Night 12: ‘The Wicker Man’ (1973)
This is part of the ‘31 Nights of Horror Classics’ series, which I’ll be doing for Halloween 2017. Every night of this month, I’ll be watching a horror film made before the 90s and I’ll be posting a short review here.
Sometimes the most frightening monsters are humans.
After receiving a letter, Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) goes to Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. However, everyone denies knowing her, and Howie soon grows to suspect that a mysterious cult is responsible for it. The problem is…everyone in the community might be part of it.
The Wicker Man is a very destabilizing film. As soon as it starts, with long shots of landscapes and folk music playing in the background, you know you’re in for something very unconventional.
Watching the first minutes of the film, I immediately thought: ‘this is indeed a very 70s movie!’. From the music to the costumes and hair, the ‘hippie’ characters and the unashamed use of nudity and sexuality, the movie has the experimental vibe of the times.
What’s great about that era of horror films, is that taboo themes were not only being hinted at, but explored in depth. In that vein, The Wicker Man dares to pit two very different belief systems –Christianity and Paganism- against each other. And neither of them come out on top.
Not only do the brutal ways of the Pagan cult ultimately succeed, but the Christian rituals –like praying- are also deemed useless. There’s not a higher power that intervenes in favor of any of the two. As a result, we’re left with the impression that both religions are equally ineffective. Both are vehicles for mind control, deceit and domination.
What’s interesting is that even as an atheist I felt a deep aversion to the ceremonies and customs of the Pagans. What for them is as normal as a Christian man praying, is completely disturbing for us as viewers. It forces you to recognize how many things we normalize in what society deems acceptable religions. After all, although their rituals and deities differ, both are ultimately cults with similar purposes.
In that sense, following a single character whom represents our Western values –whether you are religious or not- is a very intelligent choice. In fact, his journey is fascinating, as he is forced to really step outside of his comfort zone, as good stories often do.
Unfortunately, I was familiar with the twist, not for watching the 2006 version, but for reading and hearing movie buffs talk about it. Nevertheless, it’s very effective, and the built up for it is full of tension.
Another high point of the film is, of course, Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle. He was absolutely outstanding and fun to watch. However, I confess that I had a hard time getting into the movie before he came on screen.
And that’s perhaps my main issue with it. On one hand, I never felt like I could root for Howie. I did pity him to some extent, but he was mostly too imposing and close-minded to be relatable.
There’s also a problem with the pacing and the musical inserts of the film. Although it works in alienating the audience, more often than not I was left wondering what I was seeing, and why we were stopping for so long in some particular moments.
In the end, I enjoyed the idea of The Wicker Man much more than the execution. But, be warned, I don’t particularly respond to films of this decade, and perhaps that tainted my overall experience.
Just in case, give it a watch. It might be right up your alley!
Grade: 6/10. Prepare for a very strange ride.
Scare Factor: mostly creepy and odd.
Gore/Violence: a little violence.
Nudity/Sexual Situations: A LOT of both!
Previous Night: ‘The Mummy’ (‘59)
Next up: ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’ (‘32)
