The Wicker Man (1973)
Directed by Robin Hardy
Staring Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Christopher Lee
A young girl goes missing in a sleepy island village in Scotland. Their request for help brings Police Sergeant Howie to investigate. What the Sergent soon realizes is that this village is not quite normal. The townsfolk seem to practice an old pagan religion, tying their hopes for good crops to the old ways. Howie, a devout Christian, is mortified at this. He also cannot get any help finding the missing girl. No one will give him good information and even her family is not cooperating. The deeper he goes into this case, the harder it will be for Howie to walk away. Soon, even he will have to answer to the old gods and confront the Wicker Man.
The ultimate movie about a killer town, The Wicker Man has not aged all that well. The general tone and a lot of the scenes really do work at unnerving you. But, there are some scenes that are just awkwardly funny by today’s standards. The part in the very begging where the whole town sings and fornicates in unison was probably supposed to creep out viewers. Now, it is so out of place and pretty hilarious. That does not mean that every scene is a laugh riot. Most of the movie works as it should. The scene where Howie confronts a classroom of small children about their beliefs is quite unsettling. And of course, the finale of the film with Howie meeting the titular Wicker Man is chilling. The story is meant to scare by showcasing the alien nature of this town, but now it comes off as uneven storytelling.
Also, the acting is fine for the most part. The real stand outs are Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee. Woodward sells Howie’s convictions as a Christian man and his horror as a stranger in a pagan land. And Christopher Lee could make anything creepy if you gave him a few minutes of screen time, so his Lord Summerisle is excellent.
It is a classic, but questionably so. The scares still hold some power, but some of them are only powerfully funny. At least it is not the Nicholas Cage remake. But then again, so many movies are not the Nicholas Cage Wicker Man. Watch this for an education in horror film history, but do not expect greatness.
6 out of 10
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