‘Werwulf’ Trailer Reveals Robert Eggers’ Darkest Horror Yet

Robert Eggers is venturing deeper into Gothic territory with his next feature, and the first trailer for Werwulf suggests the filmmaker is preparing another unsettling period horror rooted in folklore, atmosphere and brutal transformation. Released this week by Focus Features, the first footage offers audiences an early glimpse at Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s cursed protagonist ahead of the film’s Christmas Day debut in US cinemas.

Set in 13th-century England, Werwulf follows a mysterious beast stalking a remote countryside where whispered legends begin to take terrifying shape. The trailer gradually reveals Taylor-Johnson’s farmer as he undergoes a violent physical transformation while fear spreads among villagers convinced something ancient has emerged from the surrounding wilderness.

The film reunites Eggers with several familiar collaborators from his acclaimed adaptation of Nosferatu. Taylor-Johnson returns after playing Friedrich Harding in the 2024 vampire film, while Lily-Rose Depp reunites with the director following her leading role opposite Bill Skarsgård’s Count Orlok. Willem Dafoe and Ralph Ineson, both long associated with Eggers’ distinctive style of filmmaking, also feature in the cast.

Joining them are Jack Morris, Jan Bijvoet, Ritchi Edwards, Bodhi Rae Breathnach and Valeriia Karaman. Taylor-Johnson stars as the cursed farmer, with Depp portraying his wife and Dafoe taking the role of a hunter pursuing the creature.

Eggers once again co-wrote the screenplay with Icelandic author and poet Sjón, following their previous collaboration on The Northman. The director has previously described Werwulf as the darkest script he has written, continuing his fascination with folklore, superstition and historical settings that defined The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman and Nosferatu.

Production took place across England and Wales, including locations in Surrey, Gloucestershire and Dartmoor, with cinematographer Jarin Blaschke once again behind the camera. The film was shot on Super 35mm with a 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio, using an orthochromatic visual approach designed to evoke the appearance of early photographic processes while retaining colour.

The trailer leans heavily into that visual identity, pairing dense woodland, torchlit interiors and bleak landscapes with bursts of savage violence as the mysterious creature closes in. Dialogue is sparse, allowing the imagery to establish an ominous mood that has become one of Eggers’ trademarks.

The first footage debuted on 29 June, timed to coincide with the month’s full moon, after an earlier preview was shown to exhibitors during Universal and Focus Features’ CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas earlier this year.

Werwulf will open in US cinemas on 25 December 2026 through Focus Features before arriving in UK cinemas via Universal Pictures on 1 January 2027.

Watch the newly released trailer now and prepare for Werwulf when it arrives in cinemas this winter.

Werwulf trailer

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