The Damned

“The Damned” (2024), directed by Thordur Palsson, is an immersive tale of survival, morality, and myth set against the stark beauty of 19th-century Iceland. 

Much like a fireside ghost story, it unfolds with an eerie intimacy, focusing more on atmosphere and tension than on grand set pieces or complex plotting. This slow-burn thriller is a cinematic experience tailor-made for fans of Robert Eggers’s style and for those drawn to folklore-infused horror.

The film begins with a shipwreck off the coast of a remote fishing village, where the community faces an impossible decision: save the stranded crew or let them succumb to the merciless sea. 

This moral dilemma is the beating heart of the narrative, resonating with chilling realism as the villagers grapple with self-preservation versus compassion.

However, it’s not long before the villagers begin to suspect that the sea has delivered more than just wreckage. Whispers of a curse, tied to Icelandic folklore, begin to ripple through the community, creating an undercurrent of supernatural dread that grows as their choices and their guilt unfold.

Palsson, known for Netflix’s “The Valhalla Murders,” creates a world that feels both forbidding and magnetic. Cinematographer Eli Arenson expertly blends cold, muted tones with moments of warm light, mirroring the fragile balance between survival and despair. 

Every frame builds an atmosphere of creeping menace, amplified by the evocative sound design that breathes life into the unforgiving Icelandic landscape and its haunted characters. 

This tension between the tangible and the otherworldly is skillfully sustained, with the curse itself remaining ambiguous enough to stoke fear yet grounded enough to feel unnervingly plausible.

The centre of this haunting fable is Eva, played with remarkable depth by Odessa Young. Eva, a young widow struggling to maintain her late husband’s fishing station, is a compelling and complex protagonist. Her feelings of foreboding and inner turmoil anchor the story, making her journey as much about her personal reckoning as it is about the village’s survival. 

The spectre of the curse seems to weigh most heavily on her, reflecting her own inner guilt and grief. Eva’s name - steeped in symbolism - hints at a biblical resonance, underscoring her role in a community on the brink of moral collapse.

As the villagers wrestle with their humanity, the supernatural element weaves seamlessly into the plot, transforming their collective guilt into something tangible and terrifying. 

The curse isn’t just a myth whispered by elders - it’s a creeping force that seems to feed on fear and fracture the village’s fragile unity. Palsson masterfully blurs the lines between psychological and supernatural horror, leaving viewers questioning whether the threat is external or born from the villagers’ own moral corruption.

By the time the curse at the heart of the narrative begins to unravel, it culminates in a jaw-dropping finale marked by fire and fate, with a genuinely gasp-inducing twist. 

The final act brings the supernatural tension to its peak, revealing the full weight of the villagers’ choices in a fiery confrontation that feels both mythic and deeply human.

“The Damned” is less a straightforward horror film and more an atmospheric survival drama with supernatural undertones. 

Its unpredictability and precise storytelling make it a standout early entry for 2025 cinema. Breaking the typical curse of underwhelming January releases, Palsson’s latest offering is a chilling triumph. Treat yourself to this unforgettable tale.