A gothic classic in a steamy package: The Wuthering Heights teaser tests the limits of adaptation

'Fifty Shades of Bronte!' is how one user described the teaser for Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights, an upcoming adaptation of Emily Brontë's 1847 classic novel.

While the comment might seem a bit too harsh, loyal Brontë fans are certainly displeased with this bold and sexed-up re-imagination of Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) and Catherine's (Margot Robbie) timeless tale of passion and revenge.

Brontë's Wuthering Heights, which has inspired adaptations across media, is considered one of the classics in English literature and for all the right reasons. The text follows the volatile and toxic relationship between two people who practically grew up together in a conservative Victorian society.

While Brontë's fans appreciated the nuanced depictions of mental and physical cruelty and the class system in the novel, Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights portrays it with heightened sensuality, complete with tightened corsets, suggestive bread kneading, and fingers in the mouth. It is raw, overtly erotic, and not in tune with Brontë's original work, and fans are enraged.

The quickly changing montages feel more like a period-romance take on Fennell's previous work, Saltburn, which got popular on social media for its erotic sequences in graveyards and bathtubs.

More on this in our story.

**Disclaimer: This article is based on the author's opinion. Readers' discretion is advised.**

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Wuthering Heights teaser raises important questions about modern adaptations

The 'modern' Wuthering Heights teaser is officially here, and fans are questioning this s*xed-up adaptation of a Gothic literary masterpiece, which does not even feature romance as a main theme. The teaser feels more like a soapy and erotic tale of love set against beautiful moors in the Victorian era, instead of the hauntingly complex themes of Victorian morality, emotional abuse, and all-encompassing revenge that Brontë explored in her original text.

Fans are clearly divided on Emerald Fennell's adaptation, and the teaser is a mere preview of a movie that will further this online debate. Brontë fans are calling out this retelling, which is drenched in erotic atmosphere and charged with raw emotion, but misguides the audience unfamiliar with Heathcliff and Catherine's volatile relationship.

Without giving too much away, Heathcliff and Catherine's tale in Wuthering Heights is not of romance, but of romantic longing, emotional abuse, misunderstandings, and revenge so extreme that it plagues both even after their deaths.

Emerald Fennell's adaptation feels like a literary betrayal of a highly revered work to fans, which essentially redefined Romanticism and Gothic fiction. But sadly, it is merely reduced to some sultry montages of overly sexualized imagery, under the garb of an adaptation.

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What's up with the quotation marks?

You might have noticed that Emerald Fennell's adaptation comes with quotation marks, boldly asserting that this version of Wuthering Heights is a creative take on the classic text and, therefore, a subjective interpretation. However, what comes later seems more like an adaptation and less an inspiration. Right from the setting to the names of the characters, every detail screams Emily Brontë's classic text, except for the issues that it raised.

And this is not the first modern adaptation of a classic text, and will certainly not be the last. Classic rom-com movies like 10 Things I Hate About You, She's the Man, and Clueless are all 'inspired' by classic respective works like The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, and Emma.

However, each of these adaptations made changes in their setting and characters to justify their 'inspiration' claim, which Wuthering Heights cheekily neglects. When the adaptation named its characters (Heathcliff and Catherine) and chose the 1800s period as its setting, it was essentially setting itself up for interpretation as a thorough Emily Brontë adaptation, which justifies the fan disappointment and online chatter.

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Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights perfectly captures the stylistic aesthetic of Brontë's work

Aside from the visible degradation of Brontë's Victorian themes to a sexed-up romantic story, Emerald Fennell's vision perfectly captures the haunting style and gothic aesthetic of this classic tale. While the choices and actions of the characters are highly questionable, the filmmaker's psychological insight and gothic interpretation fit perfectly, and the cinematography truly shines.

Right from the fog-drenched moors, lush greenery, looming estates, to a sombre backdrop that is amped up with longing and desire, every frame of the Wuthering Heights teaser is like an image conjured up right from Brontë's pages. The camera focuses on lingering glances, trembling hands, and whispering confessions, which are on-brand with Heathcliff and Catherine's forbidden romance, but unfortunately, the similarities end here.

With modern adaptations like Emerald Fennell's movie, one can only wonder how filmmakers are trading literary faithfulness for a promise of more audience and marketing buzz, through a sexually charged atmosphere and a commitment to explicitness in their content.

But will it take them far? Find out for yourself with the Wuthering Heights premiere in theatres on Valentine's Day 2026.

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