Werwulf Trailer Review: Aaron Taylor-Johnson Movie Avoids Common Hollywood Mistake

The first official trailer for Werwulf has been released. In Robert Eggers‘ new horror movie, footage of Aaron Taylor-Johnson avoids one common Hollywood mistake.

According to the logline, Werwulf has been described as “a harrowing tale of devotion, damnation and the devil within.” Taylor-Johnson stars as a cursed farmer who eventually transforms into the titular werewolf. Lily-Rose Depp stars as the farmer’s wife. It’s a reunion for Taylor-Johnson and Depp, who appeared in Eggers’ Nosferatu.

The rest of the cast includes Willem Dafoe, Ralph Ineson, Jack Morris, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Jan Bijvoet, and Ritchi Edwards.

Eggers directs from a script he co-wrote with Sjón. Focus Features will release Werwulf on December 25, 2026.

Why the Werwulf trailer keeps its werewolf hidden instead of spoiling the reveal

The best aspect of the Werwulf trailer is what the footage doesn’t show. There are brief moments featuring a tormented Taylor-Johnson battling his transition into becoming a werewolf. However, you never see him as the fully transformed werewolf. Instead, you only hear several howls from him as a werewolf.

Werwulf does not need to spoil what Taylor-Johnson will look like as a werewolf. The suspenseful footage should be enough to capture your attention.

There have been multiple recent examples of trailers that have overshared too much about the plot and its reveals. A recent movie that revealed too much in its trailer is Captain America: Brave New World. The Marvel movie spoiled the reveal that Harrison Ford would become Red Hulk.

Another film that comes to mind is Companion, which revealed that Sophie Thatcher’s character was a robot in the trailer. The thought process behind revealing twists in the trailer is to create more buzz around the project, which will hopefully convince people to see the movie in theaters.

Eggers has earned enough trust from audiences that they know he will deliver on a physical transformation. Look at Nosferatu as a proof of concept. Those trailers did not fully reveal Bill Skarsgård’s appearance as Count Orlok, and that movie exceeded expectations with a worldwide gross of $182 million. Focus Feature hopes the Nosferatu playbook will work on Werwulf.

No filmmaker is better at gothic horror right now than Eggers. The trailer features impeccable production design and world-building. If reception is strong, Eggers should have another hit during the holiday season.

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Source: Comingsoon.net