The Damned review
A damned fine way to open 2025 in horror.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
The Damned
Directed by Thordur Palsson
Written by Jamie Hannigan
Starring Odessa Young, Joe Cole, Lewis Gribben, Siobhan Finneran, Francis Magee, Rory McCann and Turlough Convery
The Damned Review
The Damned holds the distinction of being the first horror movie of 2025. Is that statement true? Who knows. But…as January 1 fell on a Wednesday…and VOD releases generally release on Tuesdays…The Damned’s theatrical release starting on Thursday night likely qualify it as such. It’s not important, of course. At most, a historical footnote that no one is likely to ever search for. I only note it here, and waste an entire paragraph debating it with no one, to add context to the next sentence. The Damned is a damned fine way to open 2025 in horror.
Was it worth it? Don’t answer that.
Instead, let’s dive into the icy waters of 2025’s first horror release (probably). Set in the late 19th century, The Damned takes place at a fishing post during a harsh winter. Eva (Odessa Young), the widowed owner of the post, is trying to keep the fishermen safe and fed during a dangerous season. They’re running low on food. There is no way home util the spring breaks. And now…there’s a ship going down just offshore. Eva puts her men first and makes the impossible choice to let the ship’s crew perish. There simply isn’t enough food to take on any more mouths.
As far as inciting incidents go, The Damned has a damned good one. Sorry. I’ll try to stop doing that. Eva’s decision weighs heavily on her. It also may have doomed her group. Folk horror tales about Draugr, an undead creature out to torment, punish, and destroy the colony begin to circulate. Eva begins to see strange things quickly following her choice. A man-like shadow, just within eyesight. That’s when tragedies begin to befall her men.
The concept of the Draugr is only explained as much as it must be. Mostly used to explain superstitions and create an ominous, yet plausible, antagonist. What works best about the Draugr, however, is what it represents metaphorically. It could be a stand in for Eva’s guilt…or the reality of the spreading hunger and desperation among her clan. A spreading madness, if you will. Whether it is a genuine horrific entity or not (and The Damned does eventually tell us) doesn’t matter while the crew is being picked off one by one.
The first two acts of The Damned are excellent. The cast creates characters that feel real. Director Thordur Palsson utilizes the beautiful, unique location for all it’s worth. This is a gorgeous picture. There is a consistent sense of dread in every frame. Whether it be the growing dangers around the characters’ situation…or the image of a Draugr permeating through the background…The Damned makes you feel it all. It works so well for the first two acts…that you’ll forgive the third act’s failure to ramp things up to an appropriate level.
The climax of The Damned is what keeps it from opening 2025 with an instant classic. There’s nothing wrong with how the movie wraps things up…but there’s nothing exciting about it either. The Damned is so well crafted, so expertly built to a finish, that you can’t help but feel a bit let down when that finish fails to move things into a higher gear. It’s not a deal breaker…there is some wonderful storytelling and filmmaking craft at work here. But slow burns pay off best with an explosion. The Damned doesn’t explode…nor does it fizzle out…it simply retains its established momentum.
You could do far worse than ringing in a new year in horror with The Damned. It’s creepy and atmospheric. The world of the characters feels so grounded and real that the intrusion of potential folk horror myths works perfectly. Part effective background horror. Part creeping darkness. All gorgeously shot and aided by wonderful performances. Hopefully, this story of a possible curse on unsuspecting fisherman is a portent of what’s to come in 2025 horror.
Scare Value
The Damned is a quietly unnerving movie. It’s also a gorgeous one. In fact, it’s a more exciting third act away from opening 2025 with an instant classic. Unfortunately, that ramped up climax never arrives. The good news is that The Damned works best with what it does most…creating atmosphere, building dread, and sticking its danger in the shadows.
3.5/5
The Damned Link
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