The Wolf House

It's miraculous to watch a film that you started watching with little to no expectations, only to come out feeling influenced, your heart is in awe, while your mind reels.

I feel that it would be doing the film a disservice by simply comparing the film to a dream, yes that was the aim, and it is effective due to this. But not only is it a great dream, it's a dream you don't want to wake up from. It's a fantastic experience.

But most importantly, La Casa Lobo is the most imaginatively satisfying animation I've seen.

Prepare to be in awe at the pure insane creativity spun out before you, every set-piece is a work of Art. This may even be one of my favourite animated films.

You may not feel the same, although it's hard to ignore such an astounding craft.

One of the darkest, creepiest & genuinely unnerving films to grace the medium of animation, The Wolf House (La casa lobo) is a powerhouse of endless imagination, persevering vision & top-notch execution that employs its stop-motion animation technique in ways that's equally unique & nightmarish, and offers a cinematic ride that's as surreal as it is disquieting.

Directed by Christobal León & Joaquín Cocina, the story takes its inspiration from an infamous & disturbing slice of Chilean history and unfolds like a fairy tale. But if one isn't familiar with the historical context in play here, then events may seem confusing & frustrating. Still, the uneasy vibe & foreboding aura this chiller brims with ultimately makes sure that the viewers don't leave the scene.

The most impressive thing about this Chilean horror is the stop-motion animation itself. The set pieces & characters constantly deconstruct, reconstruct & transform while the camera remains in perpetual motion, thus giving the film an appearance of a single take perspective. The visuals are distinct & uncanny to look at and with further assistance from its haunting soundscapes, it amplifies the film's dreamlike, vivid quality.

Overall, The Wolf House is no doubt an impressive feat of animation filmmaking as it renders its scenes in ways that's simultaneously fresh & freakish and blends true life, propaganda & fairy tale into a wicked tool for indoctrination. But it can also be overwhelming for some as there's plenty to unpack & absorb here, given its multitudes of layers & ever changing visuals. In short, this Chilean horror will fare better with arthouse enthusiasts than mainstream filmgoers.

Full review on my blog max4movies: La Casa Lobo (international title: The Wolf House) is basically an animated dark fairy tale that achieves a wonderfully haunting atmosphere due to the unique and disturbing animation. It's an art movie in the truest sense of the word and the art direction - namely stop-motion animation with three-dimensional paintings and papier mâché characters - is stunning. While the characters remain mostly vague and the plot cryptic at best, the dreamlike quality and eerie atmosphere really take the crown. All in all, La Casa Lobo feels like you're watching a slowly evolving nightmare that, although it's not entirely yours, is still terrifyingly creepy.

Simply amazing! I cannot imagine how much work these guys had making this film. Additionally, it is super disturbing and creepy. Some moments are even scary!

One of the most amazing pieces of stop motion I've ever seen. I've not seen the like since the works Bruce Bickford. I can't even imagine how much time and dedication this took. In terms of the plot it's...confusing? I admit I didn't really get it. It's not really a horror movie, it's unsettling and surreal like a David Lynch movie. It definitely makes you feel like something awful is going to happen, but it never really does. That said, I'd recommend it to anyone on technical brilliance alone.