Robert Eggers' Werwulf trailer reveals Aaron Taylor-Johnson horror
Robert Eggers has released the first official trailer for Werwulf, a 13th-century Gothic horror film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a cursed lycanthrope. Focus Features dropped the footage on June 29, 2026, confirming a December 25 theatrical debut—another Christmas counter-programming play from the Nosferatu director.
The trailer arrives as Eggers extends his run of historically rooted horror after The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman, and Nosferatu. Focus Features financed and produced the film alongside Eggers and his co-writer Sjón, with Maiden Voyage's Chris and Eleanor Columbus executive producing. For more theatrical release updates, see our Streaming & TV Alerts coverage.
Key Takeaways
- The first official Werwulf trailer debuted June 29, 2026, ahead of a December 25, 2026 theatrical release from Focus Features.
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson leads as the titular lycanthrope, reuniting with Eggers and co-stars Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe after Nosferatu.
- Shot in a grainy 4:3 aspect ratio, the teaser shows black-and-white horror imagery and ends with Taylor-Johnson's werewolf transformation.
- Eggers co-wrote the script with Sjón; the film carries the tagline about devotion, damnation, and the devil within.
- Werwulf follows Nosferatu, which grossed roughly $181 million worldwide for Focus Features.
What Does the Werwulf Trailer Show?
According to Deadline, the trailer uses Eggers' trademark grainy 4:3 framing throughout. An ominous voice describes a curse gripping a family as the footage unfolds.
Variety notes black-and-white shots of mauled corpses, desecrated graves, and frightened townsfolk terrorized by an unseen beast. Taylor-Johnson is seen nude and convulsing as his human form shifts; spit fills a mouth suddenly lined with fangs, though the trailer stops short of revealing his full monstrous look.
SlashFilm describes the teaser as light on plot and heavy on mood, swapping the vampires of Nosferatu for lycanthropes while keeping Eggers' drained-color imagery and historically authentic production design.
Who Stars in Robert Eggers' Werwulf?
Taylor-Johnson headlines as the titular creature in 13th-century England, where local folklore becomes a terrifying reality for villagers. Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Ralph Ineson round out returning Eggers collaborators after Nosferatu.
The cast also includes Jack Morris, Jan Bijvoet, Ritchi Edwards, and Bodhi Rae Breathnach. Depp delivers several pained shrieks in the footage, building on her breakout turn in Eggers' prior Christmas horror hit.
When Is Werwulf Coming to Theaters?
Focus Features has set Werwulf for a Christmas Day release on December 25, 2026—the same holiday slot that helped Nosferatu open to $21.6 million domestically over three days and $40.8 million over five. That film went on to earn about $181 million worldwide and picked up four Oscar nominations.
An official synopsis has not been released, but Variety cites a logline placing the story in foggy medieval England as a mysterious creature stalks the countryside. The project is promoted with the tagline: Werwulf is a harrowing tale of devotion, damnation, and the devil within.