And while the film works on the level of a good ol' Time-Life Mysteries of the Unknown, I couldn't escape the feeling that it was a big shaggy-dog joke. The narrators are somehow too straightforward about their belief in the various cuckoo phenomena; the camerawork is so artsy as to be almost sarcastic; the music seems intentionally chosen for the pure cliché factor. Why someone would bother to craft so deadpan a piece of subversive humor—making the film all but indistinguishable from any supernatural-themed documentary you've ever seen—and give no indication that it might be a joke, is beyond me. But the cool thing is, it doesn't matter. Hoax or no hoax, IITIW is gorgeous, haunting, and hypnotic. It might be incredibly funny, viciously condescending satire (not the sort of thing you really laugh out loud at), but either way, it still allows you to believe if you want to. Or just appreciate the woozy tone and beautiful footage of Iceland, which is always cool to look at even if you are being made fun of simultaneously.
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