The Damned [2024]

April 15, 2025

I know I’ve been going on a lot lately about the generic nature of the 2024 movies’ titles but I think this one is an exception. It appropriately describes what’s about to happen and trust me, this is not a cheap action movie. The Damned comfortably blends mystery with various horror subgenres: folk, psychological, and supernatural. It’s about a remote Arctic colony trying to survive the harsh winter ahead when something even more frightening happens. Soon, dead bodies start piling up and the frenzy not just to survive but also to find out what’s actually going on begins. The story takes place back in the 19th century which makes the whole thing even more interesting.

I just love movies and television shows set in these inhospitable snowy environments. And not just because The Thing is one of the first movies I fell in love with. The harsh and desolate setting also feels very post-apocalyptic. However, the thing that makes it hit even harder is the fact that you can now go and live in these conditions. We don’t have to wait for the apocalypse people, it was always here. It comes as no surprise that the director of The Damned is Thordur Palsson and that the filming took place in Iceland. This is an international coproduction but don’t worry, everyone will be speaking English. This is also Palsson’s directorial debut and as such it turned out quite good.

The Damned features a slow and steady pace and a lot of mystery. The characters are nicely developed and the cast was awesome. I just wish we didn’t spend so much time focusing on her. I wanted to get to know the others as well. Odessa Young, who looks like a young Rachel McAdams, was solid in the lead role. However, I think you’ll be more interested in Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders) and Rory McCann (Game of Thrones). Both of them gave excellent performances. This is not the first time Cole finds himself in these circumstances as he was also in Against The Ice along with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

The atmosphere is quite ominous and I already talked about the desolate setting. The movie takes full advantage of frigid Icelandic landscapes. Moreover, the sets and the convincing costumes make the whole movie feel more authentic and immersive. You start to think about how would it be to live in this remote little village in the 19th century. What would you do in certain situations and so forth. Speaking of decision-making, while it was good in the first half of the movie, as time went on, it began to seem more and more illogical. I guess that’s appropriate since the conditions were changed but still.

The finale, on the other hand, was quite underwhelming and felt rushed. Especially after all of that “warm up”. It actually caused quite an uproar with most of the viewers and critics. I’m still not sure what to think of it but it certainly could’ve been better. The Damned features a short running time of just over 80 minutes so I think we shouldn’t judge the whole movie just because the last portion was a bit wobbly. Mostly because everything that precedes was good. When it comes to gore, there won’t be much of it. After all, this is a movie counting on that all-enveloping atmosphere and not graphic violence.

With that being said, there will be a couple of nasty scenes. Almost all of them are organic in the sense that they are not there because “now we need something scary or bloody”. Finally, if you’re looking for something like The Damned, do check out the classic The VVitch and The King Tide, a more recent addition to this nifty little subgenre. Of course, I can’t recommend enough the miniseries The Terror along with The North Water.