In God’s Creatures, the latest from the filmmaking duo Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, a prodigal son named Brian returns to his moody Irish fishing town, where he reunites with his mother and spends his nights in his childhood bed. Sweet, you might think. At least until a “serious” allegation is made against Brian (played by Paul Mescal) by a young woman.

In A24’s new trailer for God’s Creatures, Brian’s potential crime also drags his mother Aileen (Emily Watson) into a web of conspiracy, after she lies to a policeman to provide him with an alibi.

In fact, Brian’s secrets don’t just threaten to unravel his relationship with his mother – according to an official synopsis, her lies tear apart the whole fabric of their close-knit community, raising questions about what it means to choose between family and your own sense of right and wrong. All the while, a voiceover suggests in the preview, this community is haunted by its own past: “Every house around here has the same ghosts.”

Alongside the Normal People star – whose performance was praised at the film’s Cannes Film Festival premiere in May – the Irish Gothic drama stars Aisling Franciosi, Declan Conlon, Marion O’Dwyer, and Toni O’Rourke.

God’s Creatures will be released in selected cinemas and on demand on September 30. Watch the full trailer above.