Music Composed by ROBIN CAROLAN.
Back Lot Music will release on December 18th the original score by BAFTA-nominated composer Robin Carolan for Robert Eggers’ gothic horror film Werwulf. The album also includes Wynter Waxeth, performed by Ethel Cain and written by Cain, composer Robin Carolan and filmmaker Robert Eggers, releasing on November 13th.
Set in a 13th-century English village, the Focus Features film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, Ralph Ineson and Lily-Rose Depp, and marks Carolan’s third collaboration with Eggers following The Northman and Nosferatu.
Spanning 37 tracks, the complete record channels the grim, folkloric vibe of the 13th century, blending medieval instrumentation with haunting rhythm pieces forged from implements like blades and axes. The composer leaned heavily on authentic medieval instrumenst like the cymbalum and the wheel-cranked hurdy-gurdy. However, he rejected standard playing methods, instead distorting the acoustic outputs with electronic effects to create a bizarre, dreamlike texture. A live string quintet was captured in studio, only for the tape to be stretched and warped electronically until the performance resembled a haunting entity or the ambient noises of a dark forest. Alongside blades and axes striking bone and wood, the music integrates common household relics like clay pottery and old bells to generate bleak, low-frequency hums of the era. The record’s sonic palette is expanded by unique guests: indie drummer Jack Bevan handles the gritty folk rhythms, Laura Cannell guides the historical authenticity, and Antonina Nowacka provides ghostly singing.
Carolan wanted the score to feel gritty, rough and folksy, but also surreal and otherworldly; one eye on the mud and one eye on Heaven (or Hell). As a long-time fan of Ethel Cain, Carolan could easily imagine how she could potentially fit into the sound world he had in mind for Werwulf, especially after hearing her album, Perverts.
“I’d send [Ethel Cain] medieval music, prayers, weird ambient stuff, and we’d talk through it all. It was one of those rare collaborations where we just seemed to be on the same page about everything,” Carolan notes. “Initially we’d talked about her contributing vocals to the score in a more textural way, but it wasn’t long until we started discussing a full blown song. Her talent and open mindedness to try different things is honestly incredible. She sang the song in Middle English, and with Rob’s help she mastered the pronunciation on the hop, practically in one session. She brought so much earthy, feral, haunted beauty to the score, and it’s hard to imagine it without her presence.”
ABOUT ROBIN CAROLAN
Robin Carolan is a British-Irish composer and music producer whose distinctive artistic voice has made him an increasingly prominent figure in contemporary film music. He most recently composed the score for Robert Eggers’ upcoming film Werwulf, set for theatrical release on December 25, 2026.
Carolan received widespread acclaim for his score to Eggers’ Nosferatu, earning a BAFTA nomination for Best Original Score, alongside nominations from the World Soundtrack Awards, the Chicago Film Critics Association, and numerous other critics’ organizations. The score further established his reputation for creating bold, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant music.
Carolan first made his mark in the music industry as the founder of Tri Angle, an influential independent record label launched in 2010 that became known for its groundbreaking electronic music releases. His creative collaborations include working with Björk on her 2017 album Utopia, where he was described as “the fifth ear,” reflecting his singular musical sensibility and creative instincts.
He made his feature film scoring debut with Eggers’ The Northman (2022), crafting a visceral and immersive sonic landscape that captured the film’s raw intensity and mythological world. The score received multiple award nominations, including recognition from the International Film Music Critics Association and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society.
Carolan’s ongoing collaboration with Eggers is defined by meticulous attention to detail, bold experimentation, and an almost telepathic creative understanding. Together, they have developed a distinctive musical language in which the score becomes an integral part of the storytelling, while retaining a powerful artistic identity of its own.
Werwulf opens in US theaters on December 25 and in the UK on January 1.
Pre-Save the Soundtrack & Pre-Order the Vinyl Here: https://backlotmusic.ffm.to/werwulf
Physical editions on Sacred Bones Records available for pre-order now
TRACKLIST
1. Werwulf
2. Huntere Moone
3. A Gyft
4. Swere
5. Delven
6. A Child of God
7. Delivere Me Fro My Synnes
8. Persecucioun
9. Come To Me My Child
10. Hunteres
11. Kepeth Thee Sauf
12. Englonde
13. Y Swer
14. Fenden Thee From Evel
15. Nyghtmare
16. Funeral
17. Amen
18. Cursid Kinde
19. Transformen
20. Dark Moone
21. One More Moone
22. The Hangynge Oak
23. Hovel
24. Wynter Waxeth I
25. Is Not This Love?
26. Cold Moone
27. Wicches
28. Trappes
29. Slaughtre
30. Kille, Kille
31. Uncurseth Me
32. Uncursid
33. Wulf Moone
34. Dore
35. Fader!
36. Evermore
37. Wynter Waxeth – Ethel Cain & Robin Carolan
