Movie Review: Shepherd (2022) Is Equally Stunning And Disturbing

May 2, 2022

Written by Kelli Marchman McNeely

Kelli Marchman McNeely is the owner of HorrorFuel.com. She is an Executive Producer of "13 Slays Till Christmas" which is out on Digital and DVD and now streaming on Tubi. She has several other films in the works. Kelli is an animal lover and a true horror addict since the age of 9 when she saw Friday the 13th. Email: horrorfuelinfo@gmail.com

Writer-director Russell Owen’s chilling new horror Shepherd, set to be released this May,  centers on a man mourning the death of his wife. To get a change of scenery he takes a job as a shepherd on a remote Scottish island. Haunted by visions of a figure in a black robe, and nightmares of the accident that killed his wife, Eric (Tom Hughes) struggles to keep his sanity.

 

Just moments after arriving on the island Eric’s dog, Baxter, begins to signal that something is very wrong, constantly growling and whining at unseen things. Strange and terrifying noises echo through the dilapidated cottage and land. And every time Eric closes his eyes night terrors plague him. When his only connection to the world, a boat captain, begins to tease that he must face the darkness of his past things go off the rails.

 

The fog and mist-filled island and ramshackle home add to the feeling of isolation and tension. The cinematography is bleak but still somehow stunning. With a palette of muted colors including blues and grays, the tones influence the sense of depression. Shadows and darkness are used to manipulate tension and horror, giving the film an uneasy feeling from beginning to end. The dark and twisted tale is filled with nightmarish sights and sounds, and it will leave you feeling a bit isolated and depressed yourself.

 

Hughes does a fantastic job in his role of Eric. The way he emotes his fear and heartbreak felt so real that I have to wonder if the role affected him in real life. From the way, he carries himself, like he’s carrying an unseen physical burden to the way he sort of shuffles about the house, and the way his eyes tear up in some scenes left me so very impressed.

 

The boat captain (Kate Dickie) plays an important part throughout the film and may be a representation of the ferryman from lore that carries people across the river Styx to the underworld. The island itself gives off the vibe of some sort of purgatory that Eric must endure to come to terms with his wife’s death.

 

I will warn you about one scene, if you’re an animal lover it’s going to break your heart. There is a moment when animals are killed and presented in a way that may leave you both shedding a tear and sick to your stomach. It’s about 20 minutes from the end. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. But it does serve an important function. I believe it was meant to hit you like a punch in the gut and trigger feelings of pain and disgust. And boy does it add to the terror. Jesus.

 

Shepherd is a fantastic, dark, and foreboding movie that will leave you feeling a gambit of emotions from sadness, to fear, to disgust and the expertly crafted tension remains far after the film ends. Be sure to see it in theaters on May 6, 2022, or on Digital or On Demand on May 10th.

 

 

 

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