I Need To Talk About One Wuthering Heights Detail That Made My Skin Crawl (And, Not In A Good Way)

Across a packed Valentine’s Day weekend, Wuthering Heights was the movie that won among 2026 movie releases, and, of course, it was. It’s based on a classic love story from the great Emily Brontë. If you’ve seen the movie, you know there are some great moments like the viral one-arm lift, but it’s less of an epic romance and more of a lusty tragedy. What I want to talk about is one element of the movie that made me feel like I was stuck in a horror movie.

I Couldn't Look Away From The Skin Room

When Margot Robbie’s Catherine Earnshaw gets married to the wealthy Edgar Linton in Wuthering Heights, he shows her around what will be her new home. I felt like I was in the middle of a Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro movie, as things like red floors and protruding hands were found throughout the dwelling. But the thing that really stuck out to me regarding the set design was Cathy’s room, which has walls lined with what looks to be her skin.

From a distance, it looked like a cute pink room, but as the movie progressed, I noticed the details of the walls showing vein lines and freckles, and it was honestly making me squirm. The idea of being inside a room with wallpaper that looks like your own skin blown up as massive images is just incredibly uncomfortable, and felt like the perfect device for a scary movie. It was the last thing I was expecting from a Wuthering Heights film.

The Story Behind Wuthering Heights' Skin Room Is Even More Chilling

Upon further research, I learned that the skin room in Wuthering Heights is actually (kind of) made of Margot Robbie’s skin, too. Here’s what writer/director Emerald Fennell said during a screening of the film at the British Film Institute (via LadBible):

So, the movie was going for realism, and it achieved it! Don't get me wrong, Robbie has the most gorgeous skin, but literally anyone's would creep me out like this.

I think this is a really impressive bit of set design, but how good the material looks in regard to looking like skin really puts the nail in the coffin for me regarding the freaked-out factor. I do appreciate Fennell’s comments on the reasoning behind the room, because it definitely did a good job of visually representing the icky vibes Cathy feels in her quarters.

It’s too bad she ends up dying in that room in the movie, because knowing she was surrounded by her own skin just makes the whole ending sadder to me. Happy I got that off my chest, but I will never be sending photos of my skin for decor purposes. Anyways, now that we’ve talked about the skin-colored skin walls in the room, check out what critics are saying (and our own Wuthering Heights review) here on CinemaBlend.