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Film: The Damned – a Chilling Icelandic Thriller 

December 17, 2024 by

Vertical has announced that Thordur Palsson’s ominous and chilling thriller The Damned will be released in UK and Irish cinemas from 10th January 2025.

Facing an impossible choice when a ship sinks off the coast of her isolated fishing outpost during the middle of an especially cruel winter and with provisions running low, Eva and her close-knit community must choose between rescuing the shipwrecked crew or prioritising their own survival. Facing the consequences of their decision and tormented by guilt, the inhabitants wrestle with a mounting sense of dread and begin to believe they are all being punished for their choices.

Following its premiere in November, the Cork International Film Festival 2024 awarded an Honourable Mention to The Damned commenting ‘The Damned is a juggernaut of a film, breathing fresh life into a well-trodden genre. Its powerful use of the landscape and compelling performances make it truly deserving of this Special Mention.‘

Watch trailer here:

 

Inspired by the Westfjords of Iceland in the 1800s, The Damned takes place in an unforgiving, almost unliveable setting, yet one that is steeped in immense beauty and turbulent folklore.

For director Thordur Palsson (The Valhalla Murders), himself a native Icelander, it was this folklore and mythology that led him to develop the idea that would later become The Damned. Growing up in Iceland, family members would often share gruesome tales of ghosts, demons and evil spirits. As he recalls: ‘Every Icelander has heard all kinds of different variations of the truth – all elements of our history that have been passed down. One of these stories was about a ship that sank off the shores of Iceland, with all survivors being killed by the natives. Having known of this, I started to write a story relating to it and kept fleshing it out, adding darker elements.’
Rooted in the depths of Norse Mythology, The Damned features haunting performances from Odessa Young (The Staircase, Mothering Sunday) and Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders, Gangs of London),  Rory McCann (Game of Thrones), Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley), Turlough Convery (Belfast), Lewis Gribben (Somewhere Boy), Francis Magee (The Tourist) and Mícheál Óg Lane (Calvary).

The Damned will be shown in UK and Irish cinemas from 10th January 2025.

Joe Cole is a BIFA-winning and BAFTA-nominated actor. He can currently be seen in the lead role of Joseph Roag in BBC’s Nightsleeper.

Siobhan Finneran credits include Downtown Abbey and Clare Cartwright in all three series of HAPPY VALLEY.

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