AMC+ has unveiled an eerie new look at Yaga, and if the latest footage is any indication, viewers expecting a traditional fairy tale about the legendary Slavic witch are in for a major surprise. The upcoming thriller, which stars Hudson Williams, Noah Reid, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Clark Backo, is embracing horror, mystery, sensuality, and feminist storytelling in equal measure as it prepares for its October 2026 debut.
The first trailer premiered during a packed panel at San Diego Comic-Con, where creator and showrunner Kat Sandler introduced audiences to her ambitious reimagining of one of folklore’s most enduring figures. Rather than presenting Baba Yaga as simply a terrifying old witch living alone in the forest, Sandler’s adaptation asks a far more provocative question: What happens when the woman branded a monster finally gets to tell her own story?
The answer appears to be a stylish supernatural mystery filled with dangerous secrets, psychological suspense, shocking violence, and an unexpectedly emotional exploration of power, identity, and survival.
For many viewers, however, one of the biggest talking points wasn’t just the mythology—it was Hudson Williams.
Fresh off his breakout performance in the hit hockey romance Heated Rivalry, Williams steps into dramatically different territory as Henry Park, the missing heir to a wealthy fishery empire whose disappearance sets the entire mystery in motion.
While fans have grown accustomed to seeing Williams portray the charming and emotionally vulnerable Shane Hollander, Yaga promises something far darker.
The newly released footage suggests Henry is at the center of a twisted web involving forbidden desire, ancient folklore, mysterious rituals, and supernatural forces that blur the line between reality and nightmare.
From the trailer’s opening moments, audiences are immediately immersed in an atmosphere unlike anything Williams has tackled before.
The footage begins inside an elegant, dimly lit room where Carrie-Anne Moss’ enigmatic Professor Katherine calmly explains the legend of Baba Yaga to Henry.
The first trailer for ‘YAGA’ has been released.
Starring Carrie-Anne Moss, Noah Reid, Clark Backo, and Hudson Williams.
Premiering this October on Crave. https://t.co/qFFDydGLi8
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) July 25, 2026
Her version of the famous folklore is anything but straightforward.
According to Katherine, Baba Yaga has appeared in countless forms throughout history.
Sometimes she is portrayed as an ugly old witch hiding deep within the woods inside her famous hut standing on chicken legs.
Other stories describe her as a healer, a wise woman, or an enchantress capable of guiding heroes on impossible journeys.
But there is another side to the legend as well.
Sometimes she kills.
Sometimes she devours her victims.
Sometimes she seduces them.
The trailer’s chilling narration emphasizes one recurring truth regardless of the version being told.
She always has a name.
That unsettling introduction quickly gives way to an avalanche of increasingly surreal imagery.
Fast-paced editing reveals characters trapped in intimate encounters, blood-soaked rituals, violent confrontations, and dreamlike visions that become progressively more disturbing.
Henry appears repeatedly throughout these sequences, often caught in situations that feel both seductive and deeply dangerous.
The trailer offers only fragments of the larger mystery, but those glimpses are enough to suggest that Henry’s disappearance may involve far more than a simple missing-person investigation.
Instead, he appears trapped inside a myth that has been waiting centuries to awaken.
Noah Reid stars as private investigator Rapp, the man assigned to solve Henry’s disappearance.
His arrival in the isolated coastal community serves as the audience’s entry point into the increasingly strange world surrounding the Park family.
Rather than finding clear answers, Rapp encounters an entire town hiding secrets.
His investigation quickly places him at odds with local detective Carson, portrayed by Clark Backo.
The relationship between the two investigators appears tense from the outset.
A second clip shown during the Comic-Con panel offered a preview of their first meeting while investigating what looks to be a horrifying crime scene deep inside the surrounding forest.
The pair are called to examine what appears to be a body burning atop a makeshift funeral pyre.
The unsettling discovery is accompanied by another haunting narration seemingly spoken by Yaga herself.
Hudson Williams sends a message to the ‘YAGA’ panel at Comic-Con | #SDCC pic.twitter.com/0CDa29fUXu
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) July 25, 2026
The mysterious voice reflects upon centuries of fear and misunderstanding.
People have called her wicked.
They have labeled her ugly.
