The Draugr tells the story of a remote Norwegian village haunted by ancient legends tied to the frozen wilderness surrounding it. The film follows Erik, a young folklorist who arrives to document old myths before modernization erases them. Although the villagers treat him politely, they are clearly afraid of something lurking in the forests. They warn him never to wander outside after dark and to avoid the old burial mounds scattered across the mountains. Intrigued rather than frightened, Erik begins investigating the origins of the local tales about the Draugr, an undead guardian said to rise from its grave to punish those who disturb sacred land.
One evening, Erik discovers strange claw marks near one of the mounds, along with a set of footprints that seem too large and too deep for any human. His curiosity pushes him to explore further, and he soon meets Astrid, a young woman who lost her brother years earlier under mysterious circumstances. She believes the Draugr is real and tries to convince Erik that the village has lived in fear for generations. Despite her warnings, he insists on gathering evidence, convinced that the truth lies somewhere between superstition and historical fact.
As Erik spends more time investigating, bizarre events begin to plague the village. Livestock disappear overnight, trees snap as though something powerful moved through them, and distant roars echo from the mountains. Erik witnesses a massive shadow creeping through the snow and realizes that the creature may indeed be real. The villagers grow increasingly hostile toward him, blaming his presence for reawakening the curse. Only Astrid stands by his side, torn between fear and a desire to uncover what happened to her brother.
During a violent snowstorm, the creature finally reveals itself: a towering, corpse-like being with glowing eyes and armor fused to rotting flesh. Erik narrowly escapes after witnessing it drag a hunter into the darkness. Horrified yet determined, he studies the ancient runes left on the burial mound and discovers that the Draugr was once a warrior cursed to protect the land for eternity. Breaking the curse requires performing a ritual that severs the bond between the spirit and its remains, but doing so may release its rage upon anyone nearby.
In the film’s climax, Erik and Astrid descend into the frozen burial chamber beneath the mountain while the Draugr hunts them. They perform the ritual just as the creature reaches them, causing the cavern to collapse and trapping the Draugr beneath ice and stone. Exhausted and shaken, they emerge into the dawn, uncertain whether the curse has truly ended. The final scene shows a faint tremor beneath the snow, hinting that the Draugr’s slumber may only be temporary.
