Director: Kasper Kalle
Year: 2026
Country: Denmark/Iceland/Faroe Islands
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Vampire
Plot:
Living in a coastal community, a fisherman trying to get by in life meets a strange, rugged whaler in the area and starts a forbidden romance with him, but when a series of violent deaths strike the island, it forces their romance to be put in jeopardy to keep the rest of the inhabitants safe.
Review:
Overall, this was a really solid and likable genre effort. Among the better factors with this one is the rather strong and effective starting point that manages to provide this with some more enjoyable aspects than expected. The majority of this is present in the first half here, setting up the lifestyle of the villagers and the remote, hard-fought landscape they operate in, from the vast oceanic resources spent on keeping their fleet operating to the services around the island ensuring they have a way of life once they come home, providing the kind of isolated existence that focuses on work over pleasure. This means the most when the series of exploits here shows the strangers’ arrival and the charismatic way he introduces himself into his life that tends to turn into a far more overt and fiery romance angle between them as they go about keeping it a secret from everyone else, not just because of the taboo homosexual angle at that period in history but also from the forbidden nature of choosing desire rather than being focused on your duties.
That gets brought up even further once the series of strange incidents and encounters here start to take hold. The stranger’s aloof personality and generally affecting charm make the romance between him and the fisherman feel real and earned, especially once the other activities around him start to make sense. From the bizarre night-time feeding rituals that no one else can be around for, the series of secretive transformative rituals he undergoes, and the type of explicit vampiric style of feeding that the locals discover, which upsets their religious background to the point of understanding something is going on, gives this the kind of encounters here to build up the idea of what’s happening quite clearly. The big finale, where the majority of the townspeople appear and chase down the vampire culprit and take out their frustrations on what’s happening, gives this a great touch that adds a lot to what’s going on, giving this the kind of big finish that’s expected from the build-up and atmospheric touches here that we’ve seen so far as a way to generate a lot of likable factors.
There are some issues here that do keep this one down. The biggest drawback with this one is the rather low-key nature of what’s going on more than the actual scares of the situation, as the approach here is more in keeping with a laid-back drama than a frenetic, vicious genre effort. The lifestyle of their island life and general way of life is in keeping with this mindset, especially once they start getting into their romance, as very little at that point is played out for genre content beyond those few scenes of the vampire hungrily feeding. It’s not until the final few minutes that its focus becomes obvious, leaving a lot of time here to be spent outside of the realm of the genre that can leave some bored by what’s going on. Those more favorable to the faster, more straightforward type of horror instead of this kind here might not be as tolerant of what’s happening as a personal preference rather than a genuine drawback, and is what really holds it down overall.
Overview: ****/5
A really likable and effective romantic vampire effort, there’s plenty of factors in here to keep this one going against a few slight issues that are genuinely more personal preference than anything else. Those with an appreciation for this kind of genre fare or who are curious about it will want to give it a shot, while those turned off by these factors should heed caution.
This review ran as part of our coverage of the 2026 edition of the Fantasia Film Festival. Click here to follow the rest of our articles about the festivities!
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