When you think of Charles Dickens‘ classic tale, A Christmas Carol, warm cheer and redemption usually come to mind. But leave it to modern horror maestro Ti West (X, Pearl, MaXXXine) to remind us that at its core, A Christmas Carol is—and always has been—a chilling Victorian ghost story.
Johnny Depp (Cry Baby, Pirates of the Caribbean) takes on the titular miser as Ebenezer Scrooge. However, he’s bringing a dark edge to the centuries-old story. The film’s ominously simple tagline promises: “The name you know. The story you don’t.”
An All-Star Ensemble Cast
West isn’t tackling Dickens’ London alone. The director has assembled an absolute powerhouse lineup of genre stalwarts and screen legends. That includes Andrea Riseborough (Possessor) and Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings). They are joined by Tramell Tillman (Severance), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter franchise, Servant), Daisy Ridley (Star Wars), and Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games). Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders), Arthur Conti (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), and Ellie Bamber (Willow) round out the cast.
Reclaiming the Ghost Story
Penned by Nathaniel Halpern (Tales from the Loop), this fresh adaptation zeroes in on the raw, spectral dread of Dickens’ original text. According to initial reports from Deadline, the film is structured as a thrilling, claustrophobic ghost story. It follows one man’s supernatural journey to face his past, present, and future while fighting for a second chance. Stephen Deuters and Jason Forman serve as executive producers.
Screen adaptations of the tale are dime a dozen. They span everything from Alastair Sim’s 1951 classic and Bill Murray’s Scrooged to The Muppet Christmas Carol. Now, West’s take leans directly into the macabre. After all, Dickens’ 1843 novella was instrumental in ushering in the rise of Victorian Spiritualism, proving that the single most influential piece of holiday media is, at its heart, pure nightmare fuel.
Coming this Fall
Check out the official teaser poster below, and get ready for a holiday season that trades festive cheer for absolute terror when Ebenezer hits theaters on November 13, 2026.
