Robert Eggers Uses Middle English to Shape Werwulf

Imagine a film where the language itself feels like a costume—worn, weathered and utterly convincing. Werwulf aims for that level of immersion.

Robert Eggers confirmed in a recent Esquire interview that every line of dialogue in Werwulf is rendered in 14th-century Middle English. The revelation raises eyebrows and curiosity in equal measure. The cast includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe, but it’s the words they speak that have become the talk of cinephile circles.

Eggers didn’t conjure this linguistic world alone. He co-wrote the script with Icelandic writer-musician Sjón—familiar to many for his work on Dancer in the Dark and for collaborating with Eggers on The Northman. Together they took an audacious route: drafting lines that would then be converted into historical English by two Oxford academics. After that, a dialect coach shaped the pronunciation so modern ears could follow without losing the texture of the period.

The film's dialogue is performed in authentic 14th-century Middle English. It’s a bold creative choice—not a stunt but a method. Eggers’ goal is clear: preserve historical authenticity and drag viewers fully into a dark, tactile world where speech carries time as much as meaning.

Using an archaic tongue is risky. It can alienate audiences or come off as pretension. Yet Eggers has patched those hazards with scholarship and hands-on coaching, aiming for a balance between fidelity and intelligibility. The result should feel less like a translation exercise and more like a living soundscape that deepens mood and stakes.

Few modern films dare to lean so heavily on period language. When it works, the effect is uncanny—history bleeding into cinema until the past feels present. Listen closely when Werwulf opens; you might discover a movie that asks you to pay attention in a way most contemporary releases never will.