Gothic films and series have taken streaming platforms and cinemas by storm over the past few years. From Nosferatu to Wednesday, and Wuthering Heights premiering today (12 February 2026), it seems viewers can’t get enough–in particular, Gen Zers. With its atmospheric and brooding aesthetics, the genre is ripe for brand storytelling. B&T explores why young people are connecting with these films and how brands are engaging with these audiences.
Robert Eggers’ film Nosferatu, released on 1 January 2025, was a particular favourite among young Gen Zers, with 31 per cent of the total admissions in Australia from the 14-24 year-old demographic. A Val Morgan spokesperson told B&T that this number was much higher than anticipated.
Ryan Coogler’s film Sinners, released on 17 April 2025, delivered 41 per cent of total admissions from the 14-24 demographic, Yorgos Lanthimos’s film Poor Things, released on 26 December 2023, reached 23 per cent of the 14-24 demographic out of total admissions.
Kenneth Branagh’s film A Haunting in Venice, released on 14 September 2023, delivered 23 per cent of total admissions from the 14-24 demographic.
“Movies reflect culture through narratives, characters and the way the movie makes us feel about contemporary issues. Comedies make us laugh, psychological thrillers help us see the world from new perspectives, and historical films help us understand where we’ve come from as people,” Val Morgan’s director of strategy and marketing Paul MacGregor said.
“Movies also really have the power to shape cultural attitudes and customs, as audiences adopt the attitudes and styles of the characters they watch on screen”.
Gothic themes tend to rise during challenging periods – one example being the way gothic films sustained their popularity in the post-war 1940s.
The Gothic genre – which began in literature – arose as a response to Renaissance values, which centred rationalism and empiricism. The Gothic homes in on atmosphere, emotion, and the illogical, often including the supernatural. With modern concerns including wars, political polarisation, environmental degradation, digital overwhelm and rising mental health issues, many are turning to art forms that offer new ways of thinking and deeper ways of connecting, both individually and collectively.
“When you look at where society is today, living in a tech-heavy, AI-driven world with uncertainty, audiences are drawn to darker, atmospheric storytelling that reflects the complexities of the times. When you combine that with major filmmakers, the talent attached, and strategic marketing campaigns targeted to younger demos, it’s no surprise the genre is resonating so strongly right now,” MacGregor said.
While this all might sound far removed from the world of brands, advertising and media professionals have always looked to cultural change and tastes to better understand consumers. With that noted, let’s have a look at how brands have tapped into the Gothic revival that Wuthering Heights and other films have helped shape.
Wuthering Heights
Since the teaser trailer for Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights was released in September 2025, conversations about the upcoming film online haven’t stopped.
Reactions ranging from rage and excitement have inundated TikTok and Instagram feeds, with much of the heated debate centred around casting and interpretative choices made by Fennell.
Namely, the decision to cast Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff and the interpretation of the novel as more erotic than many readers think it actually is.
@das.penman emerald fennell’s wuthering heights might be good might be bad but i think we need to interrogate who gets to fail up in this industry. also i “circle back” TWICE in this video PLEASE release me from the chains of the corporate world!! #wutheringheights #emeraldfennell #chloezhao #movietalk #hamnet
The film is based on Emily Brontë’s novel of the same name, written in 1847 and considered a masterpiece of the Gothic genre. Fennell’s reimagining of the story leans into its sensuality, madness, and emotional extremity, while infusing it with a contemporary aesthetic and cinematic language.
The film features original songs by Charli XCX, imbuing it within the pop culture zeitgeist. The British singer is known for creating cultural moments—perhaps best known for her ‘brat summer’ movement, defined by a lime-green aesthetic, unapologetic confidence and a party girl attitude. Her music’s inclusion—and we would go as far as to say, by proxy, her brand—in the film signals a crossover between traditionally Gothic and modern sensibilities.
“I sent the script to Charli with a view to asking her simply if she had an emotional response to it, would she like to make a song about it? It wasn’t even like, ‘here’s the scene.’ It was just, ‘what does this make you feel?’” Fennell said.
“And she called me and asked if she could do an album. Of course I said ‘yes’.”
