The First Trailer for Robert Eggers ‘Werwulf’ Is Here and It Looks Incredibly Dark and Creepy

Those who have been eagerly awaiting Robert Eggers follow-up to 2024’s Nosferatu are in luck, because Werwulf opens with a Christmas release date this year. Even better, the first trailer for the film has dropped, and it looks incredibly dark, bleak, and creepy.

Eggers once again paired up with collaborator Sjón on the script for Werwulf. Additionally, frequent collaborators Willem Dafoe, Lily-Rose Depp, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson return as stars of the film.

Take a look at the trailer below, then find out what Eggers has shared about the movie thus far.

The ‘Werwulf’ Trailer Showcases Bleakness

The trailer opens in black-and-white, with a child being led into a cave. What follows appears to be some sort of ritualistic gathering.

Then the trailer focuses on Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character and his wife (Lily-Rose Depp), while a voice-over explains that there is a curse on this family that affects everyone. Meanwhile, Willem Dafoe appears as a hunter in the film. Everyone appears dirty, the film quality is grungy, and Taylor-Johnson’s transformation into a werewolf looks absolutely wild.

Everything about the movie makes it seem incredibly dark and uber creepy, so it’s sure to delight fans of Eggers (and horror fans, in general).

What Is Known About the Movie So Far?

Not much is known about the film’s plot, but Eggers stated in an interview with Esquire that it takes place around 1300 (which helps explain its uniquely bleak look). Additionally, he explained that none of the characters in the film have names.

However, the film follows Taylor-Johnson’s character, who is a farmer. He’s a cursed and haunted man dealing with a great deal of pain who is seeking salvation through love in “a really brutal, unforgiving, merciless, grotesque world.”

To help achieve the look and feel of this world, Eggers shot Werwulf on 35mm film, and incorporated the graininess of black-and-white film onto color film. On top of that, to make the actors appear more sickly, an orthochromatic treatment was used in post-production.

The dialogue in the movie might take a bit of getting used to, as it is Middle English. However, a dialect coach helped tone it down a bit to make it more comprehensible to modern audiences.

Other than that, don’t expect your typical werewolf story. Rather than the cliches of silver bullets and werewolves changing men with a bite, Eggers drew inspiration from not only werewolf lore of the Dark Ages, but also Viking culture.

Whatever the full story turns out to be, though, one thing is for sure — Werwulf will likely bring the terror to audiences when it opens on Christmas Day.

(feature image: Focus Features)

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