The Wolf House and Cycles of Abuse

This article was originally published on Phasr Media.

Guillermo del Toro opened America’s eyes by bringing Latin Fantasy Horror into the mainstream in the mid-2000s. Modern filmmakers have continued this tradition, including directors Joaquín Cociña and Cristóbal León. With his film Wolf House (Lobo’s House)the duo have created something truly unsettling and unique in under 80 minutes. The art style alone deserves praise before we delve into the film’s terrifying story.

Frame by frame

Wolf House uses a combination of 2-D and 3-D elements to create a nightmarish narrative. The entire film, excluding the opening clip, is done entirely in animation, with the intention of making it look like one long take. This is just one of the ten rules that Cociña and León followed while creating their film.

“Despite being shot in so many different locations, the film plays out like one continuous shot, like a free-flowing stream of thoughts.”

Ten Rules for Animating the Wolf House

This means we can see the construction and deconstruction of stop-motion animation. Animated objects transform into inanimate objects. Paint slowly transforms into clay as the color drains from the characters. The story never ends and continues around the stunning house. Just like in The Shining where the corridors seem to open into a labyrinth from which there is never escape, a sense of claustrophobia sets in. The camera shakes constantly, creating an unsettling feeling of wanting to slow down and take a breath. But there is no time to breathe. Something lurks in the painted walls, something sinister in the background. The history of Chile, starting with Colonia Dignidad, begins to emerge.

Combining fantasy with real horror in Wolf House

Colonia Dignidad (Colony Dignity in English translation) was founded in 1961. Initially an anti-communist Baptist community, Paul Schaefer, a former Nazi, soon transformed the colony into an off-grid cult. Fast-forward about ten years, and this interconnected structure was guarded by barbed wire, a watchtower, and security dogs. This is the setting and backdrop chosen by directors Joaquín Cociña and Cristóbal León for Wolf House.

The film tells the story of a young girl named Maria who breaks away from the embrace of her childhood group. She finds shelter in an abandoned house with two pigs. Once locked up, the sinister Wolf impersonates the house, wanting to enter and get her back.

Right from the start, we see the kind of horror fantasy Latin America is known for. But this film plays the role of a propaganda story, to, as Wilk says, “dispel the terrible rumors that have tarnished our reputation.”

It’s about the reputation of Colonia Dignida.

What can national trauma lead to?

This whole story may seem long, but it is important to understand the depth House of the Wolf. And honestly, that’s just scratching the surface, because there are so many metaphors that went through my head even the second time around. But one thing was clear upon rewatch: this is a story about Chile’s collective trauma.

Chile has suffered a lot during this time. Even after 2020, history haunts them. The national trauma that this country has experienced lives on through people and their stories. In this case, even leaving Colonia Dignidad at its peak leaves a mark on your mind. Sometimes it is difficult to adapt outside the world you once knew. And its disgusting claws dig through you until they become overwhelming. Maladaptive behaviors are born and you repeat the cycle you once tried to escape. We see this in Maria’s story.

Maria loves to dream and think for herself. For this reason, she is considered a rebel. It is everything that opposes being in the colony. And when she is punished with 100 days of isolation for letting two pigs escape, she runs away. Quickly finding shelter in an abandoned house, the Wolf, who we can assume is Paul Schaefer, does everything in his power to get Maria back.

Twisting a famous fairy tale

Wolf House is a twisted take on the three little pigs and the big bad wolf. When we think about the story, the morals are pretty obvious, as its themes revolve around hard work and determination paying off. Mary builds a home in this boarding house while a wolf outside stalks her and the two little pigs. But like fairy tales, before the capitalist mouse got his hands on them, they ended on a more serious and sinister note.

Making this a wolf house a wolf house

While Maria wanders aimlessly through this claustrophobic house, she decides to transform two escaped pigs, whom she names Pigs with Arms and Pigs with Legs, into humans. The transformation is accomplished by enjoying the honey for which Colonia Dignidad was famous for exporting.

As we witness the long, brutal process of body horror, it is hard not to imagine the intense torture sessions that took place in the colony. During Pinochet’s rule, more than 2,000 executions were carried out in Colonia Dignida.

After completing her transformation, Maria tries to control her surroundings. She sees herself as a mother, an angel, and a walking representation of love and care. Her first task is to give the new humans, Ana and Pedro, names that she believes give them dignity. She tells them, “You’ll never have to leave here,” and “The only way to stay safe is to listen to me.”

What was once done to Maria, she now tries to imitate. She tells stories of the colony, such as “A Dog in the House.” The story of the House and his eternal love for the dog. Only the dog is disobedient. The dog disobeyed and ran away, just like Maria at the beginning. The dog gets lost, “and the wind brought the smell of injuries and broken bones into the house.”

Another story told later in the film is about how honey is pure but is not given to the darkest because they are lazy and stupid. After this story, Maria began to close all the doors and windows so that the house full of secrets would remain hidden from the outside world. This continues the cycle of abuse. Even outside of the abusive embraces, Maria falls into the tyranny of what she initially wanted to escape from.

Trauma cycles continue

Halfway through the movie, Maria burns down the house and the Wolf returns to take her away. However, due to his stubbornness, he decides to continue his tyrannical behavior. He adds honey to Pedro’s burned body and periodically gives him more to make him bigger, healthier, and more handsome (according to Maria).

Eventually, Pedro begins to resemble Maria, as his hair becomes blond and his eyes become blue. Because of this, she cannot help but admire his beauty. Ana follows the transformation process by immersing herself in honey. The couple goes from innocent farm animals to black-haired natives and then to a “pure race”. The film shows them in true happiness and unity, as they all look alike and wear old German clothes.

But everything has to come to an end. The honey begins to dissipate and tensions rise. Ana and Pedro become increasingly disobedient and take matters into their own hands. They tie up Maria, who calls upon the Big Bad Wolf for help. He returns once more, this time successfully driving her away from her home. Maria is now free and back in the colonia. Having initially escaped from the Colonia, she has had a hard time adjusting to her new world. Her upbringing has clouded her mind. The tyrannical views have shaped her psyche. But who could blame Maria, since national trauma can lead to maladaptive traits?

Behind the endless, uncanny feeling that animation brings, behind the themes and metaphors, there is a country with a hidden past. Latin American films have begun to appear in the genre and among the mainstream audience. With them, history follows them. Ultimately, these narratives shed light on overlooked events.

Category:Editorials Horror In Spanish