The Wolf House

The outstanding craftsmanship involved in one of the most mesmerizing animated films I have ever seen, in conjunction with a complex and invigorating narrative present one of the most intriguing films I have seen this year. Its a little to intricate for my liking, and although I dont believe I fully understand its vision, I really appreciate the work and passion put behind its creation.

8.5/10.

This is a very artsy film that went all in on the visuals. Unfortunately, it was at the expense of the narrative. There will be some viewers who will enjoy this film for the animation alone, and it is a towering achievement, an art installation come to life. It is atmospheric and haunting, and many viewers will compare it to a nightmare. I personally wanted more story to go along with the incredible sights. They used many mediums to achieve the animation, but much of it involved what looked like paint to create characters and objects, then simulating motion by painting over that. Apparently, this is inspired by true events that occurred in a German cult located in Chile. Trying to describe this movie is like describing music--putting it into words will never be the same as experiencing it.

This is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Stop-motion is generally a cool medium, but "The Wolf House" takes it to a whole new level. The film comprises of wall paintings and rough models, that morph into each other throughout the film. As the camera moves, the set around it changes. The wall colour changes, furniture moves around, etc. Its so visually striking that you can't take your eyes of it. It took 5 years to make, and I can see why. Everything is so detailed. They could have made it easy for themselves, but instead went as far as possible to make an incredible film. The jolty camera and rough models make the film very eerie to watch. Despite not having any jump scares or violence, it is very grotesque and terrifying. On top of that the dialogue is chilling. The characters whisper into your ear, it literally gave me chills. I'd say use headphones or surround sound speakers to watch this, cause hearing the dialogue like it's coming from a person whispering into your ear really adds to the experience. Story wise, it's very weird. There's obviously a hidden meaning behind, buts It's not very clear. The dialogue is very ambiguous at times so don't worry if you're not getting the story, this films more about the visuals.

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.

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.