Hour of the Wolf 1968
Directed by
Ingmar Bergman
Made by
SF Studios
Hour of the Wolf Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Hour of the Wolf (1968). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
On the quiet Baltrum island, painter Johan Borg, Max von Sydow, and his pregnant wife Alma, Liv Ullmann, share a small seaside home as Johan’s insomnia deepens and his sketches seep into nightmare fuel—Birdman, the Insects, the Meat-Eaters, the Schoolmaster, and the Lady With a Hat becoming recurring presences in his waking hours.
As Alma stays by his side, the line between dream and reality blurs. Johan’s visions intrude on ordinary days, and Alma begins to fear the toll they exact on both of them, yet she vows to endure whatever comes.
An elderly lady arrives with a cryptic invitation—read Johan’s diary, she says, which he has hidden under the bed. In its pages Alma discovers Johan’s hauntings stretch beyond imagined intruders to memories of Veronica Vogler, Ingrid Thulin, his former lover, and to the ominous figure of Baron von Merkens, Erland Josephson who dwells in a nearby castle. The couple’s curiosity pulls them toward the castle and into the baron’s household. After dinner, the baron’s wife guides them to a bedroom where a portrait of Veronica hangs, painted by Johan. When they depart, Alma confesses to Johan her fear of losing him to the demons—and her determination to stand by him no matter what.
One night, Johan speaks of the vargtimmen (Hour of the Wolf), a period he says marks the time when births and deaths surge. He also unveils a troubling childhood memory of being locked in a closet where a small figure supposedly lived, and a violent confrontation with a small boy during a fishing trip on the island, a memory that leaves Alma shaken.
Heerbrand, Ulf Johansson, a guest of von Merkens, arrives to invite the couple to another castle party and leaves a pistol on the table, claiming it’s for protection against “small animals.” The exchange deepens their tension, and Johan’s fixation on Veronica intensifies their quarrel. In a shocking turn, Johan seizes the pistol and shoots Alma before hurrying toward the castle.
At the party, the guests reveal themselves to be manifestations of the demons Johan described. In the castle, Lindhorst, Georg Rydeberg, applies cosmetics to Johan’s pale face and dresses him in a silk robe, guiding him to Veronica. Veronica Vogler appears—dead at first—then suddenly sits up and laughs. The demons close in, and Johan is driven to flee into the forest as Alma, wounded though she bears only a scar, searches for him and witnesses their attacks before he vanishes, leaving her alone among the trees.
Back home, Alma recounts her story and Johan’s diary, lingering on questions of whether their long life together allowed her to perceive the Man-Eaters, and whether she might have protected him more—or perhaps more deeply—depending on how love shaped her actions.
Hour of the Wolf Timeline
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Johan's visions and rising insomnia
Johan Borg begins sketching his terrifying visions for Alma and names them the Birdman, the Insects, the Meat-Eaters, the Schoolmaster, and the Lady With a Hat. His insomnia grows worse, and Alma stays by his side through the nights, trying to soothe him. The small island of Baltrum becomes a backdrop for their creeping dread.
Alma reads Johan's diary
An elderly lady urges Alma to read Johan's diary, and she discovers that Johan is haunted by Veronica Vogler and has been approached by Baron von Merkens. The diary entries hint that Veronica lingers in Johan's memories and that the Baron is part of the web around him. Alma's fear grows as the past seems to reach into their present.
Visit to the baron's castle and Veronica portrait
Johan and Alma travel to the von Merkens castle for a reception. After dinner, the baron's wife shows them into her bedroom, where she has a portrait of Veronica painted by Johan. The image of Veronica intensifies Johan's obsession and foreshadows the later entanglement with the demons.
Alma's fear and resolve after leaving the castle
As they depart the castle, Alma confesses her fear of losing Johan to the demons and voices her determination to persevere if such a fate comes. She articulates a mix of love and dread, acknowledging the fragility of their bond. The moment marks a turning point in their relationship.
The Hour of the Wolf and Johan's confessions
That night, Johan explains the so‑called Hour of the Wolf, a time when births and deaths occur. He recounts childhood trauma of being locked in a closet and recalls a confrontation on the island that ended with him killing a boy. Alma is shocked by these revelations and struggles to process the depths of his past.
Heerbrand's invitation and the pistol
Heerbrand, a guest of the Baron, arrives at Johan and Alma's home to invite them to another castle party and mentions Veronica Vogler will be among the guests. He leaves a pistol on the table, telling them it is protection against 'small animals.' The ominous gesture underscores the sense of danger surrounding Johan.
The quarrel and Alma shot
Johan and Alma quarrel over Veronica, and in a sudden act he grabs the pistol, shoots Alma, and then runs toward the castle. Alma survives the gunshot but is left reeling as Johan escapes into the night. The couple's relationship fractures under the pressure of Johan's obsessions.
The castle party reveals demons
At the castle, the guests are revealed to be the demons Johan described—manifestations of his fears. He rushes through the halls in search of Veronica, aided by Lindhorst, who applies cosmetics to his pale face and dresses him in a silk robe. The staged encounter propels Johan toward his dangerous confrontation with Veronica.
Veronica's corpse awakens and Johan is attacked
Veronica, though initially appearing dead, sits up and laughs, shocking Johan. The demons physically assault him, forcing him to flee into the surrounding underbrush. Alma, wounded but alive, races to follow and witness the horror from a distance.
Alma searches the forest as Johan disappears
Alma, with a scar from the earlier shooting, searches the forest for Johan and witnesses the attacks on him before he vanishes. She is left alone in the woods, surrounded by the spectral threats that haunted their life. The pursuit ends with Johan's disappearance into the darkness.
