Werwulf

Set in 13th century England, Werwulf follows a remote village terrorized by a monstrous creature that stalks the misty moors. As bodies pile up and suspicion spreads, the villagers must confront a horror that blurs the line between legend and reality. Robert Eggers directs this grimdark horror mystery from a script he co-wrote with Sjón, his collaborator on The Northman. The cast includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a hardened hunter, Lily-Rose Depp as a woman with a dark connection to the beast, and Willem Dafoe as a paranoid priest. Ralph Ineson, Jack Morris, and Bodhi Rae Breathnach also appear. Shot by regular Eggers cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, with a score by Robin Carolan, the film promises the director's signature atmospheric dread. Produced by Eggers, Sjón, and Tim Bevan, Werwulf is set for a Christmas Day 2026 release.

The film was shot on location in the Scottish Highlands and at Working Title Films' studios in London. Eggers insisted on practical effects for the werewolf, using a full-body suit with animatronic elements from the team behind The Witch and The Lighthouse. The score incorporates reconstructed medieval instruments like the hurdy-gurdy and shawm. With a budget of $70 million, the film is one of the larger productions for Focus Features this year. [edit]

The village of Thornwick clings to the edge of a mist-choked moor, its inhabitants ruled by superstition and a harsh feudal order. When a shepherd is found brutally mauled, the wounds suggest something far larger than a wolf. Whispers of an old curse spread among the fearful villagers. Kaelan, a hardened hunter haunted by the loss of his wife to a similar creature, is summoned by the elders. He is a man of grim practicality in a world of prayers and charms, and his arrival is met with suspicion and desperate hope.

The local priest, Father Cuthbert, sees the attacks as divine punishment and uses the terror to tighten his grip on the community, pointing fingers at outsiders. Elara, a mysterious young woman living on the village's fringes, is rumored to be a witch. She has survived an encounter with the beast and possesses deep knowledge of the moors. Kaelan initially dismisses her, but her insights prove invaluable as the attacks escalate. Their alliance is tense and uneasy.

Kaelan tracks the creature and sets traps, but the beast seems intelligent, targeting specific individuals who have broken ancient pacts. The body count rises, pushing the village toward mass hysteria. The reeve is useless, and neighbors turn on neighbors. Kaelan discovers evidence of a forgotten pact between the village's founders and a dark pagan power. He theorizes the creature is an enforcer of that broken pact. As the moon waxes, the beast grows bolder, attacking in daylight. Kaelan races to uncover the curse's true nature and stop the beast before the village tears itself apart. The story builds to a desperate confrontation in the heart of the moors, where Kaelan, Elara, and a handful of villagers face the creature on its own ground.[edit]