What followed was an outpouring of music that aligned with the story’s emotional core but was untethered from convention.
“And then she just started sending me just the most incredible things that were new, sexy, emotionally engaging,” she said.
Oakberry
Oakberry has launched limited edition ‘A Love You Can Taste’ bowls available in all stores. The collection includes the ‘Haunt Me’ and ‘Kiss Me’ bowls.
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Laneway Festival
A favourite among Gen Z, the one-day national music festival unveiled a ‘Wuthering Heights hair stand’ at Laneway Sydney and Melbourne where attendees could get their hair styled in coiffures seen in the movie.
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Bloomingdales
American department store Bloomingdales has unveiled a pop-up collection celebrating the aesthetics of the new film, complete with clothing, scents, jewellery and accessories.
Dymocks
Wuthering Heights is, after all, a book adaptation, and much of the online discussion about the upcoming film has been centred around the book and Fennell’s interpretation of it. Dymocks partnered with Warner Bros. Australia to give customers a chance to win a double pass to see the new film. A themed display can be seen in the bookshop’s CBD store with copies of the new hardback film cover and other knickknacks relating to the film’s visual aesthetic.
BookTok has occupied a prominent space in pop culture and social media for some time now. This movie adaptation has supercharged conversations on BookTok, and is a clear indicator to brands of where they can meet consumers.
Nosferatu’s TikTok strategy
Focus Features, known for championing films with cultural weight, approached TikTok with Nosferatu. In addition to building awareness, the goal was to create urgency, ‘eventise’ moviegoing, and turn a stylised horror film into a box office hit.
With younger, digital-first audiences at the heart of the strategy, Focus Features wanted to move beyond traditional advertising with a campaign that delivered cultural impact, high creative standards, and measurable box office results.
While Gen Z audiences have traditionally not been seen as moviegoers, rather opting for streaming, a wider nostalgia-driven movement has driven many back to theaters.
TikTok answered with a full-funnel campaign that blurred the lines between digital and IRL, paid and organic, anchored in authenticity, storytelling, and performance at every touchpoint.
The strategy included three TopView ads timed to key windows for maximum impact; Spanish-language creative and product activations to authentically engage multicultural audiences; cross-category Pulse placements to sustain awareness and reach; a Branded Effect that invited active participation and content creation.
The campaign kicked off with an early awareness TopView featuring the full-length trailer, optimised with TikTok-native elements like bold text overlays and pacing perfectly tuned for the For You feed.
To bring Nosferatu‘s haunting world off-screen and into reality, TikTok and Focus Features partnered to create House of Boo, an exclusive event inside a real crypt at NYC’s historic Church of the Intercession. Over two nights, 120-plus creators, industry insiders, and press were immersed in a gothic spectacle featuring live actors, fog-shrouded graveyards, film projections, haunting soundscapes, and a curated four-course dinner.
Wednesday
Netflix’s gothic horror-comedy series Wednesday was directed by Tim Burton and is a reboot of the classic movie The Addams Family. It serves as the individual story of Wednesday Addams, the family’s daughter.
Wednesday x Killstar collaboration
The Killstar x Wednesday Addams collaboration includes a range of clothing and accessories. It brings to life the gloomy aura of the character from Nevermore Academy and is available in Australia.
Wednesday Island
For the season two launch of Wednesday in Australia, Cockatoo Island was turned into a Nevermore Academy-themed experience.
Amplify promoted the immersive fan-experience, produced and executed by Netflix partner agency Rizer.
To set the scene for something gothic on the horizon, Amplify and Initiative teased Wednesday’s arrival in Australia through OOH and digital placements (see below).
The objective was to spark speculation and instil anticipation for the upcoming Wednesday Island event.
Ahead of the event announcement, Netflix took to socials to summon Australia and New Zealand’s biggest outcasts to participate in a Superfan Contest, showing off their fan art, cosplay and creativity to win exclusive VIP tickets to Wednesday Island.
Eighty Wednesday Superfans submitted creative entries ranging from cosplay to fan art, showcasing why they deserved a spot on Wednesday Island.
With so many Gen Zers flocking to see Gothic films—whether to escape from reality or augment it—brands serve to gain much by tapping into these conversations.
