Wuthering Heights, 178, unrecognisable as first trailer from director Emerald Fennell is pure rage-bait

But, there's a difference it seems, between an over-romanticised Laurence Olivier adaptation or a lacklustre Tom Hardy mini-series and, well, this...

The first trailer for Emerald Fennell's new take on the classic story dropped yesterday, in all its egg-poking, heavy-breathing glory.

From the start, The Crown star's third time in the film director's chair has been riddled with controversy and online commentary, from accusations of whitewashing to a shaky test screening that had audiences using the words "aggressively provocative and tonally abrasive".

Early on in the process, many pinpointed Jacob Elordi's casting as a major issue, considering the strong implications in the book that Heathcliff is a non-white character. This anger was then followed up with heated discussions over Margot Robbie's 1980s-style wedding dress.

After that early screening, reports came in, with Fennell coming under fire for her "hyper-sexualised imagery" and "salacious shock value".

Now the trailer is out, it seems more controversy is just around the corner, with many viewers on X happily voicing their distaste.

One user said: "I wish I did not live to see the day Wuthering Heights was adapted into a white washed romance booktok bodice ripper with a hyperpop soundtrack."

Another simply wrote: "Emily Brontë did not die for this s**t".

To be honest, it's hard to disagree. Without diving too much into the literary side, it's safe to say Brontë's 1847 novel is a dark, gothic story of abuse and obsession. It sees two very destructive people get stuck in a cycle of passion, hatred and revenge – trust me, there's not an ounce of romance in Cathy and Heathcliff's twisted, toxic relationship.

The themes in the book run deeply, covering everything from race to class to generational trauma. But, funnily enough, that doesn't really come across in the close-ups and bright Tarantino fonts of Fennell's trailer. This new version appears every bit the Saltburn sequel, with heavily stylised shots and long erotic scenes making up the run time.

Sadly though, I feel all the hand-ringing and virtual shouting on the internet is missing the crucial point – this is all being done on purpose.

We all know by now Fennell likes to focus on the uncomfortable and the visceral. The most talked about parts of Saltburn were intended to provoke physical reactions and extreme feelings – think the bathwater scene, the graveyard scene or Barry Keoghan's memorable dance at the end.

The director has even confirmed this herself, in an interview with NME, she said: “When I think of all of the filmmakers that I love, and all of the things I love: music, books, everything, none of it is subtle, Kubrick is not subtle. Hitchcock is not subtle."

So, the fact is when your aim is to make things as provocative and uncomfortable as possible, your work suddenly becomes interesting to two key audiences.

There's those who truly enjoy the gory excess of it all, who see it as transgressive and exciting, or there's those who see the film as a viral event, who want to be a part of the conversation around it and go to the cinema to join that shared experience.

And right now, most films need to become a talking point to get bums on seats. Whether it's through the outfits on the press tour, suspected romance rumours, or even whispers of fallings out behind the scenes, movies have to be a moment, they have to spill out beyond the screen and into the real world.

Personally, I can only draw one conclusion: Emerald Fennell is rage-baiting us, and we're all letting her do it.

The more controversial and over-the-top this film appears, the more people will pay to see it. The more discussions and heated debates on TikTok, the more Fennell, and Charli xcx, will benefit. I'm not criticising, as it's certainly a masterful move in marketing.

No matter what you think of the film's themselves, when it comes to making something that's talked about and passed around, Fennell is an undisguised master.

Wuthering Heights is coming out on Valentine's Day 2026 and, admit it, a lot of you are going to be there.

Wuthering Heights will be released on 14th February 2026.

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