substance beneath the snow. That said, the ending did feel rushed, less like a conclusion and more like an abrupt dismount. With a runtime of just 89 minutes, they had room to breathe a bit more before rolling credits. Still, The Damned delivers. It's a moody, visually arresting slice of Icelandic horror that gets under your skin. If you like your ghost stories bleak, snowy, and steeped in folklore, this one’s worth your time even if you might want to throw on an extra blanket while watching.
- รҡ૨אρƭเ∂March 23, 2025A movie that could have been much better with a few adjustments. An excellent setting and mood with good acting, but a shoddy and weak storyline that felt unfinished and and unrefined. Movie could have really been something, but it wasn't. I might keep this in my library for the mood and setting but it's barely making the cut. 4.4/10
The Damned Trivia
The Damned was released on January 3, 2025.
The Damned was directed by Thordur Palsson.
The Damned has a runtime of 89m.
The Damned was produced by John Keville, Conor Barry, Kamilla Kristiane Hodol, Emilie Jouffroy, Theresa Steele Page, Nate Kamiya, Tim Headington.
A 19th-century widow has to make an impossible choice when, during an especially cruel winter, a foreign ship sinks off the coast of her Icelandic fishing village.
The key characters in The Damned are Eva (Odessa Young), Daniel (Joe Cole), Helga (Siobhan Finneran).
The Damned is rated R.
The Damned is a Drama, Horror, Mystery film.
The Damned has an audience rating of 4.7 out of 10.
The Damned has made $1.4M at the box office.