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Animated horror film

The Wolf House (2020): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot

The Wolf House (2020) movie poster

The Wolf House is a 2020 animated horror film directed by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña, starring Rainer Krause as Wolf and Amalia Kassai. It runs 1 hour 15 minutes and earned $15.4 million worldwide on a $245,000 budget. Critics gave it 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 86 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.5/10.

IMDb rating
7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes
96%
worldwide gross
$15.4M
Echo Score
80
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The Wolf House (2020) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 15m (75 min)
Genres
Drama , Horror , Animation
Original language
Spanish
Budget
$245K
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is The Wolf House About?

The premise of The Wolf House without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Fleeing a strict German religious group, Maria seeks refuge in a remote Chilean house and finds companionship with two pigs. As she confronts her past, her emotional turmoil manifests in increasingly bizarre and unsettling ways. The house and its surroundings begin to warp, blurring the lines between reality and nightmare as humans transform into animals and a sense of dread permeates the isolated location.

The Wolf House Themes & Keywords

· 37 tags
  • stop motion
  • wolf
  • pig
  • christmas tree
  • turned into a human
  • stop motion animation
  • experimental animation
  • colonia dignidad
  • germany
  • chile
  • house
  • watching tv
+25 more
  • christmas
  • christmas eve
  • candle
  • birdcage
  • bird in a cage
  • toilet
  • fire
  • singing
  • claymation
  • fairy tales
  • chilean history
  • escape from cult
  • german
  • female protagonist
  • reference to the three little pigs
  • reference to augusto pinochet
  • nazi
  • secluded community
  • trapped
  • haunted house
  • based on historical event
  • escape
  • fascist regime
  • surrealism
  • gift
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Cast & crew

The Wolf House Cast & Characters

Rainer Krause leads the cast as Wolf, with Amalia Kassai as María, Ana, Pedro. Directed by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña.

From the directors

More from Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña

More films directed by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña, best-rated first: The Hyperboreans, Notebook of Names, Strange Creatures and The Witch and the Lover.

Ratings

The Wolf House Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave The Wolf House 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 86 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.5/10. Our Echo Score gives it 80/100, strongest in art & craft (92) and weakest in character & emotion (60).

80 /100

The Wolf House Echo Score Breakdown

Overall this film stands out as an imaginative stop-motion achievement that captivates through its visual ambition while presenting a challenging narrative experience. Reviews consistently highlight the film’s inventive production design and relentless metamorphic imagery, noting its power to astonish and unsettle. At the same time, several observers point to moments of narrative opacity that may frustrate viewers seeking clear story trajectories. Ultimately, The Wolf House combines extraordinary craft with a deliberately obscure unfolding, yielding a compelling but occasionally confounding viewing.

Our own 0–100 rating, built from five aspects: art, character, story, the sensory experience and how well a film rewatches.

  • Art & Craft 92

    In terms of cinematography and production design, the film delivers a consistently inventive visual tableau that underscores its artisanal stop-motion roots. Observers note the meticulously layered compositions and precise frame-to-frame editing that reinforce its metamorphic structure. The direction sustains a deliberate visual cohesion throughout. Consequently, the art and craft exhibit sustained ingenuity and technical polish.

  • Character & Emotion 60

    When it comes to character depth and emotional resonance, the film presents a striking depiction of psychological turmoil but offers limited insight into individual motivations. The young protagonist’s inner state is conveyed through unsettling imagery rather than narrative dialogue, which generates a compelling mood but restricts deeper emotional connection. Overall, character dynamics remain intriguing yet aloof.

  • Story & Flow 65

    In terms of plot coherence and pacing, the film is marked by its original structure and brisk 73-minute runtime, which sustain a sense of urgency. However, the narrative’s symbolic and surreal approach often sacrifices clear causality, leaving viewers to deduce intentions on their own. The story remains inventive but occasionally opaque in its execution.

