Taylor-Johnson Transforms in Eggers' 'Werwulf' Trailer
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- "Werwulf" trailer premiered on Monday, showing Aaron Taylor-Johnson writhing and foaming at the mouth as his character undergoes a transformation into a half-man, half-beast creature in a 13th-century village
- Robert Eggers reteams with his recurring ensemble — Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Ralph Ineson round out the cast, while cinematographer Jarin Blaschke returns after shooting all of Eggers' previous features
- Icelandic poet Sjón co-wrote the script with Eggers, marking the pair's second collaboration after "The Northman"; Sjón also wrote the horror film "Lamb"
- Focus Features will release "Werwulf" in theaters on Friday, December 25, billing it as "a harrowing tale of devotion, damnation, and the devil within"
- Eggers continues his signature visual style: the film uses a classical aspect ratio, incorporates black-and-white sequences, and features "disturbing body horror" in the transformation scenes, per footage first screened at CinemaCon
- Production shot throughout the U.K. in 2025, making "Werwulf" Eggers' follow-up after his 2024 hit "Nosferatu"
Why it matters: Eggers has built a devoted following on the strength of four genre pieces — "The Witch," "The Lighthouse," "The Northman," and "Nosferatu" — and Christmas Day is a bold slot for folk horror against Hollywood's holiday blockbusters. The reunions with Sjón and Blaschke signal creative continuity rather than reinvention, giving fans exactly what they expect from an Eggers period piece.
![‘Dutton Ranch’ Season 1 Finale: [SPOILER] Is Murdered, [SPOILER] Is a Fentanyl Tycoon and [SPOILER] Is Kidnapped by the Cartel in Wild Cliffhanger](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/RP_109_EM_0217_00290_RT.jpg)