After witches and vampires, Robert Eggers is taking on another horror movie staple in this year’s Werwulf, and there’s now a first trailer for the movie. The director has earned a great reputation thanks to his ability to weave folklore and mythology into historically authentic period settings, and this certainly looks like it’s going to be continuing what we saw with movies like The Witch, The Northman, and Nosferatu.

The Lighthouse director’s next big-screen outing features Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the lead role, as a farmer who is cursed and transforms into a werewolf. Set in the 13th Century, it looks every bit as weird, creepy, and haunting as you’d expect from Eggers, along with some gorgeous visuals. Check out the Werwulf trailer below:

Werwulf Looks Like Another Strong Robert Eggers Movie – And Can Continue Horror’s Great Year

If you’re already a fan of Eggers’ movies, then there is a lot to be excited about from Werwulf. He’s taking his usual meticulous approach to recreating 13th-century England, with the countryside landscapes, accents, and Middle English dialogue all very clearly striving for authenticity of the era. It stands out visually, too, with Eggers using a black-and-white film over color that gives it such a distinct, grainy, textured look that adds to the historical aesthetic.

In terms of plot, this sees what is the stuff of folklore for the characters in the movie become a horrifying reality, as Willem Dafoe’s hunter warns of “a raving beast that ravished this country.” We then see the werewolf changes begin to take effect on Taylor-Johnson’s character, with Lily Rose-Depp as his wife, who watches over him. There’s a brief tease of the transformation scene itself, which is likely to be one of the movie’s standout sequences. All in all, it looks very unsettling, as it should.

Eggers is coming off the back of his biggest hit to date. Nosferatu earned $182 million at the box office, against a $50m budget, which is not only his highest-grossing movie, but more than the combined grosses of The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman. It was also a critical success, as all of his films have been, and picked up four Academy Award nominations, including Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup & Hairstyling, which you’d expect Werwulf to be in the mix for as well.

2026 has already been a strong year for horror movies, led by the breakout sensations Obsession and Backrooms, but also thanks to things like 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and Send Help. There’s plenty more to come, too, including some major franchise releases such as Evil Dead Burn and Resident Evil. Werwulf looks every bit as exciting, and should end a great year for the genre in some serious style.

Werwulf hits theaters on December 25, 2026.