Ethel Cain Gives Fans Their First Taste of Her Original Song for ‘Werwulf’

Robert Eggers has never been one to do anything halfway, and his upcoming medieval horror film ‘Werwulf’ is shaping up to be another fully immersive descent into the past. The director of ‘The Witch’ and ‘Nosferatu’ is set to unleash the film in theaters on Christmas Day, offering a decidedly dark alternative to the usual holiday fare.

Last week, fans got an unexpected hint at one of the film’s musical surprises. The Hollywood Reporter’s awards forecast quietly listed Ethel Cain next to an untitled ‘Werwulf’ entry in its Best Original Song predictions, sparking a frenzy among her fans online.

Now the rumor has been confirmed, and fans have finally heard a piece of it. A short snippet of Ethel Cain’s original song for ‘Werwulf’, titled ‘Wynter Waxeth’, surfaced via Club Cain and quickly spread across social media.

The clip arrived alongside the official soundtrack cover, which features the film’s gothic title lettering over a striking image of a figure reaching toward a full moon in a graveyard. The artwork credits the score to Robin Carolan, Eggers’ longtime musical collaborator.

The song is co-credited to Ethel Cain and Carolan, and it will appear twice on the official soundtrack album. A short track titled ‘Wynter Waxeth I’ runs just over a minute, while the full ‘Wynter Waxeth’ stretches past 6 minutes.

Snippet of Ethel Cain’s original song for Robert Eggers’ ‘WERWULF’, titled ‘Wynter Waxeth.’ https://t.co/0fNqFC2n15
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 28, 2026

Eggers’ official account confirmed that the soundtrack will be released digitally on December 18. Back Lot Music is handling the album, while Sacred Bones Records will release CD and vinyl editions.

The track list leans fully into the film’s medieval atmosphere, with titles like ‘Huntere Moone’, ‘A Gyft’ and ‘Delivere Me Fro My Synnes’. It’s a fitting stylistic match for the archaic spelling of Cain’s contribution. ‘Werwulf’ marks Carolan’s third collaboration with Eggers. He co-scored ‘The Northman’ with Sebastian Gainsborough before composing the score for ‘Nosferatu’.

𝑻𝒉𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒅. WERWULF is only in theaters this Christmas. https://t.co/b0X0ABLsZ6 https://t.co/7f7VGnWKbZ
— Werwulf (@werwulfmovie) September 26, 2026

Pairing Carolan’s eerie soundscapes with Cain’s distinctive voice feels like a natural fit. The singer-songwriter’s most recent album, ‘Perverts’, arrived in 2025, and her darker, more experimental sound seems tailor-made for Eggers’ brand of folk horror.

The film is set in early 14th-century England and follows a mute medieval peasant who lives quietly, raising a family on his farm. But with every full moon, he is cursed to transform into a murderous werewolf.

Eggers co-wrote the screenplay with Sjón, and the pair are producing alongside Working Title Films’ Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, as well as Garrett Bird. Focus Features has billed the project as a harrowing tale of devotion, damnation and the devil within.

The first poster for Robert Eggers’ WERWULF In theaters this Christmas https://t.co/K9coqrzeQ4
— ComicBook.com (@ComicBook) July 29, 2026

The cast reunites several of the director’s regular collaborators. Aaron Taylor-Johnson leads as the title character, credited simply as Man, while Lily-Rose Depp plays Woman. Willem Dafoe appears as Old Hunter and Ralph Ineson as One-Eyed Hunter, with Bodhi Rae Breathnach and Vidal Arzoni rounding out the ensemble. Taylor-Johnson was spotted filming in Dartmoor during production.

With the song now officially revealed, the early awards chatter around it seems likely to grow. The Hollywood Reporter’s decision to place Cain in its Best Original Song forecast suggests the track could become a genuine contender this season. ‘Werwulf’ opens exclusively in theaters on December 25 and is rated R. For fans of both Eggers and Ethel Cain, the countdown to a gothic Christmas has officially begun.