The Damned (2025)

[BluBonnet]

Icelandic horror. Not to be confused with the movie of the same name by Roberto Minervini.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k5Wn98h9l8

[BluBonnet]

‘The Damned’ Review: A Chilly Horror-Drama That Clings to Its Atmosphere for as Long as It Can

A vicious 19th-century morality play that gives way to psychological horror, Thordur Palsson‘s “The Damned” draws on Icelandic folklore to create a tale of paranoia and superstition in an isolated outpost. A tiny fishing village plays host to the pressing question of whether to rescue a sinking ship nearby. The fishermen’s decisions in the wake of this terror from afar bring home their fears and regrets in a story told through dreams and shadows that, while often repetitive in its approach, is still effectively told.

[BluBonnet]

Tickets are on sale now, opens Friday (with Thursday night previews)

[The Great Owl]

Four stars

At a remote 19th century Icelandic fishing outpost, Eva, a widow played by Odessa Young, is left in charge of her late husband's boat, serving as the ultimate decision-maker for its roughhousing crew during a brutally rugged winter as rations run short. When she and the men witness a shipwreck on the same treacherous rocks that claimed the life of her husband, she opts to avoid a search and rescue trip in order to protect her fishermen and to conserve the meager resources existing in the village. During the days that follow, as guilt wreaks havoc on the inhabitants of the outpost, the psychological toil manifests itself in terrifying ways.

The Damned, a 2024 horror film written and directed by Thordur Palsson, earns considerable mileage with its Icelandic shooting location, depicting a setting that is a hostile villain in its own right and claustrophobic confines that conjure comparisons with Stanley Kubrick's The Shining or with John Carpenter's The Thing. A distinct gothic tone reigns supreme here, inviting us to a time when superstitions and folk tales propagated among even the most rational minds. The evenings are unrelentingly pitch black, so much so that the fishermen are often not sure of what they are seeing, while the daytime brightness practically scalds the eyes, leaving nothing to imagination.

The hints at supernatural presences and the stark psychological aspects of The Damned are secondary to its coldly matter-of-fact observations about how nature is not cruel, but merely indifferent. The jump scares in the story at hand are repetitive after a while and the narrative does not quite stick the landing in its final moments, but the unforgiving landscapes are their own reward, elevating this move to an atmospheric effectiveness that is rarely experienced in present-day cinema. This is impressive filmmaking through and through.

[RFK]

Well it sure ain't Visconti.

[EvaDK]

Putting it on my to watch list.

So rare to watch Icelandic cinema.

[russweiss1]

The films starts out well but the pacing quickly bogs down and makes the 89 minute run time seem much longer. The ending was a trainwreck and completely unnecessary. I still found many scenes to be effective and eerie.

[BluBonnet]

This is some gut-wrenching stuff, no pun intended

Totally didn't expect to see someone from the cast of Downton Abbey in this, poor Mrs O'Brian can't seem to catch a break.

[BluBonnet]

Per Deadline, this is also the highest-grossing movie in the specialty circuit

[jtu128]

It’s nice to see The Hound again so soon after his very brief role in Gladiator 2

[therealjondoe]

Very solid film. I'm a sucker for this type of setting.
A few good scares, a few not so good loud music scares
It left me with a chill in my bones
Hopefully it finds its way to 4k

[therealjondoe]

Go see this before its gone !

[MathTeacher]

Yeah I'm gonna miss this as it's gone from my theater after tomorrow.

[mwynn]

The Damned - Official Trailer (2025) Odessa Young, Joe Cole, Siobhan Finneran, Rory McCann - YouTube

[SleazyForWeasley]

Nosferat-who?

[trespoochies]

Nice to know there's other directors like Eggers who can do bleak like he can. And Joe Cole is in this! I love him in Gangs of London. He's a whole other level of crazy in it. I'll definitely check this out.

[jimcorenson]

Hopefully this gets a Blu-Ray release

[Zivouhr]

A blu ray release as I don't remember ever seeing this at my Cinemark theater showtimes for The Damned. It looks interesting.

It seems like some kind of evil ice monster maybe? I can't tell. They don't really show anyone being attacked by it in the one trailer I saw. Just people scared of something in the dark.

Where Evil Lurks (foreign language film) I haven't seen yet either, but I think that is about evil that can be contagious to others.

[dameonjamie]

Can anyone help me find where in Australia I can buy a 4k digital or physical release of this film. It looks like it's available to purchase on Apple or Vudu USA, but I can't access those from Australia. I love everything about this film, the story, the photography, the music, everything!

[Martoto]

Is this a prequel to The Damned United?

"You want bloody shooting young man!"