The Shadows is inspired by a fairytale of the same name by George MacDonald. It tells the story of Matthew, a lonely young boy who finds a doorway into a magical world beneath his grandmother's garden. In a subterranean chamber, Matthew meets a Shadow man called Yorrick (Michael Parle). Yorrick is the guardian of an ancient crown and he brings Matthew on an adventure where he falls foul of a treasure hunter (Eddie Webber) and an evil witch called Eldren (Natalia Kostrzewa), the greatest enemy of the Shadows. Matthew is given a shadow guardian, Alice (Emma Eliza Regan), who watches over him and tries to protect him from danger. Meanwhile, Matthew's mother Carol (Grainne McHale) frets about her imaginative son and enlists a local teacher Mr Gorman (Rob Bannon) to take the boy under his wing. Matthew takes a strong dislike to Mr Gorman at first but gradually a bond develops between the teacher and the boy. As her black heart is ever more consumed by evil, Eldren the witch travels from her icy mountain lair and materializes in Matthew's room to come and take his life force away. Matthew blows with all his might on a secret high frequency whistle to call the shadows to his aid but will the boy's new friends ever be a match for the dark magic of the witch? The Shadows is the first in a series of fantasy films