Robert Eggers Ranked

Werwulf (coming soon)

We have finally caught our very first official glimpse of Werwulf, the highly anticipated upcoming feature from auteur director Robert Eggers. Boasting an incredible ensemble cast that includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Ralph Ineson, the film has easily cemented itself as one of the most eagerly awaited cinematic events of the year.

With every new release, Eggers continues to make a compelling case for taking the crown as the definitive master of modern atmospheric horror. His obsessive attention to historical accuracy, folklore, and visceral tension has created a flawless track record. To celebrate this milestone and look ahead to his next nightmare, this log will dive deep into his filmography, ranking every single Robert Eggers project from worst to best—including his atmospheric early short films

7. Brothers

Released in: 2014

Runtime: 11 mins

Genre: Drama

IMDB: 6.6/10

Brothers is an 11-minute short film written and directed by Robert Eggers just before his breakthrough feature, The Witch.Interestingly, it is one of the only projects in his filmography set in a relatively modern timeframe, rather than a distant historical era.

Brothers is an emotion short film following two brothers, Tom and Jake, and their problematic relationship.

6. The Tell-Tale Heart

Released in: 2008

Runtime: 22 mins

Genre: Horror

IMDB: 6.7/10

Clocking in at roughly 21 minutes, The Tell-Tale Heart is Robert Eggers' second short film. It is a striking, highly stylized adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic gothic short story. While Eggers himself has humbly called it "uneven," he also noted it was the very first piece of his work he was genuinely proud of making.

The Tell-Tale Heart is a dark, mysterious gothic short that serves as the ultimate blueprint for Robert Eggers' filmmaking style. Drenched in an all-enveloping sense of doom, the film relies on an oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere, using heavy shadows and hyper-detailed sound design to capture the protagonist's spiraling madness. By replacing the old man with a disturbingly lifelike, uncanny puppet, Eggers plunges the viewer into a surreal nightmare. For anyone tracking his career, this short is where the DNA of his features—from the historical dread of The Witch to the manic insanity of The Lighthouse—is born.

5. Hansel and Gretel

Released in: 2007

Runtime: 27 mins

Genre: Horror, Fantasy

IMDB: 5.5/10

Hansel & Gretel is Robert Eggers' directorial debut short film, shot on 16mm film while he was still working primarily as a theatrical set and costume designer. Clocking in at around 26 minutes, this project serves as a stark, fascinating window into his obsession with folklore.

This short film perfectly captures the primal essence of what folk horror should be. Like so many of us, you probably grew up having vivid nightmares sparked by the dark, cautionary fairy tales our parents told us before bed. What makes this project so remarkable is that it acts as the absolute best vehicle for translating those exact, deep-seated childhood terrors directly onto the screen.

By stripping away modern cinematic tropes and presenting the story as a silent, black-and-white German Expressionist nightmare, Eggers taps into something ancient and deeply unsettling. The film doesn't just adapt a story; it perfectly embodies the raw, suffocating dread of being lost in a hostile, folklore-rich wilderness. For your ranking log, it stands as a brilliant testament to how Eggers has always known how to weaponize our oldest cultural anxieties and turn them into pure, cinematic gold.

4. The VVitch

Released in: 2014

Runtime: 92 mins

Genre: Horror

IMDB: 7.0/10

The VVitch is not just Robert Eggers' feature directorial debut; it is the definitive catalyst that launched his career and fundamentally altered the landscape of modern horror. Premiering at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where Eggers won the prestigious Directing Award, the film instantly transformed an unknown former production designer into one of the most exciting cinematic voices of his generation.

What makes The VVitch so distinctly an Eggers film is his absolute commitment to historical realism. The dialogue is pulled directly from actual 17th-century diaries, court records, and period literature, giving the film an authentic, alienating texture. Shot almost entirely using natural light and candlelight, the film treats the folklore of the era not as a metaphor, but as an absolute, terrifying reality.