Alma's retelling and reflection on Meat-Eaters
Back home, Alma shares Johan's diary and contemplates how their long closeness might have allowed her to glimpse his Meat-Eaters. She wonders whether she could have protected him differently, or if love itself fed his visions. The memories bind her to the night and to what remains unresolved.
The enduring solitude of Baltrum
With Johan gone and the diary in her possession, Alma remains alone, reflecting on the nightmarish revelations and what they mean for her memory of him. She carries the weight of the diaries and the lost life on Baltrum as the island settles around her.
Hour of the Wolf Characters
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Alma Borg (Liv Ullmann)
Pregnant painter's wife who stays by Johan's side as his insomnia deepens. She confronts disturbing visions with quiet courage, while wrestling with fear of losing him to madness. Her perspective anchors the narrative as she threads compassion and resilience through her husband's unraveling.
Johan Borg (Max von Sydow)
A gifted painter whose sleep-deprived visions and confessions reveal a troubled psyche. He fixates on Veronica Vogler and projects his fears onto imagined demons, blurring the line between art and madness. His obsession drives him to dangerous actions, including shooting Alma, before fleeing to the castle.
Baron von Merkens (Erland Josephson)
An aristocratic host whose castle gatherings reveal the clash between social civility and lurking menaces. He represents a world where power and mystery intersect with Johan's unstable imagination. His household provides the backdrop for Veronica's reappearance and Johan's subsequent unraveling.
Veronica Vogler (Ingrid Thulin)
Johan's former lover whose presence haunts his visions and the castle party. She embodies desire and temptation, existing at the boundary between memory and reality. Her appearance reframes Johan's fear and Alma's jealousy, catalyzing the climactic confrontation.
Heerbrand (Ulf Johansson)
Guest at the Baron's party who stirs tension by introducing the notion of protection against 'small animals' and presenting a pistol. He acts as a catalyst, pressing the couple toward the fateful castle gathering. His presence heightens the sense that danger can emerge from polite company.
Lindhorst (Georg Rydeberg)
A cosmetic helper who dresses Johan's face and guides him toward Veronica at the castle. He embodies the theme of performed identities and the manipulation of appearance as a gateway to the dreamlike journey. His actions push Johan deeper into the ritualized, dreamlike course.
Hour of the Wolf Settings
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Location
Baltrum
A small island setting on Baltrum provides the isolated backdrop for Johan and Alma's life. They live in a quiet house where Johan's studio and sketches mingle with their mounting paranoia. A nearby castle hosts parties that blur the line between reality and the demons that plague Johan.
Hour of the Wolf Themes
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Obsession
Johan's fixation on Veronica Vogler and his escalating visions drive the plot. He names the intrusions—the Birdman, the Insects, the Meat-Eaters, and the Lady With a Hat—building a mythology that consumes his waking life. Alma's fear mirrors Johan's descent, testing their bond as love collides with obsession and potential madness. The diary and the castle gathering become focal points where inner demons threaten to break through into the world.
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Dreams
Dreams and reality intertwine as the Hour of the Wolf looms, transforming visions into tangible danger. Johan's childhood trauma and the memory of Veronica resurface as dreamlike sequences that feel authentic. Alma's experience of these visions tests her loyalty and resilience as she wonders how to protect herself and their unborn child. The film treats dream logic as a motor of action, shaping what characters fear and do.
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Duality
Reality and illusion blur as Johan's world expands to include Veronica as both memory and living presence. Alma's loyalty and vulnerability reflect a mirrored inner landscape where love coexists with fear. The ritual atmosphere—cosmetics, dresses, and theatrical gestures—highlights how desire and threat are staged. The castle's social veneer collapses under the weight of the demons that stalk them.
Hour of the Wolf Spoiler-Free Summary
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On a windswept stretch of the North Sea, a tiny German island basks in the uneasy quiet that comes between night and dawn. It is a place where the horizon blurs, where the sea’s sigh seems to echo an ancient belief in the vargtimmen—the hour of the wolf, a fleeting moment said to balance birth and death, sleep and waking. The island’s isolation creates a natural stage for introspection, its cold mornings and lingering twilight lending the film a lingering, almost tactile atmosphere that feels both timeless and unsettling.
Johan Borg is a painter whose creative vigor is matched only by his growing insomnia. He and his pregnant wife, Alma, have retreated to the island seeking rest and quiet, yet the very stillness that should soothe instead amplifies the cracks in Johan’s mind. His sketchbook becomes a conduit for unsettling images that slip from dream to daylight, and his artistic obsession begins to mirror the restless tides that lap at the shore. Alma’s steady presence offers a counterpoint, her patience a fragile anchor amid the swelling tide of his inner turmoil.
The mood is deliberately claustrophobic, framed by the endless sea and the muted colors of the island’s cottages, while the soundscape trembles with distant gulls and the low murmur of waves. As the hour of the wolf approaches, the boundary between what is imagined and what is real starts to fray, inviting both characters to confront desires and memories they have long suppressed. The film glides between stark realism and ethereal nightmare, using light and shadow to suggest that the most terrifying landscapes often lie within.
In this restrained yet evocative tale, the landscape becomes a mirror for the characters’ psyche. The remote setting, the looming hour, and the delicate dance between Johan’s artistic fervor and Alma’s quiet devotion set the stage for a psychologically charged exploration of love, fear, and the shadows that emerge when the world holds its breath.
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