KRAKEN (2026)

New On Demand and digital download from Samuel Goldwin Films!
Directed by Pål Øie.
Written by Vilde Eide, Kjersti Helen Rasmussen, Natasha Arthur, from a story by Pål Øie, Sjur Aarthun.
Check out the trailer here!

A marine biologist named Johanne (Sara Khorami) is called to a Norwegian fjord to examine strange behavior in the marine life. When she arrives, she reconnects with her ex, Erik (Mikkel Bratt Silset), who works for a company developing a tonal frequency that drives away the sea lice from the local salmon crop. But while this frequency seems to leave the salmon unharmed, the tone awakens an ancient creature of myth, the mammoth octopus monster known as the Kraken!

The filmmakers behind KRAKEN have seen all the kaiju and especially the Americanized giant monster movies of the past and seem to apply all those old tropes to one single film. KRAKEN feels like a summer blockbuster of old, which feels somewhat fresh coming from this Norwegian country. This one has it all. There’s the heartfelt throughway story of a pair of lovers, separated years ago and coming together to take on an underwater threat, just like the relationship between Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in THE ABYSS. There are the eco-warriors attempting to take on the big industry that is disrupting wildlife, who end up just being hapless victims in the end, a la the countless eco-horror films ranging from THE PROPHECY to THE GREEN INFERNO. There’s the businessman attempting to make the big deal and refusing to listen to reason and shut down the lake from JAWS. There are sea lice the size of microwaves skuttering all about as minor threats leading up to the major monster just like the various forms of the Xenomorph in the ALIEN franchise. There’s the small-town police investigation ineptly trying to solve the case, reminiscent of LAKE PLACID. And there’s a tentacled monster that has arms that enter the facility and attack everyone ripped straight from DEEP RISING. It’s all there, but the thing is, every element swiped from other horror movies is done well and shuffled together enough to make it all work as a big, dumb horror movie.

Not all movies have to be elevated. There’s something simply entertaining about a monster on the loose film and the numerous scenes where the Kraken wrangles vacationers from jet skis and kayaks are all well-orchestrated scenes of tension and terror. The effects look amazing for the most part and though I would have liked to have seen more of the Kraken itself, what I did see was ominous. What I really liked about this film is that it explains everything with science but still has room to make the Kraken something that may very well be something of a Lovecraftian nightmare. The fact that a mist follows the Kraken as it moves across the fjord and that this creature has been laying dormant for fifty years makes the threat feel much more Cthulhuian in nature. Other than old tales from drunken sailors, there really isn’t much delving into ancient lore, but it’s there if you squint at it.

The acting is ok. The lead Sara Khorami has an inscrutable face making it hard to read her. She is supposed to be dedicated to her work, but her blank stare often makes her feel more autistic than anything else. Still, she’s a beauty and does her part as the marine biologist who looks great in a wetsuit. The rest of the cast is fun. My favorite being the aforementioned businessman attempting to gain a Japanese buyer by any means necessary played by Øyvind Brandtzæg and the lovable tech guy played by Jon Erik Myre who is doing his best Phillip C. Hoffman from TWISTER here.

The Kraken and the giant sea lice prove to be enough of a threat to keep the whole movie tanking along. Director Pål Øie, who helmed the found footage film THE TUNNEL, keep the film rolling at a frantic pace. There are some great bird’s eye view shots where we see the immense size of the Kraken moving underneath unsuspecting boaters. The film is predictable and cliched, but I had a fun time with it. As I said, not all movies have to move your soul. Sometimes enough giant monster carnage and a bit of gore by way of blood and bioluminescent ink works. KRAKEN does all the familiar bits well and turned out to be a monster movie I’d recommend to those who don’t want to take their movies so seriously.