The Damned (2024 Palsson film) (2024)

Eva, a young widow in the 19th century, manages a remote winter fishing outpost in an Arctic bay, inherited after her husband Magnus died in a shipwreck on jagged rocks called the Teeth. The outpost, cut off from the nearest village by a snowbound mountain journey, faces a harsh winter with dwindling supplies. Eva and her crew, consisting of helmsman Ragnar and crewmen Daníel, Hákon, Jónas, Skúli, and Aron, have resorted to eating bait as their catch diminishes. One morning, they witness a shipwreck at the Teeth, but with limited resources, Eva reluctantly agrees to leave the survivors to their fate.

Later, a barrel of salt pork from the wreck washes ashore, prompting Eva to lead the crew on a risky night-time search for more supplies. They recover a crate containing lamp oil and brandy, but encounter desperate survivors clinging to the rocks. Chaos ensues as the survivors try to board the crew's small boat while the crew fights them off, with Daníel killing one of them. Ragnar is pulled into the sea, and the crew is forced to abandon him and escape. Despite their efforts, they return with minimal resources and a growing sense of despair.

The next day, bodies from the wreck wash ashore, and strange occurrences begin. One corpse is found with live eels inside its stomach. Helga, the cook, is wary of Nordic folklore about the draugr revenant creatures of hatred and takes precautions to prevent them from rising. However, Eva begins experiencing vivid dreams and visions of a dark figure, and Helga warns that the draugr must be burned to stop its torment.

After a brief reprieve with a successful catch, disaster strikes again when the fish stores vanish overnight, and Helga goes missing. The crew finds her trail leading to the burial site where they inspect the coffins and find an empty one. Paranoia and delusions grip the group, culminating in violent confrontations among the remaining members. Delusional, Hákon attempts to strangle Daníel before being killed by Aron. Later, Daníel attacks Jónas before slitting his own throat.

Eva, determined to end the threat, sets out to confront the draugr. Skúli falls to his death at the fog-covered burial site, and Eva finds Helga's frozen corpse. The draugr ambushes her when she returns to the cabin, but she shoots it, burns the cabin, and escapes, believing the ordeal is over.

It is revealed that she actually killed a desperate survivor of the shipwreck. Speaking in Basque, he offered Eva a gold pocket watch in exchange for her boat. Unable to understand him, Eva shoots him and sets him on fire.