The Valhalla Murders (Icelandic: Brot, literally “violation”) is an eight-episode police procedural television series produced in Iceland, originally airing there in 2019, then released worldwide in 2020 on Netflix and airing for free on BBC Four in the UK.
This is the second Icelandic series to be featured on Netflix as an original series after Trapped (Ófærð)’s third season, Entrapped. The plot is loosely based on a real-life incident. As described in an article on the website MEAWW, “In the late 1940s, an almost similar event took place in remote Iceland. A state-run institution … housed troubled, young boys, aged between seven and 14, where they were beaten and abused by the staff. Although in reality there was no murder, per se, as shown in the series, it caused quite a noise and the boys were eventually compensated in monetary terms.”[1]
Plot
Three former teachers from Valhalla: Þór, Ómar and Brynja, are brutally stabbed to death and mutilated. Valhalla was a State-run home for 12–16 year-old delinquent boys, which closed in 1988. Kata heads the investigation and is joined by Arnar after the Ómar’s corpse appeared. They find each victim was sent a 30-year-old photo of Valhalla’s residents, which depicts the staff with the boys. Kata’s squad researches the boys: many have since committed suicide or been incarcerated. Two survivors, Vidar and Benedikt, relate the systemic physical and emotional abuse by teachers and how nearly every week a boy would be viciously raped in a dark room by an unknown man. That man branded each victim with a heated, hooked knife. The escapee boy, Tommi, is returned to Valhalla by his father Kristján. One night, Tommi attacks his rapist but is murdered. Tommi’s corpse is disposed of; the boys and parents are told Tommi had run off.
After Þór and Ómar’s corpses, Magnús does not publicly admit any links between them nor links to Valhalla. However, TV news reporter Selma reveals details about the two murders. Kata enlists the help of police chief Hákon from Borgarnes – a town near Valhalla – to find Brynja. State Prosecutor Pétur had written a report on Valhalla, which shows no evidence of abuse. Kata discovers Brynja’s corpse in Valhalla. From reading Pétur’s report, Kata determines a fourth Valhalla staff member, “Gummi”, exists. However, “Gummi” has been attacked and dies. Tracking the photos’ sender leads to former boarder Steinþór. Kata and Arnar discover Steinþór has been stabbed by Kristján, who admits to killing the first three staff. Kristján disarms Kata’s gun and suicides by shooting himself. Magnús closes the case despite anomalies with “Gummi”‘s murder: “Gummi” was drugged, stab wounds were shallow, and Kristján had no files nor photos on “Gummi”. To Arnar, this suggests a second killer.
Kata and Hákon begin to suspect Magnús’ involvement, when investigating Tommi’s recently discovered skeleton. Magnús had doctored a police report on Tommi’s disappearance. Arnar initially defends Magnús to Kata. Selma interviews Magnús live on air, and exposes his doctored report. Kata takes her and Hákon’s collected evidence to Pétur, hoping to have Magnús arrested. Pétur drugs Kata, disables Magnús and takes Kata’s body to a marina. Arnar learns Kata went to Pétur and follows. Arnar is attacked by Pétur, who is knocked down by recovering Kata. Pétur starts strangling Kata, but Arnar crash tackles Pétur and they topple into the sea. Kata rescues Arnar, but Pétur is lost. Pétur is revealed as the Valhalla rapist and murderer of Tommi and “Gummi”. Pétur had paid off Þór, Ómar, Brynja and Magnús to hide his activities.
