In the wake of the surprise critical and commercial success of Rose Glass’ “elevated horror” Saint Maud, along with Prano Bailey-Bond’s Censor, there has been renewed interest in British horror films of late. Shepherd, a darkly atmospheric psychological horror film and the third feature helmed by Welsh-born, South London-based former art director Russell Owen, looks set to be the latest entrant to this burgeoning scene. The film’s plot concerns Eric Black (Tom Hughes), a widower in his early thirties who takes a job as a shepherd on a remote Scottish island as a means of escaping the memories of his late wife, Rachel (Gaia Weiss), and estranged mother Glenys (Greta Scacchi) that regularly torment him. As one might expect, things don’t go according to plan and he finds the island’s bleak, remote location, combined with the cabin fever caused by living in a bleak lighthouse managed by the sinister Fisher (Kate Dickie), to be just as triggering as anything he may have experienced in his former home.
Though Owen effectively marshals the individual technical elements of Shepherd so they coalesce into a satisfying, cohesive whole, credit must certainly go to several members of his crew for making the film as impressive as it is. Sound designer Callum Donaldson maintains the foreboding, frightening atmosphere on the unnamed island by layering the sounds of wind howling, bells tolling, nondiegetic demonic voices and floorboards creaking over each other. Donaldson’s score, which in places recalls the work of Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, also considerably abets proceedings in this regard. Chris Richmond’s production design highlights the bleakness of Eric’s situation by ensuring everything in the isolated lighthouse in which he lives is virtually colorless. Hair and make-up designers Amy Mansfield and Roo Maurice render Scacchi unrecognizable as a haggard, elderly Yorkshirewoman. Cinematographer Richard Stoddard keeps the visual tone appropriately dark throughout by lensing the dark clouds and lakes surrounding the island in such a way as to make them appear virtually black.
All this is not to understate the effectiveness of Owen’s work as a director, however. On the contrary, his work with technicians as proficient as those listed above enhances his directorial duties on Shepherd rather than undermining it. The auteur theory may well be balderdash insofar as film is an inherently collaborative medium and as such films cannot be the result of one person’s genius, but there are still brilliant, visionary directors out there who benefit from effective collaboration with their crews, and Owen may prove to be one of them. He coaxes very strong performances out of seasoned veterans like Scacchi and Dickie, as well as newer faces like Hughes and Weiss. He maintains a macabre atmosphere throughout that, while not offering any sudden, shocking changes in tone, is consistently stimulating in its gloominess. Although his previous films, Welcome to the Majority and Inmate Zero, have been met with lukewarm responses, Shepherd marks Owen out as a directorial name to watch within British horror, and may turn out to be his international calling card.
Photo courtesy of Saban Films
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