Wuthering Heights has shocking opening scene that was supposed to be even worse

Warning: This article contains spoilers for ‘Wuthering Heights’

Heading towards a whopping $80 million opening weekend around the globe, Wuthering Heights has finally landed in cinemas.

And almost as expected, the film starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi is leaving viewers stunned, in tears and divided.

But it’s the adaptation’s opening scene that seems to be doing the heavy lifting when it comes to its shock factor.

When the trailer first dropped for Emerald Fennell’s take on Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel, some lovers of the book were outraged by its BDSM and erotic tones, with a soundtrack by Charli XCX and alleged ‘whitewashed’ casting.

However, now that it’s out, some critics have said it isn’t anywhere near as X-rated as may have been expected. Part of that could perhaps be that the opening scene was supposed to be far worse than what we're seeing now.

The film’s opening credits lead to darkness, as a guttural moaning can be heard.

And after the marketing, viewers may be understandably expecting to see Cathy (Robbie) and Heathcliff (Elordi) going at it.

But instead, the moaning is from a man hanging from a noose who also happens to be, well, hung. As a crowd watches him come to his death, he’s got a hard-on for all to see.

Technically a ‘death erection’ is a normal thing, as they are occasionally found in the corpses of men who have died by hanging.

Included in those watching this play out is a young Heathcliff (Owen Cooper), young Cathy (Charlotte Mellington) and young Nelly (Hong Chau).

Cathy notably joins the crowd in squealing and sniggering at the man.

Young Cathy features in the opening as Charli XCX's 'House' plays. (Warner Bros.)

Viewers are also shown a nun with a stern expression, who seems to also find joy in what’s going on.

However, it’s said that at early test screenings of Wuthering Heights, this nun let out more than just a little smile.

Apparently she was supposed to be visibly masturbating, with some reports stating she ‘fondles the corpse’s visible erection’.

Audience members reportedly walked out over this at the time and the scene no longer goes quite that far.

And either way, Fennell has explained why she gave the film such a disturbing opening.

Cooper is introduced as young Heathcliffe in the shocking scene. (Warner Bros.)

“With the first moments of a film, you need to set the tone and say what it is,” she told USA Today.

“This is a deeply felt romance. But I also wanted people to understand that it would be surprising and darkly funny and perhaps stranger than they would expect.”

She added that it was ‘important to acknowledge’ early into the film that ‘arousal and danger are kind of the same thing’.

“And it was important that the first thing we see is Cathy, this young girl, seemingly frightened but then actually delighted. It tells us so much about who she is, but so much about Brontë, too,” Fennell continued.

“We have this idea that the world of period dramas was fragrant and beautiful and pastel and lovely. It wasn't at all. It was a dangerous place to live in, so it was crucial for me to show that right at the beginning.”