Hour of the Wolf (1968)

Cast

Max von Sydow
as Johan Borg

Get more information about Hour of the Wolf (1968) on IMDb

Genres & Description

Drama Horror

7.7 / 10

An artist in crisis is haunted by nightmares from the past in Ingmar Bergman's only horror film, which takes place on a windy island. During "the hour of the wolf" - between midnight and dawn - he tells his wife about his most painful memories.

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Comments on this trailer
Comments may include spoiler!

INANOTHERDYMENSION

Johan Borg, (Max Von Sydow) is an artist. He and his wife Alma,(Liv Ullman), are staying at their summer cottage on a remote island. Johan is a troubled man, plagued with bouts of insomnia and tormented by his own personal demons. Although Alma doesn't fully understand Johan's issues completely, she remains supportive and patient. They say that soul mates who've been together a long time can read each others minds. This turns out to be an all-too-frightening reality for Alma. Early on in the film, one of Johan's demons manifests itself as a strange elderly woman who advises Alma to read Johan's diary under his bed. In reading some of the entries in the diary, Alma finds herself being pulled even deeper into her husbands' psychosis. She learns Johan is obsessed with Veronica, a beautiful woman with whom he'd had an affair with in the past. Also on the island, there is a castle with a family of mysterious aristocrats who invite Johan and Alma to supper one night. The people in the castle are cordial enough, but there's something vaguely threatening and predatory about them. Given the surreal and expressionistic style of this film, one could speculate that the "castle" represents Johan's mind, and these bizarre castle inhabitants as the living embodiments of Johan's mental demons. Alma fears these mysterious people could lead Johan into total destruction without her strength and devotion. Remaining with Johan could pose considerable consequences for Alma, however. The 'catch 22' here is that Alma could abandon Johan to the darkness, thus saving herself from his madness or she could remain with him out of love. The film, with it's stark black and white imagery, creepy closeups and eerie atmospherics remains as Bergman's only horror film, and an influential one at that. - @Sunday, June 29, 2014 3:30 AM

Jeff Appel

Hour Of The Wolf will be always on my Top 5 of all time, along with Blow-Up, Last Year At Marienbad, Limite and The Exterminating Angel. - @Monday, April 14, 2014 4:30 AM

The Caker Baker

Yeah, but it's a film too. - @Saturday, September 7, 2013 8:34 PM

leeccdoo

But, Film is also art... - @Saturday, September 7, 2013 8:27 PM

The Caker Baker

Aw, come on. Mulholland Drive is one of my favorite movies of all time because of how much I connect with the themes of loneliness, disillusionment, etc etc. Don't get me wrong, I like Bergman's films a lot but Lynch just does something for me that very few movies can. - @Sunday, August 25, 2013 2:29 AM

The Caker Baker

Nope. This is most definitely a film. - @Sunday, August 25, 2013 2:28 AM

KrivaKarta

My thoughts exactly. In fact, Mulholland Drive put all previous Lynch's movies in a different perspective for me. - @Monday, August 5, 2013 8:25 PM

SidewaysBurnouts

these ad's make me want to pull the eyes from a youtube exec with a hot knife. - @Wednesday, May 1, 2013 7:31 AM

drew rodgers

One of the most compelling, superbly crafted and thoroughly cinematic films I've ever seen. - @Tuesday, April 9, 2013 11:05 AM

Yu Ichtacatl

Cinematography is an art form of filmmaking. - @Thursday, March 28, 2013 12:30 PM

Leon Oliva

this is a great movie to watch it at night with a glass of wine - @Saturday, December 15, 2012 11:39 PM

mike mejia

One of the gratest movies in the psychological terror gender! - @Thursday, October 18, 2012 7:17 AM

Leeccdoo2

The Ultimate "Nightmare" movie. - @Monday, October 8, 2012 7:01 PM

Brett Allbritton

This was my first Bergman film, and I watched it really late at night. I was extremely tired and my eyes were heavy, I had to force them open because I wanted to watch this. It made the film feel even weirder because I felt like I was in a dream state. Unfortunately, I know realize I may have been for part of it because I can hardly remember a considerable chunk of it... Time for a rewatch! - @Wednesday, September 19, 2012 2:37 AM