  • Sensory Experience 90

    Regarding sensory experience, the film excels in crafting an intensely atmospheric sound and visual landscape. The unsettling score and deliberate sound design complement the jerky stop-motion textures, enhancing the sense of distorted reality. Observers highlight the film’s cohesive audio-visual interplay, which amplifies its disquieting tone. Thus, the sensory dimension is consistently immersive and provocative.

  • Rewatch Factor 85

    When considering rewatch value, the film’s layered imagery and intricate details invite multiple viewings to fully appreciate its craftsmanship. The ability to pause and revisit sequences reveals new symbolic associations and subtleties in the stop-motion work. While the narrative opacity may deter some repeat engagements, the elaborate visual construction sustains lasting curiosity.

Plot

The Wolf House Plot Summary

What happens in The Wolf House from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

María Wehrle, a lazy and irresponsible girl residing in the secluded Colony, chooses to flee into the woods rather than face the inevitable punishment from the community for her lack of contribution. During her escape, she narrowly avoids capture by a persistent Wolf and finds refuge in an abandoned house.

Full summary

The whole story of The Wolf House, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

The Wolf House Box Office & Budget

The Wolf House grossed $15.4 million worldwide on a $245,000 budget, 63 times what it cost. $7.1 million came from the US and Canada and $8.3 million (54%) from the rest of the world.

2020 box office

Worldwide gross

$15.4M

63× its budget

US & Canada
$7.1M
International
$8.3M
Budget
$245K
US & Canada 46% Rest of the world 54%
Videos

The Wolf House Trailers & Videos

The trailer of The Wolf House.

La Casa Lobo - The Wolf House - OFFICIAL TRAILER
Quiz

How Well Do You Know The Wolf House?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

What transgression leads María to flee the Colony?

Cars

Cars in The Wolf House

12 cars on screen, including the 2007 Ford Crown Victoria and the 2004 BMW X3 E83.

All 12 cars
  • 2007 Ford Crown Victoria in The Wolf House 2007 Ford Crown Victoria Important role
  • 2004 BMW X3 E83 in The Wolf House 2004 BMW X3 E83 Minor role
  • 1997 Chevrolet K-1500 in The Wolf House 1997 Chevrolet K-1500 Minor role
  • 2003 Ford E-350 in The Wolf House 2003 Ford E-350 Minor role
Details

The Wolf House Also Known As

21 alternative titles, including “더 울프 아워” and “La hora del miedo”.

Also known as
  • 더 울프 아워
  • La hora del miedo
  • A Hora do Lobo
  • 울프 아워
  • Самоизоляция
  • Η Ώρα του Λύκου
  • L'ora del lupo
  • Часът на вълка
  • Godzina wilka
  • 破晓时分
  • Na Sombra do Medo
  • הזאב מגיע
+9 more
  • Kurt Saati
  • Stunde der Angst
  • Hodina vlka
  • 破曉時分
  • Ora fricii
  • मौत का लम्हा
  • ساعة الذئب
  • ウルフ・アワー
  • วิกาลสยอง

Seen The Wolf House?

FAQ

The Wolf House FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, post-credit scenes and language of The Wolf House, each answered in a sentence.

How long is The Wolf House?

The Wolf House runs 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes).

When was The Wolf House released?

The Wolf House was released on May 15, 2020.

Who directed The Wolf House?

The Wolf House was directed by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña.

More films by Cristóbal León

Who is in the cast of The Wolf House?

The Wolf House stars Rainer Krause as Wolf and Amalia Kassai as María, Ana, Pedro.

How much did The Wolf House make at the box office?

The Wolf House grossed $15.4 million worldwide ($7.1 million domestic, $8.3 million international) on a budget of $245,000.

How is The Wolf House rated?

The Wolf House has 7.5/10 on IMDb, 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 86 on Metacritic and 75% on TMDB.

Does The Wolf House have a post-credit scene?

No. The Wolf House has no extra scene during or after the credits.

What language is The Wolf House in?

The original language of The Wolf House is Spanish.

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