The most unexpected Christmas movie of 2024 was Robber Egger’s horrific vampire tale, Nosferatu. Well, the modern master of horror is back with another twisted gift for fans of the genre. Werwulf will be released in theaters this Christmas and the first trailer promises a bloody affair starring Aaron-Taylor Johnson (28 Years Later, Nosferatu).
Focus Features released the first trailer for Werwulf just this morning, June 29, and the vibes are abysmal in the exact way a gothic horror tale should be. While the footage thankfully doesn’t give too much away, it does set the stage for a tale of panic and distrust plaguing a village. The official synopsis, as reported by Variety, is as follows: “In 13th-century England, a mysterious creature stalks a foggy countryside as local folklore becomes a terrifying reality for the villagers.” The trailer’s description adds only minimally to that, describing the film as a “tale of devotion, damnation, and the devil within.”
The trailer ends on a tantalizing scene of Johnson seemingly undergoing a transformation into the titular beast. Perhaps the most attention-grabbing element in the trailer is the aspect ratio. Werwulf is being shot in 4:3, which makes the film take up a more square-like form when projected. Eggers has used many strange aspect ratios across his films. Only his 2022 epic, The Northman, has been shot in a wider aspect ratio that more closely resembles what most moviegoers are used to seeing in the majority of modern films. Based on some shots during the trailer, it does, however, look like Werwulf will blend color segments with black-and-white sections.
Werwulf stars Aaron-Taylor Johnson as the (presumed) lycanthropic man at the center of the story alongside Lily-Rose Depp. This will reunite both Johnson and Depp with Eggers, after the two previously appeared in 2024’s Nosferatu. The cast will be rounded out by a number of other frequent Eggers collaborators, including Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse, Nosferatu) and Ralph Ineson (The Witch, The Fantastic Four: First Steps).
Behind the camera, Eggers is teaming up with Icelandic poet Sjón to co-write the script. Sjón previously worked with Eggers as co-writer of The Northman. Eggers usuals Jarin Blaschke and Louise Ford are also returning to handle cinematography and editing duties, respectively.
Eggers has quickly established himself as a master of the horror genre over the last decade. His directorial debut, 2015’s The Witch, was met with widespread praise. The director only built on that success with The Lighthouse and Nosferatu. Even 2022’s The Northman, while not a horror movie in the strict sense of the term, still employs Eggers’ uncanny ability to imbue every second of his films with a looming sense of dread. Werwulf is sure to be another thrilling tale that will delight and terrify horror fans.