Gridseeker

After all Bergman also made his contribution in the horror genre with this film. - @Monday, July 30, 2012 12:29 AM

lofod

He wish. Please, don't put Lynch & Bergman in the same sentence. Bergman was a real genius with a lot of issues and real concerns. Lynch is a men with a great visual talent (I give him that) but with zero ideas. - @Tuesday, May 8, 2012 9:19 PM

HankJennings

@anvilnose I agree to an extent. I love both Lynch & Bergman, but there are only a couple of his films I'd say are as good as Bergman's film. He's a genius, & I think Hour of the Wolf is his best. - @Monday, November 28, 2011 3:07 PM

Steve-o Moreno

Boobies! - @Sunday, July 31, 2011 1:32 PM

Ada1613

This is not a film it is art. - @Monday, June 20, 2011 12:13 AM

John Hintergardt

They are using the music from Suddenly Last Summer! - @Friday, June 10, 2011 10:09 PM

Brandon Williamson

Every time I read "Ingmar Bergman" I automatically read it as "Ingrid Bergman". I was expecting Ingrid Bergman to be in this, lol. Ah well, Ingmar is one of the great directors, so I can't say I 'm disappointed. - @Tuesday, May 3, 2011 6:28 AM

avariceichiban

Max Von Sydow is one of the greatest actors of all time. I'd say him, Rock Hudson and Tyrone Power are in the top three. - @Wednesday, April 27, 2011 5:33 PM

Tori

I remember my friend told me to turn this on at midnight and was saying it looked like a weird foreign film... Best thing a friend's ever done for me. This was an amazingly inspirational film: made me realize that movies could have so much more dimension in them. - @Saturday, April 16, 2011 11:45 PM

Clematisian

……. Awesome that a Swedish stage production of this Bergman masterpiece is going to feature music composed by Karin Elisabeth Dreijer-Andersson of The Knife & Fever Ray. My head feels floaty just contemplating the thought. So? IS this a vampire story? After all, its original title was to be The Cannibals. Or, is it the tragic retelling of a man losing his mind? ~ (•8-D - @Wednesday, November 10, 2010 3:31 AM

Manuk, Psychonaut

SHUTTER ISLAND from Scorsese heavily refferences this movie. IMDB.COM does not mention any refference to this. Von Sydow palys the nazi doctor that tries to prove Di Caprio is insane. - @Sunday, August 29, 2010 6:21 AM

Masterpeewee

@indnameof try a croneberg film called existenz, thats what i want video games to be like - @Friday, March 5, 2010 8:37 PM

Masterpeewee

@anvilnose ehh lets not compare the two, their both good strange directors. - @Friday, March 5, 2010 8:36 PM

Masterpeewee

@Inyxx same, just saw the seventh seal and i love bergman - @Friday, March 5, 2010 8:35 PM

pukeinjection

listen to the trailer and you'll understand. - @Tuesday, February 2, 2010 9:21 AM

Ashley D

is this movie very scary? - @Monday, December 21, 2009 4:55 PM

George Damone

One of my favorite films of all time. Ingmar Bergman's greatest masterpiece. - @Saturday, December 12, 2009 9:26 PM

bluegrasslass

1.04 - Dario Argento nicked that bit for Tenebrae! - @Thursday, August 27, 2009 10:45 AM

VIDEOFREAK076

Now I know where Billy Joel got the inspiration for the song of the same name. I've never seen a movie trailer with nudity like this either. Looks like a great film - @Thursday, August 13, 2009 1:56 PM

durden85

the camera shot/setup at 1:59 is pure genius and thoroughly creepy! i love this film! - @Friday, July 24, 2009 8:03 AM

newyorknoir

a horror film- Bergman style - @Wednesday, June 24, 2009 6:50 AM

Doofer22

Sweet trailer. - @Tuesday, December 9, 2008 9:12 PM

anvilnose

oh and, this is way better than any lynch movie. - @Friday, September 19, 2008 6:56 PM

Ansiktet

Many thanks, excellent! - @Sunday, September 3, 2006 5:08 PM