Netflix’s Elves: Every Main Character Ranked By Likability

Netflix has kicked off the festive season with a host of new holiday content. There has been a slew of originals including A Castle for Christmas, Love Hard, and Single All The Way. While some Netflix Christmas movies have ranked higher than others, there’s no shortage of new content for festive film lovers to enjoy.

In addition, the streaming giant has also welcomed the holiday season with a brand new Danish show on the platform. Netflix’s Elves is a less-than-merry horror story that follows the Svane family to a remote island as they celebrate Christmas away from the hustle and bustle of city life. With only six episodes, the action begins immediately, and the characters are quickly established. While some are instantly likable, others are harder for viewers to warm to.

Content Warning: This article contains spoilers for Netflix’s Elves.

10 Charlotte

Not winning any Mother of the Year awards, viewers are introduced to Charlotte outside of a grocery store. Ignoring her daughter’s pleas for a dog, she instantly comes off as dismissive and distracted.

Once the family reaches their cabin in the woods, Charlotte displays her need to control everything by attempting to force her daughter, Josefine, to make Christmas decorations for a tree they have yet to find. When she is met with rebellion, her first instinct is to punish Josefine by sending her to her room. She also showcases her lack of respect for the locals and the environment by blatantly ignoring multiple warnings to stay on the coastal road and not cut down any trees. All in all, Charlotte comes off unlikable from the start of the show.

9 Mads

Slightly more conscious than his wife Charlotte, Mads is not much better than her when it comes to likability. His poor parenting skills are directed more towards his son, Kasper, rather than Josefine.

Mads continually mocks Kasper by calling him a “punk ass” during the ferry ride to the island. He also embarrasses him in the car by telling Josefine that Kasper used to run around without a diaper and defecate on the floor. He is also at fault for putting his entire family at risk by not taking the coastal road as instructed. Overall, he simply doesn’t know how to read the room, and he doesn’t seem to care to know, making him wholly unlikable to audiences.

8 Karen

Arguably the villain of the show, Karen is introduced as the town leader and grandmother to Liv. She isn’t too friendly to the Svane family upon first meeting Charlotte, but that is chalked up to country folk being wary of outsiders.

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However, her true mean streak is revealed by the end of the show when she tries to sacrifice Josefine to the elves. While it is very apparent that Karen takes her position on the island very seriously, she goes to extreme lengths to protect it which makes her unlikable to audiences. Destroying the radio so that no one can contact the mainland when the electric fence is breached, Karen then does the unthinkable in a move on par with the best Christmas movie plot twists. She isn’t a character that viewers are meant to like or root for, but her actions are still difficult to watch.

7 Adult Elves

There are no cheery portrayals of Santa Claus with cheerful elves here. In this show, the elves are not at all friendly. Able to blend into their surroundings, they have a much more organic look to them than other depictions of Christmas elves. Carnivorous and baring sharp teeth, they can easily rip a person apart within seconds.

Although an old sawmill deep in the forest is alluded to by Karen during a visit with the Svane family, the events that unfolded at that location are unclear. It is uncovered that Liv’s parents were killed by elves at the sawmill, but no incident was ever unveiled to spark the attack. Aside from the elves not liking trees being cut down, there is really no reason for them to be so aggressive, especially towards the child-like Josefine.

6 Anders

As the first person to be killed by elves in 15 years, the death of Anders is what alerts Karen to the fact that the elves are out for blood yet again. Although he doesn’t have much screen time, Anders is a key character in the plot.

The problem is, he isn’t very likable. This is mainly because he doesn’t do what he is told even though he has lived on the island his entire life. He should know how to get in and out of the forest quickly after leaving an offering for the elves. However, he decides to run into the trees off the designated path, and this leads to his very quick demise.

5 Møller

The first character who is introduced to the audience is Møller. Seen taking a cow beyond the fence and into the forest, it is clear that he knows something about what’s going on. This isn’t his first rodeo with the elves, and he is aware of just how dangerous they are.

He sits somewhat in the middle of the cast of characters in terms of likability. This is due to the fact that he’s not very friendly, and he doesn’t seem to care about leaving Anders to offer a sacrifice even though the man is clearly terrified to go alone. His main redeeming factor is his knowledge of the elves and how to defend himself against them. He is also one of the few to make it to the end of the story, and he proves himself to be a strong character.

4 Kasper

As a teenager who is accustomed to city living, Kasper is very much out of his element on the island. With no internet connection or places to shop, he is clearly annoyed to be there which makes his likability factor dip somewhat. However, he redeems himself as he covers for Josefine and listens to Liv.

When he discovers that his sister has been keeping a baby elf, he doesn’t tell their parents. He keeps her secret and tries to help her. Also, when the fence loses electricity and the elves break through, he follows Liv’s instructions to the letter. He allows her to take the lead, and the two work as a team to attempt to warn other residents of the impending danger. Overall, Kasper proves himself to be helpful and likable throughout the series.

3 Liv

After losing her parents at a young age and being raised by her grandmother, Liv is a bit socially awkward when she is first introduced. However, her curiosity gets the best of her, and viewers get to watch her come out of her shell as the story unfolds which makes her both relatable and likable.

Her strong moral compass and her impeccable survival instincts also make her an endearing and likable character for viewers. She knows exactly what to do when she and Kasper get stranded outside at night after the fence is breached. She puts others above herself when she tries to warn the residents, and she goes against her grandmother during the climactic scene to save Josefine. She is very much a heroine in this holiday horror show.

2 Josefine

As the main character in the story, Josefine is adorable, compassionate, and kind, displaying many traits that endear her to the audience and make for a likable character. Although she does have a rebellious streak, her moves are almost always guided by valiant motivations.

She discovers that the creature her parents hit on the backroad is a baby elf. She nurtures it back to health and names it Kiko. When Karen sends Møller to retrieve the tiny elf, she valiantly tries to stop him. She has no fear for the most part – which might rub older and wiser viewers the wrong way at times – but her bravery is legendary and she is an al round likable figure in the show.

1 Kiko

While the adult elves are terrifying, Kiko – the baby elf – is precious. After being hit by the Svane family SUV, he is rescued by Josefine and nursed back to health. He takes a liking to her quickly and becomes the star of the show.

Kiko is the most likable character mainly because of his tenacity. He saves Josefine more than once inside the forest. Even though he is the smallest creature in the show, that doesn’t stop him from helping her find her way out of the forest safely. He even attempts to dig out the pole she’s tied to when Karen leaves her to be sacrificed. In the end, he sneaks out of the fenced area again and finds his way back to Josefine, which is an incredibly sweet ending to a very scary story as frightening as any of the best Christmas horror movies.

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