Good movie but....

It depends on what the phrase "horror movie" means to you.

If you're looking for the blood, gore, and shock cinema that the horror genre has become over the last 20 years or so ....... No, this is definitely not that.

If you're talking about primarily psychologically based horror movies such as those produced by Val Lewton in the 1940's ...... Yes, I think this fits into that category of "horror" very well.

Like the other poster has stated, this is an radically different breed of horror film entirely. It deals with the psychological nature of isolation (a common theme in Bergman's films), also known as "cabin fever". And, in some respects, it is an even more disturbing horror film than those with blood and gore. The only thing you cannot escape is the madness within yourself - that's what this film was really about (this is, however, my interpretation). Perhaps it was also a way for Bergman to deal with his own personal neurosis (I know for a time he lived in a self-imposed exile due to tax fraud/evasion) and explore his own personal isolation that he felt at the time. Who knows? As always, Bergman was never one to hand out the answers to the questions raised in his films. If this is your first Bergman film, I suggest you rent "Persona". They are very similar (companion pieces in my humble opinion) in atmosphere, setting and plot.

I actually prefer a horror movie that doesn't horrify but has great cinematography, acting and writing, than a horror movie that tries too hard to be scary to the point of ignoring all aspects of good filmmaking. It's the reason why Hour of the Wolf, The Exorcist, The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, for instance, are high on my list, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hostel and Saw remain unseen by me.

This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.

What about the "horror" of mental illness?

This is more of Robert Wise and Alfred Hitchcock's type of horror film. Where it psychologically toys with you and keeps you guessing until the very end.

[deleted]

I don´t see why would anyone expect a straight-up horror film that dutifully follows the stale genre conventions from the likes of Ingmar Bergman.



"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

I wouldn't say this is a completely different horror film. The iconography of the genre collide with Bergman's language in an expressionistic result which bears a striking resemblance to the first horror movies made in Germany in the 1920's. The fact that today's concept of genre definition is twisted may cause some misunderstandings.