Kraken – Movie Review (3/5)

KRAKEN is a monster movie set in Norway, where a new device deployed on a fish farm awakens something in the depths. The director has already had a hit with a Norwegian disaster movie, so this was an obvious next move. It’s definitely a movie to watch on the big screen. Read our Kraken movie review here!

KRAKEN is a Norwegian horror movie with a monster story. The title creature is essentially a huge octopus (though I’m surely oversimplifying it with that description), which you will see. Just not in the beginning. There, it’s all about shadows underwater and the reactions of other creatures, who want to get away from something.

While the movie will be available in both theaters and on demand simultaneously, I would absolutely recommend watching this one on the big screen. After all, this is a monster movie, and this monster is a big one. The runtime is a fairly crisp 100 minutes, which it utilizes well, and the special effects get the job done when it comes to both the Kraken and the destruction.

Continue reading our Kraken movie review below. Find it in theaters or on VOD from June 12, 2026.

Something in the deep has been awakened

Kraken begins with us humans messing around with things we shouldn’t. And, as it is so often the case, it’s all about making money. More money because we can obviously never have too much money. In the case of this movie, it’s a salmon farm in a Norwegian fjord.

Now, I don’t know how much you know about farmed fish, but aside from being torture to the fish, it’s also become increasingly difficult to keep the fish healthy because they are crammed into a very small area. One of the big problems is with lice. Oh yes, lice. Salmon lice, to be exact.

We can’t have that!

And the salmon farm in question is trying to land a huge order with a Japanese buyer, who is worried about those pesky lice. Fortunately, this particular salmon farm has found a solution: Sonar!

Played at a very particular frequency, it drives the lice crazy while the salmon remain unfazed. Well, according to the man trying to produce and sell as many salmon as he possibly can. How does this sonar lice thingy impact the rest of the creatures in the fjord? Well, that remains to be seen… and soon, he will learn that it definitely impacts something.

Something huge that has been seemingly dormant. Hidden in the depths of the fjord. Until now!

Lots of familiar (Norwegian) faces

If you’ve watched some of the recently produced monster or disaster movies from Norway, you should recognize several of the lead actors. First up is Sara Khorami as the marine biologist who discovers something fishy (pun very much intended) is going on at the salmon farm.

Quick sidenote: Norway has a huge export of salmon, and it is true that they are working with several issues at the fish farms. I am actually impressed that a horror movie has been made with this as the core story. And happy, as this will hopefully also lead to fewer farmed fish and more wild salmon instead.

Okay, rant over!

Anyway, you may recognize Sara Khorami from Troll 2 (2025) or Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes (2021). Other familiar faces include Mikkel Bratt Silset (House of Spoils, Beforeigners), Øyvind Brandtzæg (Viking Wolf), Steinar Klouman Hallert (Thelma), Jenny Evensen (La Palma), and Hans Morten Hansen (Trollhunter).

Watch Kraken in theaters or on demand

Kraken was directed by Norwegian director Pål Øie, who previously directed the disaster movie The Tunnel (2019). Not to be confused with the series also titled simply Tunnel. Also, he has experience with horror movies from his 2003 horror-thriller Dark Woods (org. title: Villmark) and its sequel.

For this new 2026 monster movie, Pål Øie also co-wrote the story for the movie alongside Sjur Aarthun (Leave), who is also the cinematographer. This director often takes part in crafting the story, while the actual screenplay is then written by screenwriters. The Kraken screenplay comes from Vilde Eide, Kjersti Helen Rasmussen, and Natasha Arthur.

If you’re a fan of monster and Kaiju stories, then you’ll want to watch Kraken. This is as much a folklore (or folk horror) story as it is a classic monster movie. In that sense, the best comparison just might be the Norwegian Troll movies on Netflix. However, you won’t see the actual monster quite as much in this movie.

In that sense, it’s more like a shark movie. It’s what moves around in the dark water, just out of sight, that terrifies the most. Enjoy!

Kraken hits both theaters and digital on June 12, 2026.

Details

Director: Pål Øie
Screenwriters: Kjersti Helen Rasmussen, Natasha Arthur, Vilde Eide
Cast: Sara Khorami, Mikkel Bratt Silset, Ingvild Holthe Bygdnes, Jenny Evensen, Steinar Klouman Hallert, Øyvind Brandtzæg