They have insisted nobody could ever love a creature like her.
Rather than sounding defeated, however, the narration carries an unmistakable sense of simmering anger.
It hints that the series may ultimately challenge everything audiences believe about its legendary witch.
That perspective lies at the heart of Kat Sandler’s vision.
Speaking during the Comic-Con presentation, the creator described Yaga as a feminist revenge story disguised as a supernatural detective thriller.
According to Sandler, the series combines influences ranging from classic Grimm fairy tales to noir crime dramas while exploring the historical treatment of women branded as witches.
She explained that detective fiction naturally complements folklore because both revolve around hidden truths waiting to be uncovered.
The mystery structure allows viewers to slowly unravel centuries of myth while questioning who truly deserves to be feared.
Sandler suggested that history may have been telling the wrong version of these stories all along.
Rather than asking why witches became monsters, Yaga asks who benefited from turning them into monsters in the first place.
That fresh perspective appears woven throughout every frame of the trailer.
Instead of relying solely on jump scares or traditional horror conventions, the series seems equally interested in themes of female power, societal judgment, desire, trauma, and revenge.
Carrie-Anne Moss’ Professor Katherine embodies much of that ambiguity.
Her sophisticated exterior masks motives that remain impossible to decipher.
Throughout the trailer she appears both nurturing and threatening, seductive yet deeply unsettling.
Several scenes hint at an especially complicated relationship between Katherine and Henry, suggesting their connection could become one of the show’s central mysteries.
Although Hudson Williams was unable to attend Comic-Con in person, he addressed fans through a pre-recorded video message.
The actor described filming Yaga as an unforgettable experience, calling the production both wildly entertaining and creatively rewarding.
His absence didn’t stop fellow cast members from praising his performance.
Noah Reid quickly joked that Williams seemed unable to keep his hands off himself throughout the trailer’s numerous intimate scenes, prompting laughter from the audience.
Behind the humor, however, Reid offered sincere admiration for his co-star’s work.
He described Williams’ performance as both frightening and incredibly compelling.
Fans who discovered the young actor through Heated Rivalry, Reid suggested, should prepare to witness an entirely different side of his abilities.
According to Reid, Williams delivers a fearless performance that demonstrates a range audiences have yet to fully see.
Those comments have only fueled anticipation among viewers already eager to watch Williams expand beyond romantic drama.
For many actors, breaking free from a defining breakout role can prove difficult.
Taking on a psychologically demanding supernatural thriller opposite performers like Carrie-Anne Moss represents a significant step forward in Williams’ career.
His transformation from beloved hockey star Shane Hollander to mysterious missing heir Henry Park showcases an impressive willingness to embrace dramatically different material.
The supporting cast is equally impressive.
Carrie-Anne Moss brings decades of genre experience following iconic performances across film and television.
Clark Backo adds another layer of complexity as detective Carson, whose skepticism clashes with Rapp’s investigative instincts.
Together, the ensemble promises a blend of emotional performances and suspenseful storytelling that extends well beyond conventional horror.
Behind the camera, the creative team is equally accomplished.
The series is produced by Blink49 Studios and Front Street Pictures in partnership with Crave.
David Frazee and Rachel Talalay share directing duties, while Sandler serves as writer and showrunner.
Executive producers include Mackenzie Donaldson, Andrew Miller, and Moss herself, with Charles Cooper producing.
Global distribution will be handled by Sphere Abacus, ensuring international audiences will have access to the highly anticipated series.
The October 2026 release date revealed at Comic-Con means audiences won’t have to wait much longer before discovering exactly what secrets hide beneath Yaga’s haunting mythology.
If the first trailer is any indication, viewers should expect far more than a simple retelling of Baba Yaga.
Instead, the series appears poised to deliver an atmospheric blend of folklore, detective noir, psychological horror, and feminist fantasy that challenges centuries of storytelling while introducing one of television’s most intriguing new mysteries.
For Hudson Williams, it also marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter.
After winning over audiences through heartfelt romance in Heated Rivalry, the rising Canadian actor now seems ready to prove he can command an entirely different genre.
Judging by the reaction inside Comic-Con’s packed panel room, fans are more than ready to follow him into the darkness.
