By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
What better way to start the new year than with a horror film? Originating from the United Kingdom comes a sinister tale dressed up as a period piece called “The Damned.” This is a slow burn style of horror that sows a seed of supernatural terror early with a compelling story and building tension supplying the water, blossoming into a lovely nightmare.
Set in a remote Icelandic fishing village in the 19th century, the small crew struggles under the duress of harsh environmental conditions during a particularly brutal winter. When a foreign ship tragically sinks nearby, Eva (Odessa Young) is forced into a difficult decision of whether to risk the lives of her men to attempt to save the survivors or do nothing and avoid the potential of starvation.
The young widow, who lost her husband the previous year, is tormented by the guilt of her choice, which begins to infect the minds of the others, especially when their cook Helga (Siobhan Finneran) recounts a fantastical tale of terror. This seemingly harmless old wives’ tale begins to take root in everyone’s minds as strange events disrupt the already fatigued and hungry fishermen. As fear and paranoia grip this crew in its icy embrace, they must find a way to escape or confront the evil that haunts them to survive.
This is the directorial debut for Thordur Palsson, who is from Iceland himself, and he churns out a worthy entry for the horror genre. Filming on location in the desolate landscape of his home country proves to be the perfect choice to immediately put viewers on edge. Surrounded by mountains, the sea, and an unending blanket of white, he perfectly sets the stage for the precariousness of the characters’ survival. With beautiful distant shots that show the bleakness of the environment along with the tighter, claustrophobic shots, Thordur uses clever cinematography to keep the audience uncomfortable for every scene.
Because this is a slow burn setup, Thordur has some pacing issues, especially early in the film that bogs it down a bit. He does successfully incorporate several jump scares to break the monotony using more sound techniques than visuals. He also wisely uses this time to develop the characters and the evil entity a little, using actual Norse mythology to heighten the believability. Veteran Irish composer Stephen McKeon (“Evil Dead Rise”) supplies the score that further enhances the sense of uneasiness. However, the rookie Icelandic director commits his biggest mistake in the final act of the film with a weaker than expected ending.
Despite a lower budget, the cast is surprisingly talented with Odessa Young headlining. The young Australian actress portrays the inner turmoil of making an impossible decision and the subsequent guilt and regret of making such a decision. The vulnerability she infuses her grief-stricken character makes her very relatable to the audience. Odessa also superbly demonstrates the mental decline of her character as sleep and food deprivation increase her level of paranoia.
With almost no marketing, this UK thriller is flying under the radar but it’s worth checking out, at least as a solid home rental. “The Damned” narrowly misses being a terrific horror flick but has enough intrigue and scares to satisfy most horror fans. If this is any indication, maybe 2025 will be a better year for the film industry.
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