If people tell you continuously that you are mad and insane, would you eventually believe them?  Would it eventually destroy your own sanity?

Ingmar Bergman, one of cinema’s greatest filmmakers that ever lived, only dabbled in the horror genre once in 1968.  While always incorporating surrealism and haunting imagery into his all of his pictures, Hour of the Wolf was very clearly an attempt at something more chilling and terrifying.  And along the way, Bergman addresses the same question posed above to mesmerizing results.

The legendary Max von Sydow stars as Johan Borg, a famous artist that has moved to a quiet island with his wife, Alma (played by Liv Ullmann), in an attempt to work in peace.  However, Johan has trouble sleeping at night, as he is haunted by a particularly painful memory that is hidden away, as well as a few creepy neighbors that also inhabit the island.  His wife stays by his side through the rough times, but after a visit from one of the elder neighbors encouraging Alma to sift through Johan’s diary, she begins to gradually become concerned with her husband’s well-being.

Things quickly begin to unravel for Johan and his wife after being invited to a neighboring castle for dinner one evening, in which the hosts continually tease, demoralize and drudge up past controversies in Johan’s life.  As Johan’s psyche begins to crack, he opens up to his wife and reveals his darkest secret during the “hour of the wolf,” the time between midnight and dawn in which the sleepless are haunted by their biggest fears and ghosts and demons are their most powerful.

If you watch a Bergman film and expect to find typical tropes of its genre, like gore and scares, you would be sorely mislead.  Mr. Bergman is a master of imagery, utilizing the camera as a picture frame for his surreal visions and haunting displays.  As Johan begins to lose his sanity, the film does as well and the viewer is left to distinguish for themselves what is reality and insanity.

And as with any Ingmar Bergman film, Hour of the Wolf is breathtakingly gorgeous to behold.  The framing of certain shots are inspired, and many of the film’s most memorable scenes are incredible in their execution.  Two scenes in particular immediately come to mind – The first is the dinner with Johan and Alma in the castle, where the camera begins by continuously circling the table in rapid succession, before proceeding to jump to-and-from each guest in such a manner that quickly disorients the viewer.  The second is late in the film, where Johan watches one of castle’s residents walk up the side of a wall.

The only complaint I can muster towards the film is that, by the final moments, it becomes a bit too surreal.  I’m sure that was the filmmaker’s intent, but I was horridly lost during the last monologue, specifically the final few lines of the movie.  But, in the scope of things, it is a minor drawback to an otherwise entrancing and fascinating classic.

I know a film like Hour of the Wolf is not for everyone.  Even casual fans of Bergman’s work may be turned off a bit by its methodical pacing and storytelling.  However, for those that enjoy a little “sophistication” in their horror, you may want to give this classic a chance.  Just remember; the “hour of the wolf” is when nightmares come to us, but when we’re awake…  We are afraid.