what is wuthering heights movie about

The Wuthering Heights movie is about a destructive, obsessive love between a wild orphan named Heathcliff and his foster sister Catherine, set on the bleak English moors, and how their choices poison two generations of families.

Quick Scoop

In most film versions, the story follows Heathcliff, a poor, dark‑haired outsider adopted into the Earnshaw family at the isolated farmhouse called Wuthering Heights. Catherine Earnshaw bonds with him fiercely as children, and their intense connection grows into a passionate but socially unacceptable love. Catherine ultimately chooses to marry the refined, wealthy neighbor Edgar Linton for status and security, breaking Heathcliff’s heart and setting off his lifelong quest for revenge.

Core Plot

Heathcliff disappears after overhearing Catherine say it would “degrade” her to marry him, even though she loves him. He returns years later mysteriously rich, determined to hurt everyone he blames for losing Catherine, including her husband’s family and her brother Hindley. He manipulates marriages, seizes property, and emotionally torments the next generation, turning his love into cruelty. Many movie adaptations end with Catherine’s death and the suggestion that her spirit and Heathcliff’s are reunited on the moors, turning the story into a tragic, gothic romance about love that refuses to die.

Themes And Mood

The movie is usually dark, stormy, and very emotional, with a mix of romance and gothic horror. Key themes are obsessive love vs. social class, revenge and its cost, and whether love can survive beyond death. If you go in expecting a soft, comforting love story, this one is much harsher and more tragic; it’s closer to a toxic, doomed romance that haunts everyone around the couple. Are you asking about a specific Wuthering Heights movie version (like the 1939 classic, the 2011 film, or a new 2026 release), or do you just want the general story for any adaptation?