Review of The Wicker Man (1973) by Forrest P — 24 May 2010

The original version of The Wicker Man was an interesting experience because even though it did not scare me while I was watching it, it has a very profound lingering effect.

This film stars Edward Woodward as Sergeant Howie, a policeman who has been invited to the island of Summerisle to search for a missing girl. Woodward gives a very nice performance, although I wasn't sure if it was always believable. There are scenes when I didn't think he was struggling hard enough against his captors, but that's more geared toward his physical actions than his acting.

But The Wicker Man has a wonderful storyline. This film is fantastic for keeping the audience engaged throughout the picture, even during parts when Howie was just doing some investigating.

The minor characters all managed to have good roles in the film. The director did an exquisite job of keeping them all balanced and engaging.

Something I had mixed feelings for at the time but have a deeper appreciation for now was the music. There wasn't really a whole lot of music in this picture that was outside the classical folk music played by the islanders. All of this music had a very happy feeling that, I think, throws off an audience expecting a gruesome horror picture. But what this music does is keep the audience in the story and on the island. None of the music acts as artificial mood enhancers. In fact, the music takes on a very different feel during the more horrific scenes of the film.

But I absolutely loved this ending. The ending was brilliantly filmed and came through beautifully. And it's chilling as hell. This is not a completely frightening film, but it is a completely engaging and chilling film that does a good job doing what it sets out to do.

8/10.