Horror Movie Review: Arctic Void (2022)

Promising more than it can deliver, but still proving to be an effectively tense and mysterious blend of a thriller and a horror, Arctic Void comes from director Darren Mann, who co-wrote the story with Jay Kirk and William Paul Jones.

Also going under the much worse title of Civil Twilight, Arctic Void tells the story of Ray Marsh (Michael Weaver), the host of a popular travel show. The next episode will feature the remote locales of the Norwegian Fjords and his producer Alan (Tim Griffin) is along for the ride. Although their regular cameraman had his visa rejected, they have managed to hire a local named Sean (Justin Huen).

Together, they board a small boat helmed by Jim (Rune Temte) and set sail, alongside various other passengers. While on route, Ray and Alan get to know Sean a bit more, have some fun with some of the other passengers, and take in the gorgeous scenery. Some of which reveals odd and disturbing things. Things such as a bird with no eyes and a mother walrus crushing and killing her pup.

However, these distressing sights pale in comparison to the trio suddenly finding themselves alone on the boat. It’s like everyone else just disappeared into thin air, leaving behind all their stuff. It’s a baffling moment for the group, as they try to rationalise the situation, and work out what they are going to do.

They’re adrift and have no navigational skills, so all hope seems lost. That is until they spy a port of some kind, and make their way there. Unfortunately, this place isn’t much better than the boat, having been built by Russians and clearly abandoned in a hurry.

What caused the Russians to leave this place so suddenly and is it linked to what happened on the boat?

There are two major selling points of this low-budget indie flick and both are notable enough to make it a compelling watch. Firstly, there is the location, a cold and icy world that is captured impressively via the cinematography. For somewhere so isolated and bare, it has a vibrancy that leaps off the screen. Secondly, the mystery and how the story ramps up the tension and intrigue. There’s a constant creepy and uncomfortable vibe, and it’s hard to know if anyone can really be trusted.

Credit to the actors who all do well in their roles. Conveying weakness and strength, fear and bravery, terror and tenacity, and so much more, without ever really knowing what they’re dealing with. Unfortunately, Arctic Void fails to stick the landing, and delivers an ending with just too much ambiguity to really feel satisfying. This is not a film that needed to be left open to interpretation, and while some things being left mysterious is fine, Arctic Void leaves a few too many threads dangling.