The weather is about to get “gosh-darn cold” over the next week, which is an official Midwest meteorologic designation. The Damned has a great set of tips to survive frigid temps. This probably isn’t what Icelandic director Thordur Palsson had in mind when he crafted this grim 19th century horror-fable about what happens when you don’t help others.
That being said, it is set in the secluded frozen tundra, in which the bone-rattling cold is only lessened by the heat generated from getting creeped out by a sinister snowy shadowperson. So here are the “dos” and “don’ts” for surviving the upcoming polar vortex, according to The Damned.
Don’t: Let Stranded Strangers Die
Yeah, really hope this isn’t something most of you needed to hear, but it is super good advice, just to be clear. The bulk of the events in the film only happen after fishermen let some unknown sailors drown. To be fair, the fishermen were following their boss’s orders. The owner of the fine frozen fishing establishment, Eva (Odessa Young), was recently widowed when her hubs died while catching said fish. She was trying to keep the rest of her crew alive, so she forbade them from rescuing survivors of the shipwreck that they all saw. They wouldn’t have had the food to feed anyone who made it anyway, she reasoned, before damning everyone to icy hell. Don’t do that.
Do: Listen to Prophecies
For you, dear reader, “prophecies” can be extended to “weather forecasts.” For Daniel (Joe Cole) and the other fish-seekers, this means they should have really listened to Helga (Siobhan Finneran). Helga done warned those mongers that they were about to get spooked out by a creepy creature. And guess what happened? They got spooked out by a creepy creature. This is why you always listen to Helga (and Rusty Lord).
Don’t: Go Insane
Do some jumping jacks in the house to get some exercise or read a book. But do not do what Eva and the others do, which is descend into an inescapable madness one by one. The Damned is atmospheric as chilly heck, and thus the descent into insanity is wholly understandable. As much as it is billed as horror, Palsson’s film is pretty purely psychological. There is nothing scarier than dark thoughts. I mean, nothing other than what may lay in wait at night near an Icelandic fishing station.
Do: Embrace Your Setting
Hopefully, you have a wonderful interior living situation in which to wait out the impending below-zero temperatures coming for us all. The Damned gets the most out of its place. The bleak empty landscapes and candlelit interiors do the heavy lifting when it comes to the freaky-deaky tone. The performances help, for sure, with Lewis Gribben really going for it as Jonas, who acts like he’s in Trainspotting but loves him some Jesus.
Do: Remember This Will End
One way or another, it has to, right? The end of The Damned isn’t so much divisive as objectively bad. The short run time is actually a positive, as it accomplishes nearly everything it needs to before the final “twist.” But theoretically there’s 20 minutes somewhere that could have bridged the gap into a more satisfying version of the ending. Maybe.
Because honestly, this is one of those climaxes and finales that may sound good on paper but absolutely cannot work on screen. It doesn’t ruin the whole experience, but it brings it to a weird net neutral. Still, for a dark-and-dimly-lit, old-timey horror film about a woman going bonkers trying to survive amid gothic terror, neutral isn’t all that bad…for those of us who saw Robert Eggers’s Nosferatu.
Grade = C
Other Critical Voices to Consider
Keri O’Shea at Warped Perspective says “It’s a grueling study of guilt, one which can feel challenging in places, but at all times it’s an artistic and sensory experience – a well-sustained and well-presented ordeal, if you like.”
Kenneth Seward Jr. at But Why Tho? says “Initially frightening, thanks to a solid cast and eerie atmosphere, it has the potential to stick with viewers long after the credits roll. And while The Damned has its issues–namely, some undercooked plot elements and a monster that loses its edge over time–there’s nothing that should keep horror fans from checking it out.”
Nikki Baughan at Screen Daily says “Shooting in Iceland, Palsson harnesses the bleak beauty of his almost-otherworldly location, a vast and anonymous grey-blue landscape. DoP Eli Arensen (Lamb) makes the most of this liminal space, lingering on both indistinct detail and anguished faces. Flickering candle-light and often-woozy framing add to the feeling of a community losing its moorings.”