From Misfires to Masterpieces: The Definitive Ranking of Wuthering Heights Adaptations

Every time I think we have wrung Wuthering Heights dry, another version shows up, ready to hurl itself onto the moors. With a new adaptation on the way starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, I went back through the film and TV history of Emily Bronte's doom spiral of a love story. As you know, the book jumps through time, toggles between generations, and lives or dies on mood. That combo means every adaptation picks a lane: some chase Heathcliff and Catherine to the bitter end, others zoom out to the family saga, and a lot of them quietly skip the second generation entirely. Here is how they stack up, worst to best, with where you can actually watch them.

'Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.'

1. Wuthering High School (2015)
   Director: Anthony DiBlasi
   Rotten Tomatoes: 31%
   Where to watch: Prime Video

   Yeah, this one? No. It relocates everything to a California high school, which basically steamrolls the novel's gothic bones. At 88 minutes, it sprints through the emotions, rewires motivations, and leaves the story's tragic weight behind. Widely considered the flimsiest take because it swaps out the book's haunting intensity for teen-drama CliffNotes.

2. Wuthering Heights (2003)
   Director: Suri Krishnamma
   Rotten Tomatoes: 53%
   Where to watch: Hoopla, MGM+, Apple TV

   MTV turned it into a modern rock musical and moved the action near a lighthouse instead of the Yorkshire moors. Did we need that? Probably not. The musical swings are novel, but they pull focus from the emotional wreckage that defines the book. More teen melodrama than gothic tragedy; a loose riff that got mixed reviews and made a tiny splash.

3. Wuthering Heights (1967)
   Director: Peter Sasdy
   IMDb: 6.5/10
   Where to watch: Prime Video, Netflix, MUBI

   A BBC staging that feels very much of its era: stagey sets, marathon dialogue scenes, and pacing that drifts. It does squeeze in more of the book than earlier screen versions, but the limited production design undercuts the Heathcliff/Catherine hurricane. Closer to the outline than the experience, and largely forgotten for a reason.

4. Wuthering Heights (1962)
   Director: Rudolph Cartier
   IMDb: 7.3/10
   Where to watch: MUBI

   This earlier TV take sticks to the first half of the novel, zeroing in on Heathcliff and Catherine's childhood into early adulthood. Performances land, but the mostly interior staging misses the moors' feral energy. It also drops the entire second-generation arc, which is kind of the book's point about cycles of revenge and repair. Still, a solid historical snapshot of how TV first wrestled with the material.

5. Wuthering Heights (1958)
   Director: Daniel Petrie
   IMDb: 7.2/10
   Where to watch: Tubi, Prime Video

   Often measured against the 1939 classic, and it comes up short. The atmosphere feels thin, Heathcliff is played with less sympathy than he needs, and it drifts from the source. Bright spots in the acting, sure, but the gothic vibe goes missing. Historical curiosity bonus: it's one of the few surviving TV performances of Richard Burton as Heathcliff.

6. Wuthering Heights (2009)
   Director: Coky Giedroyc
   Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
   Where to watch: Netflix, Prime Video

   Two parts and emotionally loaded, with strong acting and locations that actually look and feel like the moors. It takes some liberties in how it reads the characters but taps into the book's wild, destructive pulse and gives the second generation more space than most films. Also, yes: Heathcliff is played by Tom Hardy. Big, brooding energy, and a more complete ride than you usually get.

7. Wuthering Heights (2011)
   Director: Andrea Arnold
   Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
   Where to watch: Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV, Tubi

   Harsh, tactile, and almost documentary in style. Arnold goes heavy on natural light, bad weather, and the kids' POV, which gives the story a flinty realism. The tradeoff: it largely sidelines the second generation. It did, however, walk away with Best Cinematography at Venice, which tells you how striking it looks. Unconventional, but it hits nerves the glossy versions miss.

8. Wuthering Heights (1970)
   Director: Robert Fuest
   Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
   Where to watch: Prime Video

   Timothy Dalton broods, the score (Golden Globe-nominated) swells, and the film hews closely to the first half of the book. It axes the second-generation storyline, but nails the tragic tangle between Catherine and Heathcliff with proper gothic swagger. One of the best straight-up classic interpretations.

9. Wuthering Heights (1939)
   Director: William Wyler
   Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
   Where to watch: Prime Video, Hoopla

   The granddaddy of them all: luminous black-and-white photography, sweeping score, and the kind of old-Hollywood star wattage you can still feel. Eight Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and a win for Best Cinematography. It ends with Catherine's death, so you only get the first part of the novel, but Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon are definitive enough to explain why this shaped how so many people think of the story.

10. Wuthering Heights (1998)
    Director: David Skynner
    IMDb: 6.4/10
    Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV

    Beautifully shot, emotionally paced, and unusually faithful to Bronte's darker textures. It lets moments breathe instead of sprinting through the plot. Some viewers quibble with the casting, but the performances hold onto the sorrow, trauma, and generational churn the book is built on. A moody, faithful version that sticks the landing more often than not.

11. Wuthering Heights (1992)
    Director: Peter Kosminsky
    Rotten Tomatoes: 31%
    Where to watch: Prime Video, Tubi

    My pick for the most complete retelling. This is the one that finally brings the second generation into the frame on film, mirroring the book's structure instead of lopping it in half. Lush visuals, full-throated emotions, and indelible leads: Ralph Fiennes (in full volcanic mode) and Juliette Binoche. Weirdly under-awarded and under-loved by critics on release, but in terms of fidelity and scope, it is the truest screen echo of Bronte's design.

That is the lay of the land until Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi show up to throw open the doors again. Which version do you swear by?