Victoria and Game of Thrones stars face solitary terror in the first trailer for Shepherd.
This official selection for the BFI London Film Festival 2021 has unveiled its new footage ahead of making its world premiere at the fest on October 14.
Tom Hughes — who plays playwright Kit Marlowe in A Discovery of Witches and has also played Prince Albert Victoria in Victoria — stars in the stark horror film from writer/director Russell Owen.
Shepherd casts Hughes as a grieving widower who arrives on a strange and desolate island to take a shepherding job.
Related: Tom Hughes isn't upset about The Game cancellation: 'It worked as a standalone series'
The longer the man lives on this island, the more he begins to question whether he's losing his sanity, or if demonic forces are at play.
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"Something's haunting you, Mr Black. I can see it," he's warned by a twisted skiff driver.
Also featured in Shepherd will be Kate Dickie (Game of Thrones and Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Greta Scacchi (The Terror) and Gaia Weiss (Vikings and Medici: Masters of Florence).
Russell Owen has said of the film's selection for the BFI Festival: "I've followed the BFI London Film Festival for decades, so to actually be a part of it is surreal and a massive honour.
Related: ITV addresses claims Jenna Coleman's Victoria has been axed
"I can't think of a better platform to bring Shepherd to an audience and I'm over the moon."
Owen filmed Shepherd in the early spring of 2019 in Scotland and Wales, before moving to the famed Underwater Studio in Basildon for some suspenseful watery scenes. The Isle of Mull, in the Inner Hebrides, doubled as the mysterious island at the centre of the film.
Shepherd premieres at the BFI London Film Festival on October 14, before arriving in UK and Irish cinemas on November 5. A US release date hasn't yet been announced.
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
