IN SCANDINAVIAN FOLKLORE, there's a mythical creature called a huldra: They're beautiful naked women who frolic in the forest, they have cow tails, and, depending on your level of civility, they're either sweet and helpful or fickle and lethal. Like the troll, the huldra is as widely recognized in Norway as ol' Sasquatch is here—but regardless of whether you're familiar with them, the horror flick Thale is a tight, unexpected little creature feature.

Estranged childhood friends Leo and Elvis are recently reunited crime-scene cleaners sent out to a remote cabin in the woods (!), where an elderly man has been torn apart by wild animals. It's there they find a woman held captive in a decrepit shed, naked and feral. The woman, Thale, is a mystery—unable to talk, wild eyed, and ravenous, it becomes clear that she's been hidden away for a reason. (Like maybe she's a huldra.)

Thale is a slight film that clocks in at a mere 77 minutes, which feels perfect, considering most of the movie is just three characters in a grimy room. And because it's Norwegian, it's a welcome respite from Hollywood monster movies—instead of leaving you with spoon-fed laziness, you'll walk out with a few lingering questions.