Move over, Dracula. There is a new monster in town, and he’s arriving just in time for the holidays.
Robert Eggers, the mastermind behind atmospheric hits like The Witch and the recent box-office smash Nosferatu, is officially returning to the director’s chair for Werwulf. On Wednesday, Universal sent a chill through the desert heat at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, debuting the very first footage of what they are calling Eggers’ “most terrifying motion picture yet.”
The buzz on X (formerly Twitter) was immediate, with theater owners and journalists describing a visceral, haunting experience that feels like a “medieval nightmare come to life.”
Set in th-century England, Werwulf follows a village couple—played by the internet’s favorite leading man, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and the ethereal Lily-Rose Depp—as they navigate a foggy, desolate countryside stalked by a legendary beast.
According to those inside the room, the film is primarily shot in striking black and white with subtle hints of color, adding to the period-accurate dread Eggers is famous for. The footage showed Taylor-Johnson and Depp trudging through the mud in tattered clothing, desperately dragging their children behind them as a sense of impending doom looms over the forest.
“Do not dread the darkness,” a husky voiceover warns in the clip, accompanied by a supercut of violent images and horses charging through the woods.
In true Eggers fashion, the director is playing coy with his creature design. Much like the secretive marketing campaign for Nosferatu, the Werwulf teaser ended on a jarring close-up of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s face locked in a scream of pure horror—without showing the monster itself.
Fans on TikTok are already speculating about the “big reveal,” with many praising Eggers’ commitment to practical effects and historical immersion.
It’s no surprise the film is set in the deep past. Eggers has famously shared his distaste for the modern era, once admitting, “The idea of having to photograph a car makes me ill. And the idea of photographing a cellphone is just death.”
For the director, a contemporary story just isn’t in the cards. “To make a contemporary story you have to photograph a cellphone—it’s just how life is,” he previously quipped.
Werwulf reunites Eggers with his Nosferatu star Willem Dafoe and features a script co-written by the celebrated Icelandic author Sjón. The project also sees executive producers Chris and Eleanor Columbus returning to the fold.
Following in the footsteps of Nosferatu—which devoured over $ million at the global box office and scooped up four Oscar nominations—Werwulf is taking a bold swing with its release date.
The film is slated to hit theaters on Christmas Day . It’s a classic move of “counter-programming,” offering a dark, hairy alternative to the usual festive family fare.
Judging by the viral reaction to the first footage, audiences are more than ready to spend their holiday season in the dark. Just don’t expect to see a cellphone in sight.
