How Emerald Fennell Changes the Villain of ‘Wuthering Heights’

Warning: This post contains spoilers for “Wuthering Heights.“

If you go into Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” expecting a faithful page-to-screen adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic 1847 gothic romance novel, you may come away from the film, now in theaters, feeling a mix of confusion, shock, and, depending on your sensibilities, maybe even a little disgust.

Fennell’s maximalist bodice-ripper instead embodies the story the Promising Young Woman and Saltburn filmmaker...