WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, now available on Netflix.
In The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, Vesemir tries to find the hero within as he realizes his order has dark secrets regarding creatures being seeded out across Kaedwen. His base at Kaer Morhen is actually one of the places hybrid monsters are made, so let's take a closer look at the beings he encounters -- as some are from The Witcher books and video games, while others are totally new.
At the start of the film, Vesemir rescues a noble child from a leshen. However, it's a total bloodbath. The creature, which can can shapeshift into crows, attacks the kid's carriage, killing his dad and ripping the siblings to pieces. Luckily, Vesemir's there to save the day, but the fact the creature can speak makes him wonder if someone's puppeteering it. The leshen is best known for its appearance in the third Witcher video game, in which it has a different design, with its head resembling that of a deer skull.
The marh is a demon of sorts that possesses a noblewoman in a flashback from Vesemir's past. It creates illusions and fake realities to deceive folks, but thankfully, the veteran hunter, Deglan, is on hand to kill it. He performs an exorcism with Vesemir aiding him using meteorite ore. When the spider-esque creature's pulled out, it's corporeal form is stabbed to death. This, along with the coin earned, encourages Vesemir to follow the Witcher's path.
The werewolf makes a brief cameo, sticking to its classic monster depiction seen across pop culture in various mediums for decades. It's spotted midway in through the movie during a montage that shows Vesimir taking on contracts to slay various creatures. He uses his silver sword to get the job done, reminding audiences just how proficient he is in the field.
These glowing specters are seen when Vesemir and his fellow Witcher trainees wake up in the Red Swamp during a flashback. It's a merciless test, with most of the teen boys getting torn apart. The nature of the wraiths aren't revealed, however, as opposed to The Witcher video games, where some are driven by revenge and murder. Vesemir and a select few survive, going back to Deglan to claim their induction medallions.
Krallachs are cockroach-like creatures originally created for The Witcher live-action series. They're also in the Red Swamp, amputating the arm of Vesemir's friend, Sven. Vesemir would later learn from the magical scientist working with Deglan, Reidrich, that old sorcerers made hybrids like these to cause chaos and then get mankind to pay them for slaying the beasts. A beast under Reidrich's dissection has three Krallach species inside it, worrying Vesemir as to who's playing god.
These are basically the film's zombies, evoking Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and even The Walking Dead. They do feel a bit generic, though, and this undead army ends up being sent to Vesemir's base at Kaer Morhen to attack the Witchers when a vindictive mage, Tetra, realizes Reidrich and Deglan are the ones behind the hybrids.
Kitsu's an elf merged with a mahr, engineered to create powerful illusions. She tricks Vesemir and Tetra before they knew Reidrich's scheme by hiding her base in a forest, but when she cuts loose, she has a giant griffin at her command. It's a massive bird-like creature with an alien-looking head, and while Vesemir and Tetra are able to use magic, swords and a bow and arrow to kill it, others are used in Tetra's siege. This Basilisk, admittedly, is different from the dragon-esque depictions in the source material, so it may be a hybrid too.
This unnamed monster is also summoned by Tetra during the siege on Kaer Morhen. It's a mix of a giant cobra and elephant, with tusks in tow. Its head also has smaller snakes a la Medusa, and it runs through the Witchers, squashing, stomping and kicking the mystical warriors away. It's not confirmed but it seems to be a being Reidrich created, with Tetra turning it on the order.
The griffins follow the usual mythological design -- the head, wings, and talons of an eagle with the body, tail, and legs of a lion. This is a bigger version, though, but it's not confirmed if it's a hybrid as well. That said, Kitsu summons one from the Red Swamp to attack the Witchers, with one even flying off with Vesemir mid-battle. Thankfully, he kills the beast in the air, but its claws do leave bloody marks on the soldier.
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf is now available on Netflix, with The Witcher Season 2 arriving on Dec. 17.
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