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| Image is credited to Robin Keane |
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Starring: Francis Magee, Christiane Schaldemose, Lynsey Rendall, Martha Robertson, Richard Hughson, John Haswell, Juliet Mullay, Dawn Jessica Douglas, Winnie Paton, Jamie Rhodes
Back in 2024, the late Justin Hardy brought to FrightFest Children of the Wicker Man, a personal documentary about father Robin Hardy, who imploded many relationships and had a difficult journey making his feature film The Wicker Man. Justin's follow-up is Wrath of the Gods, a feature based on a concept from Robin Hardy. Considering it is set on an isolated island with a religious focus, with an investigation involving a missing girl, there is definitely shared DNA between the two films.
The story takes place in Hel, a North Sea island that is cloaked in mystery, rooted in Norse mythology, and polluted by misogyny. Joined by her daughter, Gudrun (Martha Robertson), Anna (Christiane Schaldemose) returns to the island to bury her husband following his suicide. The grieving widow finds herself despised by the local community, including her father-in-law Tulloch (Francis Magee), and her daughter soon becomes the latest young girl to vanish.
Central to this story is Hel, an isolated island populated by people at each other's throats. They consider Anna to be bad luck for leading her husband astray, with Christiane Schaldemose effectively conveying how a return reopens old wounds for the widow. She wishes to leave immediately with her daughter, and once-more escape the place which left her departed husband traumatised for his remaining days. Her main source of conflict comes from Tulloch, as Francis Magee memorably brings alive the hard-headed father-in-law who refuses to entertain the idea of his own failings.
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| Image is credited to Robin Keane |
What hampers this story is the sedate direction, lacking a liveliness or visual dynamism to help bring things alive. Instead, there is a lack of tension during the misogyny-laden first-half, which leaves the scenes reminding you of better films that have tackled this material. There is far more of interest in the second-half, when it takes a more investigative focus as viewers get to know the dark secrets about Hel's residents. Leading the charge are Anna and Tulloch, as a fragile alliance leaves them entertainingly acting as a good cop, bad cop pairing.
It's apparent that the dark spectre of misogyny and rape culture has infested Hel, with the situation's silent acceptance allowing it to fester in the daily lives of the island's residents. It is through the disappearances of young girls that enough is enough, and community finally comes together to ensure the past will no longer be repeated. As such, Wrath of the Gods is a solid work.
Wrath of the Gods made its World Premiere at FrightFest 2026
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