SHRUBLANDS

SHRUBLANDS is a psychological thriller by Toby McShane, laced with gothic horror and slow-burn suspense. In the late 19th century, decorated army captain Lawrence Bancroft returns from India to his decaying family estate in the Cornish countryside, bringing with him an old war companion. Beneath the rigid manners of its residents, including his estranged wife Grace, his domineering mother, and a small, insular household staff, lies a web of coercion, cruelty, and long-buried secrets. As tensions mount, manipulations collide with the supernatural: a drowned sister’s ghost, secret passageways, and séances that blur the line between grief and madness. The film interweaves creeping dread with bursts of shocking violence, building toward a denouement that reveals a darkly feminist revenge conspiracy that leaves no character unscathed.

The screenplay is currently available for optioning. With its rich period detail, morally complex characters, and blend of prestige-drama politics with chilling supernatural overtones, it offers strong crossover appeal between arthouse and elevated genre audiences.