The Valhalla Murders: the Icelandic thriller that uncovers childhood abuse

Originally created by RUV, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, The Valhalla Murders It was broadcast in Iceland in 2019 and has now arrived in our country through Netflix. The series, which consists of eight episodes, takes place in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik.

It involves a police detective, Kata., who is assigned to investigate a murder that quickly becomes a clear case of a serial killer. He will have as a partner Arnar, a detective who normally works in Oslo.

Thanks to their work, they discover not only the author, but also the motives for the murders, which leads them to a network of corruption at very high levels of politics.

The rhythm of The Valhalla Murders keeps the viewer attentive in the rhythm of an incredible investigation that seems to be related to the Valhalla juvenile center closed 30 years earlier. A series with multiple twists and turns in an unknown Iceland.

What does The Valhalla Murders offer us?

The Valhalla Murders offers exactly what you expect: it manages to be interesting despite being slow, There is never a dull moment, including its subplots. Broken families and child abuse are central themes of the series.

On the one hand, Arnar must struggle with his own past, while Kata must fight to regain trust with her son. The series analyzes the magnitude of child and adolescent sexual abuse (through two plots), including victims and survivors.

More than a detective series

With its sincere desire to be more than just a detective series, The Valhalla Murders takes his time and patiently develops his plotas demonstrated by the first episode dedicated exclusively to the character of Kata.

This ambitious inspector, whose efforts are not recognized in her position, is forced to work with an investigator sent from Oslo, named Arnar (Björn Thors). The detectives will have to learn to collaborate to discover what happened in Valhalla several years ago and thus catch the serial killer.

Despite presenting a fairly simple scenario, the series has scenes that allow us to better understand the motivations of the two main characters. Their complementarity is felt in particular thanks to the notable performances of Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir and Björn Thors, already known for their talent in Iceland.

unexpected turns

If certain reveals are predictable, most spins redistribute the cards in a surprising way and they manage to project a tension that increases until the last episode.

The series cannot help but get lost with subplots, abandoned along the way, such as the appearance of a dark video on Kata’s son’s phone or the relationship between Arnar and his sister.

However, the clues are interesting at their core, which could have brought a bit more complexity to the characters, but ultimately just seem like filler meant to serve the entire purpose of the series – appearances are deceptive.

The Valhalla Murders: Appearances can be deceiving

Behind the apparent tranquility hide the atrocities that everyone preferred to bury deeply and forget. On Detective Arnar’s side, there is his relationship with his extremist religious family.

On the other hand, the broken relationship of Kata and her son. As a central element is the memory of the horror of the children of Valhalla, victims of an atrocious system, author and accomplice of a pedophile network.

It is not trivial that The Valhalla Murders take place in Iceland, one of the countries with one of the lowest crime rates in the world. The purity of the immaculate landscapes contrasts with the horror of the crimes that Kata and Asnar discover during their investigation.

The series knows how to take advantage of this framework. The grayish and cold, almost icy, photography seems to borrow from neo-noir films and magnifies the external decorations, giving the series an even darker look, intensified by Pétur Ben’s soundtrack.

Difficult plots and plots without added morbidity

The Valhalla murders address difficult topics such as abuse, neglect or pedophilia, but they address them responsibly, showing how the victims try to survive after having experienced such events, which adds more depth to the story and the characters. This investigation will reveal heavy secrets and upset everyone trying to rebuild their lives after what they went through.

Do not miss it

The series is Netflix’s first co-production with Iceland and is well produced, with a solid script. But she doesn’t have the magic of success Trapped. The creator, Thordur Palsson, has found a good balance in what has been his first series.

It doesn’t bring anything new to the “Nordic-noir” genre: murderers, snow, peculiar detectives…but it makes a well-crafted thriller. There are eight chapters that contain the quintessential elements of what should be a mysterious murder case with a great background drama.

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