Review of The Wicker Man (1973) by Rob C — 07 Feb 2010

Wikipedia writes of 'The Wicker Man' as a horror film that combines "thriller, existential horror, and musical genres..." This statement is not far from the truth, the truth being that this film is one of the weirdest, most eerily foreboding movies I have ever seen. Is it immediately scary? No. But the more I think about it, the scarier it seems.

I will not reveal much of the plot, but it involves paganism on a ludicrous level, delving into sexual paganism, the anthropomorphism of animals, and a number of other...things. I watched this at 1 in the morning, mind you, and so I might not have been in a thoroughly right mind for this, but to say the least, this movie is quite unsettling.

The theatrical version, clocking in at a few minutes over 90, starts a bit slow, but things begin to pick up after the first few minutes. As you read above, yes, there are 'musical' elements in this movie. A number of Gaelic and English folk songs are sung at very points, in addition to the haunting folk score of the film, make the music, which at first might seem out of place, seem oddly in place...

There are no startling moments throughout the course of the film, instead the nature of the island and its inhabitants slowly being fully realized by both the naive policeman who has come to investigate the disappearance of a young girl, and the audience themselves.

Right from the start, you can tell something is wrong. But you're not quite sure yet. This movie will definitely require multiple viewings to fully glean the true meaning, depth, and horror it yields, but the climax of the movie, even on first viewing, still chilled me. It seems so simple, so easy, almost stupid...but then everything connects, and the sad truth, mixed with the conflict of paganism versus Christianity hits home, slowly, but powerfully. The end is chilling, somber, and vividly sadistic, but without being disgusting or vulgar.

Horror is defined differently by different people, but the original 1973 version of 'The Wicker Man' scares and chills for reasons you don't always think about...

8/10.