The Red King, on AMC+

Would you want to visit an island that deliberately gives off pagan cult vibes, as a tourist? Better yet, how would you like to serve as its new cop? After all, socially and geographically isolated island communities are known for their hospitality towards outsiders, right? Detective Sergeant Grace Narayan did not exactly volunteer. She was transferred to fictional St. Jory off the Welsh coast, as punishment for testifying against police brutality. Ironically, the ostracism and harassment she endured was good training for her in creator Toby Whithouse’s six-part The Red King, which premieres today on AMC+.

DS Narayan arrives just as the island’s official tourism season ends, so she sees the town’s send-off, in all their masked pagan splendor. The station is barely equipped at 1960s levels and her constable, Owen Parry, still acts like her predecessor, mildly racist misogynist Gruffud Prosser is still the boss. Indeed, the island’s general reception is pretty chilly, but she figures she might as well do some police work, since she is still a cop, so she starts looking into the cold case disappearance of teenaged Cai Prideaux, whose naked, fatally starved corpse she finds by the end of episode one.

Mainland DCI Jill Halfpenny is quick to declare the death accidental, while belittling Narayan at every opportunity. Yet, as soon as she disembarks from the island, Narayan uncovers direct evidence of human culpability, which seems to bear distinctly cult-like characteristics.

As it happens, St. Jory has its own home-grown sect, known as “The True Way,” founded by the descendant of Lady Nancarrow, St. Jory’s principal land-owner. Of course, everyone assures Narayan the only remaining remnants of the cult are the dress-up parades they stage for tourists. Regardless, Narayan will be on her own solving the murderous conspiracy when torrential weather cuts off the island from the mainland. It is such a familiar phenomenon for St. Jory, they also have oddball rituals for riding out storms.

It is obvious, from the art direction, recurring thematic motifs, and even some late season revelations, Whithouse was directly inspired by and intentionally channeling Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man. Yet, it is still more of a Brit mystery than overt horror. Nevertheless, it will likely be a richer viewing experience for those familiar with Hardy’s classic and other British folk horror favorites.

Regardless, the isolated setting and mounting paranoia make The Red King an undeniably tense and highly grabby ride. Like Edward Woodward in Wicker Man, Anjli Mohindra’s awkward, bull-in-a-China-shop portrayal of Narayan will make viewers wince—but that also means we emotionally invest in her, quickly and deeply.

James Bamford brings surprising depth and complexity to naïve Parry, while Mark Lewis Jones is spectacularly crusty and cranky as old Prosser. Marc Warren powerfully expresses the sadness and the destructiveness of grief as Prideaux’s father Ian, the island GP driven to drink by his guilt and rage. Plus, Adjoa Andoh is really quite something as Lady Nancarrow, who has quite a third act in store for viewers.

Every aspect of the production design potently reinforces the folk-not-quite-horror vibe. St. Jory has a very vivid sense of place—and it is massively unnerving. The series is also smartly written and consistently well-acted. Highly recommended as a British mystery for folk horror fans, The Red King starts streaming today (9/25) on AMC+.