The real star of the show is the cinematographer, as a good portion of the movie consists of gorgeous but grim shots of the sublime Scottish landscape accompanied by dark ambient soundscapes. Other than that, not much happens—the pacing, as is the case with many contemporary horrors, is deliberate at best, not really propelled by character motivation or any real conflict so much as a series of vague clues suggesting mysterious and supposedly sinister presence being on the island with the protagonist—a rather flat character who serves little purpose other than giving the camera an excuse for investigating the scenery. Sure, the conflict is supposedly his attempt to deal with his wife’s death, but dialogue—a key formal element a lot of contemporary horror films seem to neglect—or really any kind of characterization (other than just moping around from task to task) would push this to the forefront more than the occasional creepy dream sequence. Much of the “shocks” derive from gimmicky use of flashbacks and dreams.

An eerily atmospheric and bleakly lonely location makes for an effective purgatory for actor Hughes (quite good here), but unfortunately not a very satisfactory or original reflection on his character’s guilt-induced madness. Very slow moving and often more confusing than scary, note also that this one is definitely not for animal lovers!

I watched it thinking I was gonna be scared or at least a little bit nervous. The movie is bad, really bad, it has not a good plot, it's boring. One of the worst movies I've watched in a long time.

Slow and uneventful with a stupid ending,

Really atmospheric and beautifully made. Much better than most British horror films in recent years.

Shepherd‘s atmospherics remind of the brooding cinema of Robert Eggers. But while Russell Owen's sophomore effort is a step up for the director, it's held back by some thin character development.

Scary AF. See it now!

It was an interesting experience. The score was well done, and the overall atmosphere was foreboding (in a good way). It was a slow burn, but the movie and ending will have some questions linger with you. Everyone has different tastes, but if you want a thriller mystery with a foreboding atmosphere, give this one a try.

What has happened to movie making? This was beyond boring. Shut it off after 30 minutes.

We know, we know...lighthouses and loneliness make you crazy. When you've recently lost a wife, it's not a good idea to take a job herding sheep in the middle of nowhere. Bound to be some ghosts.