3. The Lighthouse

Released in: 2019

Runtime: 109 mins

Genre: Horror

IMDB: 7.4/10

Following the monumental success of his debut, Robert Eggers returned with The Lighthouse, a hypnotic, maritime psychological horror film that stands as one of the most uniquely insane cinematic experiences of the 21st century. Visually, The Lighthouse is an incredible artistic feat. Eggers and cinematographer Jarin Blaschke chose to shoot the film in a nearly square 1.19:1 aspect ratio—the exact framing used during Hollywood’s transition to sound in the late 1920s.

Set in the late 19th century on a remote, storm-battered New England island, the film centers entirely on two lighthouse keepers (or "wickies"): Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson), a taciturn former lumberjack taking on a grueling four-week contract, and Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe), a flatulent, fiercely traditional veteran keeper who guards the light station with tyrannical authority. The Lighthouse works incredibly well because it strips away standard movie formulas and completely leans into theatrical madness. It balances prestige art-house filmmaking with absolute, unhinged chaotic comedy.

2. The Northman

Released in: 2022

Runtime: 137 mins

Genre: Adventure,Action

IMDB: 7.0/10

Moving away from the indie-scale constraints of his first two features, Robert Eggers took on his biggest canvas yet with The Northman. Backed by a massive $70–$90 million budget, this historical epic is a staggering, blood-soaked Viking revenge saga that channels the raw, uncompromising brutality of the Norse era.

The story follows young Prince Amleth, who witnesses the brutal execution of his father, King Aurvandill (Ethan Hawke), and the abduction of his mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman), at the hands of his treacherous uncle, Fjölnir (Claes Bang). Fleeing his homeland, Amleth grows into a towering, berserker warrior (Alexander Skarsgård) fueled entirely by hatred. Discovering years later that his uncle has lost his kingdom and lives as a mere estate owner in Iceland, Amleth disguises himself as a slave—partnering with an enslaved Slavic sorceress named Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy)—to infiltrate the farm and systematically tear his uncle's life apart from the inside out.

What sets The Northman completely apart from other medieval epics is how Eggers handles Norse mythology. Rather than framing supernatural elements as fantasy, he treats them exactly how a Viking mind would have perceived them: as an everyday, physical reality.

1. Nosferatu

Released in: 2024

Runtime: 133 mins

Genre: Horror,Fantasy

IMDB: 7.1/10

Nosferatu stands as Robert Eggers' absolute passion project—a film he spent nearly a decade trying to get made. Following in the footsteps of F.W. Murnau’s legendary 1922 silent masterpiece and Werner Herzog’s 1979 reimagining, Eggers crafts a gothic horror tale that is deeply romantic, intensely morbid, and visually breathtaking. To bring the gothic aesthetic to life, Eggers and his trusted cinematographer Jarin Blaschke chose a visual style inspired heavily by 19th-century Romantic painters. The film was shot extensively on location in the historic streets of Prague and the freezing landscapes of Romania.

Set in 19th-century Germany and Transylvania, the film chronicles the haunting obsession between Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), a deeply troubled young woman plagued by dark premonitions, and Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), an ancient, grotesque Transylvanian vampire. What elevates Nosferatu (2024) from a simple remake into a modern cinematic masterpiece is Robert Eggers' ability to make an overused monster genuinely terrifying and dangerous again. He strips away decades of Hollywood tropes—no suave dinner jackets or glittering anti-heroes—and digs straight into the raw, grotesque roots of ancient folklore.

In Conclusion

Robert Eggers has indisputably cemented himself among the upper echelon of modern horror directors, repeatedly proving that his dedication to historical realism and psychological dread is unmatched. With his upcoming 13th-century gothic nightmare Werwulf locked in for a Christmas release, Eggers' future is looking remarkably bright—and incredibly dark for audiences. The fact that major studios are handing him massive budgets while allowing him to maintain his uncompromising, eccentric auteur vision proves that Eggers isn't just a popular director; he is well on his way to becoming a legendary titan of the genre. Let me know your favorite Eggers film!