Watch the trailer for Mark Jenkin’s folk horror ‘Enys Men’
After his 2019 horror Bait unnerved audiences with its black-and-white portrayals of conflicts in a Cornish fishing village, director Mark Jenkins is set to creep crowds out more with his upcoming folk horror Enys Men. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
Enys Men translates to ‘Stone Island’, a title that is conveyed in the film’s style as it’s shot on grainy 16mm film stock. The cast includes father-and-daughter acting duo John and Mary Woodvine alongside Edward Rowe in his second time working with Jenkin.
The film’s synopsis is outlined as “a wildlife volunteer whose daily observations of a rare flower take a dark turn into the strange and metaphysical, forcing both her and viewers to question what is real and what is a nightmare”.
The trailer conveys moods and tones rather than a coherent plot. We see a display of images of the settings and main characters. It starts out slow yet tense before descending into a fast-paced attack on the senses with intense imagery and sounds of glass shattering and hard impacts.
We first hear a conversation about loneliness, interrupted by a ‘mayday’ radio call that’s distorted. We then hear cries out for characters and spine-chilling screams. We see blood in sinks and waves crashing against rocks, implying setting will play just as big a part as interior events.
Actor Woodvine hints at a brilliant performance with a mixture of fear and confusion on her face as she runs across the cold beaches in a vibrant red coat.
Thanks to the 16mm shot, Enys Men is replicating classic ’70s horror when it comes to style, but the events seen in the trailer allude to some more contemporary and violent visions of horror filmmaking.
The trailer offers a promising look at the creative, creepy and unsettling atmosphere, which should gain more acclaim for the director. Bait earned Jenkin the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.
Jenkin’s Enys Men is set for a release in UK cinemas on Friday, January 13th 2023.
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