Kraken
2026 · Directed by Pål Øie
Original language: Norwegian
- horror
- action
- thriller
The story
Marine biologist Johanne is doing research on a fish farm in Vangsnes, a rural community located by the fjord, when she encounters several strange occurrences. Along with the brutal deaths of two local teenagers, all signs point to the deep fjord; can there be more to the depths than the eye can see? At the bottom of the deepest fjord rests a mythical monster as large as a mountain, with a myriad of arms ready to crush and devour anything they can grab.
What it’s like
Cold grey fjord water, rural waterside quiet, and a creeping sense that something under the surface is wrong, the kind of mood that suits a dark evening with the lights low. The tone sits between creature horror and thriller, with Norwegian folklore giving the dread an old, local weight rather than a glossy modern spectacle. Pacing leans toward suspense, building through unsettling small events before the monster-movie set pieces take over, and the emotional register is grim and tense, with a researcher pulled into a community that is grieving and afraid. Violence is present and not softened: the deaths of two young people are brutal and shown with real force, and the monster's attacks are physical and dangerous, though the film is more about dread and survival than gore for its own sake. Not gentle, not a comfort watch. It suits viewers who want a folkloric sea-monster thriller with an isolated setting and a sustained sense of threat, and who are comfortable with graphic harm to young characters.
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