The Wicker Man (1973)

             A few years ago, I made a mistake. I walked into the movie theatre here in town and bought a ticket to see a film titled The Wicker Man. It had Nicholas Cage in it and it appeared to be a suspense/horror film. Little did I know that I was buying a ticket to the worst hour and a half of my life and that this poor excuse for a movie was actually a Hollywood remake of a much better 1973 British film. After watching the original Wicker Man the other night, I wished to God that I had never seen the remake. I basically knew everything that was going to happen and that doesn’t leave a lot of room to be shocked by the film’s fantastic ending. I did, however, find myself much more engrossed and interested in this odd little film that should have never been touched by Hollywood. For the sake of the rest of this review, I will pretend that the remake does not exist and I will only speak of the 1973 original as a stand-alone film. 

The film starts off quickly as a police detective is flying into Summerisle, an island off the coast of Scotland, in search of a missing girl. Upon arriving on the island, many of the people he comes in contact with claim they have never seen the girl in their life. Even the woman who had originally written him the letter begging him to come help says that she has never seen the girl and that her daughter is perfectly safe. It isn’t long before our good detective, Sgt. Neil Howie, begins to notice the strange behavior of all the inhabitants on the island, such as the frequent song and dance everyone in the town seems prone to, the midnight group copulation in the local cemetary, the inn-keepers daughter banging on the walls at night, and the naked women crying over tombstones. Sgt. Howie holds a meeting with Lord Summerisle, played by the fantastic Christopher Lee, in which he tells Howie that the island worships the old Gods of the sea, land, air, and sun. They believe in being fertile just as the earth is, thus all the sexual nature of the local inhabitants. Howie, who is a devout Christian, is mortified by this and begins a battle of the wits with Lord Summerisle and it’s inhabitants that boils to a fantastic twist and a climax that is truly haunting.

The first thing that stands out about this film to me, is character. The two leads, Howie and Lord Summerisle are polar opposites of eachother. One character represents fundamentalist Christianity and the other Paganism. When Howie arrives on the island, he is quick to throw around the fact that he is a devout Christian. His staunch beliefs are readily apparent as he prays by his bed, while the inn-keepers daughter dances naked in the room next to him, banging on his walls. He is constantly reciting scripture to the locals as they reveal their Pagan ways to him. It’s a perfect example of great indirect characterization that isn’t done hardly at all in horror films anymore.

Then there is Lord Summerisle. He represents the other end of the spectrum, which is Paganism. His entire island runs wild with abberant sexuality and worship of the earth’s elements and he encourages it and enjoys it. He is, of course, a jolly and happy man, but his wickedness is brimming under the surface. His words to Sgt. Howie are not cruel, in fact, he gives Howie permission to do as he pleases in regards to his search for the missing girl, but underneath his kindness is an evil that is not fully realized until the final moments of the film.

What I like most about this film is the fact that the antagonist is not some monster, demon, ghost, or some other genre cliche. Instead, it is the people’s beliefs that bring harm and danger. The idea that someones belief system or religion can bring them to do the most outrageous and inhuman things is something very much rooted in reality and rings true for past history (Jim Jones) and even to current events (Westboro Baptist Church and the Koran burning pastor come to mind). But it’s not just the villagers’ beliefs that are examined, it is also Sgt. Howie’s. The instant he steps foot on the island he brings his judgment and “holier than thou” attitude with him. The clash between these two viewpoints is the focal point of the film. It is something much deeper than what is normally put on display in horror films. While what happens in the Wicker Man is, on the surface, disturbing and scary, digging deeper reveals the true horrors because they have the potential to reside in each one of us. I think the idea that extremism is possible on all sides of the spectrum is something that needs to be heard, especially today.

Now, I don’t like everything about this film. There are moments where I feel that things can become a bit “hokey” for a lack of a better term. The local inhabitants on the island randomly begin singing strage Pagan songs sometimes and dress in outrageous costumes, particularly at the end. That being said, I understand that this was done to disorient the viewer and make us feel like an outsider on the island. And I believe it works rather well, I felt just as much confused and lost as Sgt. Howie did and I think this adds to the mystery and suspense of the film. I just think that sometimes it got a little too over the top and it took me out of the viewing experience just a bit.

That small issue aside, I say see the original 1973 Wicker Man. And don’t look into it much before you see it. The less you know about this film, the more rewarding and disturbing it will be for you. Also, do I need to say avoid the remake at all costs? It will truly ruin the experience for you. I believe the only reason I enjoyed the original so much was because I hadn’t seen the awful remake in years. Don’t let it spoil this very unique, intriguing, and ultimately haunting film. 

-Dave