The debut trailer for director Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s timeless novel Wuthering Heights has sparked fierce debate amongst devotees.
Renowned for her provocative erotic thrillers Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, Fennell’s upcoming film set for Valentine’s Day 2026 release has already stirred controversy with the selection of Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as star-crossed lovers Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff.
Following the trailer’s release, literary enthusiasts and cinema-goers remain uncertain about several steamy and disturbing alterations to Brontë’s masterpiece of destructive passion.
Released this Wednesday (3rd September), the initial footage pledges to transform the cherished 1847 work into a contemporary period drama brimming with illicit romance and provocative intimate sequences.
Two particular moments have captured viewers’ attention in the preview – a passionate scene featuring Robbie’s fingers inside Elordi’s mouth, alongside a macabre comparison showing someone’s finger sliding into a deceased fish’s mouth, reports the Mirror.
One Reddit user commented in a discussion forum: “Guess I’m the only one who thinks having fingers stuck in your mouth isn’t particularly sexy.”
Another user replied: “But what about in a dead fish’s mouth?”
A third viewer questioned: “Why is someone fingering the fish mouth?! What is this movie???”
“WTH???!!!” another person exclaimed. “This is 50 Shades of Bridgerton style distortion of a Bronte novel.
“The costumes are historically everywhere, and the colors looked gaudy, garish, ghastly, gross, and other things beginning with G.”
Another viewer savaged the fresh interpretation: “Could be a good movie who knows. But it’s clearly an absolutely dog s***, intentionally unfaithful adaptation of a brilliant book. Which is just annoying.”
“I’m looking forward to how terrible this is going to be,” someone else penned. “Bring on the horny fish fondling.”
Meanwhile, one final fan confessed Wuthering Heights 2026 is destined to become a guilty pleasure, writing: “I am here for this trash.
“You know it’s gonna be good when you see a corset being tightened without a chemise underneath. And a fish in gelatin meal? disgusting. Delightful.”
Will Wuthering Heights strike box office gold with its bold and scandalous reimagining of the beloved classic or sink without trace like a lifeless fish? All will be revealed next February.
Wuthering Heights hits UK cinemas on 14th February 2026.