Strange to think that Ingmar Bergman originally intended to shoot Hour Of The Wolf before Persona, rather than directly after it. Both films explore the same theme - artists fighting their creative demons as they cower on the fringes of society - but Wolf uses Persona's psycho-horror trappings as a springboard. Here, we get a full-blown gothic nightmare.
Primarily a two-hander, it follows curmudgeonly artist Johan (Max Von Sydow) and his loyal wife Alma (Liv Ullman) as they settle down on a windswept island. Only something's not right: Johan's sketches become dominated by scuttling insect-men; Alma's visited by a spooky old hag; and an elegant dinner party turns into a waxwork terror show.
An overlooked Bergman work, flushed with evocative imagery and unsettling insight, Hour Of The Wolf is highbrow horror to lose your mind to. Go on, we dare you...
DVD Extras:
None.
