Following on from his award winning directorial debut Katalin Varga, writer and director Peter Strickland returns with inventive horror riff Berberian Sound Studio.

Sound engineer Gilderoy (Toby Jones) is hired by Italian horror filmmaker Santini to provide the score for his latest slice of schlock. Unfamiliar with his new surroundings and intimidated by the Italian’s thrifty attitude to work, Gilderoy struggles to put his doubts aside and power on with the matter at hand. It’s only when Gilderoy starts to experience unnatural occurrences that he realises the film’s macabre nature may be having more of an effect on his state of mind than he initially thought.

A true trip through the senses, Berberian Sound Studio uses its low-key techniques, such as atmospheric sound and claustrophobic production design, to achieve a sense of uncertainty. Strickland displays a strong ability to play with our expectations, and Jones’ restrained, tense performance creates a real sense of unpredictability and fear. It’s a fantastic achievement – a truly frightening horror film that, for once, does away with artifice and hinges instead on our shaky understanding of what’s real and what’s fantasy.