Eggers' Ancient Horror Unveiled
Robert Eggers' Werwulf Trailer Unveils 13th-Century Folklore Horror, Sets 2026 Christmas Release
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Key Points
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The Werwulf trailer includes a ritual-tinged cave scene early on, where an older monk beckons the young farmer, signaling initiation into a belief system or rite that ties werewolves to medieval spirituality.
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Graphic horror imagery is foregrounded in the trailer, with writhing bodies, corpses, and blood splatters, alongside the film’s commitment to historically grounded 13th-century farmhouses and naturalistic lighting.
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Ralph Ineson is back in the Werwulf cast, joining a lineup that includes Willem Dafoe, who has now collaborated with Eggers on four films (Nosferatu, The Lighthouse, The Northman, and Werwulf).
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Eggers foregrounds a folklore-first approach grounded in older texts—citing an ancient English source and Icelandic lore to justify the moon-driven werewolf motif—and collaborates with movement artist Marie-Gabrielle Rotie to convey the monster’s interior struggle.
Robert Eggers has released the first trailer for *Werwulf*, his gothic werewolf film set in 13th-century England, confirming a Christmas Day 2026 theatrical release. Den of Geek reports the film takes the werewolf story back to its pre-Enlightenment roots, drawing on ancient folklore rather than modern monster mythology.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as a nameless farmer cursed by lycanthropy, alongside Lily-Rose Depp as his wife and Willem Dafoe as a hunter who urges him to embrace the darkness. Reactor Mag confirms Ralph Ineson is also in the cast. This is Dafoe's fourth collaboration with Eggers, following *Nosferatu*, *The Lighthouse*, and *The Northman*.
Trailer Reveals Ritual Horror Rooted in Medieval Belief
The trailer opens with a ritual-tinged cave scene. An older monk beckons the young farmer, hinting that lycanthropy in Eggers' world is not a disease — it is an initiation. Den of Geek notes the film links werewolves directly to medieval spirituality, blending pagan and Christian tensions.
The footage is heavy with graphic imagery: writhing bodies, blood splatters, and moonlit transformations. Gold Derby describes the trailer as "chilling," emphasizing atmosphere and period detail over jump scares. Eggers has called the script the "darkest" of his career.
Eggers Builds the Werewolf from Ancient Texts Up
Eggers and co-writer Sjón — his collaborator on *The Northman* — grounded the story in old sources. Eggers cites a 12th-century French text called *Bisclavret* by Marie de France and Icelandic literature to justify the moon-driven werewolf myth. The Old English spelling "Werwulf," meaning "Man-Wolf," signals the film's medieval authenticity.
Movement artist Marie-Gabrielle Rotie, a veteran of *Nosferatu*, used Butoh and "possession" techniques to help Taylor-Johnson convey the internal struggle of transformation. Head Topics reports Taylor-Johnson spent months studying wolf behavior and working with movement coaches, aiming for a fully physical, non-CGI metamorphosis.
Period Authenticity Defines Every Frame of Production
The film was shot on 35mm in a 4:3 aspect ratio. Cinematographer Jarin Blaschke applied an orthochromatic treatment in post-production, creating a grainy look that mimics black-and-white film despite being shot in color. Sets feature historically authentic 13th-century farmhouses with naturalistic, period-accurate lighting.
The dialogue is spoken in Middle English. Eggers worked with two Oxford professors to ensure historical accuracy, while a dialect coach helped temper the pronunciation for modern audiences. Principal photography wrapped in January 2026 after filming in muddy, rural locations under extreme physical conditions.
Christmas 2026 Release Targets Eggers' Growing Audience
Focus Features has set December 25, 2026 as the North American release date. The Christmas slot is the same strategy the studio used for *Nosferatu* in 2024, which grossed between $156.3 million and $173.4 million globally — Eggers' highest-earning film to date. The estimated budget for *Werwulf* is $50 million.
Early projections estimate an $8 million opening day and a domestic total around $70 million. Analysts note the werewolf genre historically draws slightly smaller audiences than vampire films. Head Topics calls *Werwulf* one of 2026's most exciting horror releases, with CinemaCon reactions describing Taylor-Johnson's transformation as "the most atmospheric horror" shown at the convention.
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