The sheer genius of dropping the 'Werwulf' trailer on an actual full moon

On June 29, under the glow of a genuine full moon, the first footage of Robert Eggers’ Werwulf finally dropped. It is exactly the kind of visceral, blood-pumping Gothic horror we have come to expect from the director of The Northman and The Witch. We get Aaron Taylor-Johnson undergoing a deeply upsetting bestial transformation, we get the brooding, inescapable atmosphere, and we get the promise of a Christmas Day release. But the real triumph here isn’t just the gorgeous, terrifying footage itself. It’s the unadulterated swagger of timing the drop to the lunar cycle.

Eggers is famous for his obsessive historical and atmospheric detail, right down to the hand-stitched period costumes and authentic dialects. Co-writing again with Sjón, he is clearly bringing that same terrifying texture to lycanthropy. By weaponising an actual full moon to launch his promotional campaign, Eggers proves his mastery of the vibe extends way past the camera lens and straight into the marketing department. It turns a standard trailer release into a theatrical event, demanding that we look up at the sky before we look at our screens.

It is a brilliant piece of stagecraft that sets the exact right mood for what is easily the boldest piece of cinematic counter-programming of the year. Releasing a brutal werewolf movie in the US on December 25th—and internationally on New Year's Day—is a gift in itself. But initiating the hype cycle with a literal howling at the moon shows an understanding of exactly what the audience wants: total, immersive commitment to the bit. December cannot come fast enough.