Folk horror hailed a 'gem' is praised for 'gorgeous frames and landscapes'

Channel 4 houses a 2022 psychological folk horror that tracks a volunteer (portrayed by Mary Woodvine) who starts encountering terrifying visions while residing on an island off the Cornish coastline.

Drawing inspiration from local Cornish sites including The Merry Maidens stone circle, the production was filmed on location in West Penwith during spring 2021.

The experimental picture, crafted by Mark Jenkin, garnered predominantly favourable critiques from reviewers upon its debut.

Recognised for its distinctive filming approach, it chronicles a wildlife volunteer's daily recordings of a rare bloom transforming into a supernatural voyage. The movie in question is Enys Men, and Jenkin drew inspiration from the Cornwall terrain whilst creating the film, with his youthful trips to The Merry Maidens stone circle serving as a key influence, reports Cornwall Live.

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Audiences flocked to Rotten Tomatoes to express their views, with Daniel Allen stating: "Atmospheric and paced like a scattershot dream, Enys Men is a psychological horror that is unnerving but also compelling."

Jessica Scott remarked: "A throwback not only in look, but in tone and pacing as well, this Cornish folk horror gem is a spellbinding study of an isolated woman facing the weight of history and the horrors of solitude."

Nuha Hassan posted: "Enys Men is visually intoxicating; there's no doubt about that.

"Jenkin cleverly uses gorgeous frames and landscapes that elevate the visual imagery."

Marshall Shaffer concluded: "Like nothing you've ever heard (or seen), Enys Men announces a new master of folk storytelling. This handcrafted horror film is a trip straight to hell."

Speaking about what inspired the film, Jenkin told Kodak: "As a typical Cornish person, I hold superstitions and have always been intrigued and haunted by standing stones, their history and mythologies.

"And I thought that was a good marriage of form and content for a genre film that I could make under the radar in and around Cornwall.

"When I was small and at an impressionable age, we would visit the Merry Maidens, a stone circle not far from my gran's house in West Penwith. Legend had it that the stones were the petrified remains of a group of girls punished for dancing across the moorland on a Sunday to the tune of two pipers, who had also been set in stone.

"These images stayed with me and, years later, I found myself lying awake, wondering about those stones, what might they be up to, under cover of darkness, out there on their own, on the moor, with no one watching. This was the starting point for Enys Men."

Enys Men is available on Channel 4's streaming service