SoTrumpBelieve Must See Movie...

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

GL84 Traveling to a secretive island, a mainland police detective investigating a child abduction case finds the locals practice a pagan-like religion that hinders his quest as the more he reveals about it the gradual realization of his appearance there is revealed and must stop it from happening.This here was quite the fun if a really flawed effort. One of the few problems here is the fact that there are some really bland and unappealing folk songs throughout here that just make this one feel overlong and quite bland. The numerous musical interludes really overwhelm this one as they're not that good and really don't offer up much of anything for the film other than getting in some nice innuendo, but on the whole it's not that appealing to stop the film cold to feature yet another suggestive local song-and-dance that's already mentioned before or to have an utterly obnoxious folklore tune continually play out. There's also a rather big problem here with the central mystery that unfolds here, simply providing a series of behavior that he finds weird only due to the contrast against the Christian ideologies he keeps spouting off yet none of these events really have much of a horror or even suspense setup as their standoff-ish behavior and mysterious rituals don't have any building suspense. The whole first hour plays out like a sardonic fish-out-of-water tale rather than any kind of macabre overview of a horror film as it boils down to a continuous series of run-ins with free-spirited folks who stonewall his investigations and scoff as his views of their practices which really hinders the film somewhat. There's still a lot to like here despite these issues, as there's a wicked air under the surface here as the weirdness of their transgressions slowly reveals far more menacing tones. The way it shows their attention to the pagan religion spurning his efforts with their brazen worship of paganism iconography and symbolism, the lax attitude to sexuality that shows copious couplings in public spaces, nude worshipping practices and the induction of children into sexually explicit conversations which are then thrown back at him with a rather easy-going dismissal that works a rather involving mystery here as they overlay these with the slowly unfolding mystery about the girl. This is certainly aiding nicely with the events of the finale which is undoubtedly the highlight here with the absolutely crazy ritual procession through the town as the garish costumes and jovial dancing creates some fully impressive sequence which comes off nicely alongside the central twist here that makes for a truly harrowing and cruel twist that really works well here. That gives this a considerable amount of good parts over the flaws, and along with the fine nudity throughout gives this a lot to really enjoy about this one.Rated R: Full Nudity, Violence, Language, some sexual conduct and intense themes of children-in-jeopardy.

Leofwine_draca One of the quintessential British horror movies of the 1970s, as reckoned in the many books to come out on the subject in recent years (Ten Years of Terror is recommended reading to any fan of the genre), THE WICKER MAN is a truly unique film which succeeds in being a true horror film. Yet there are no vampires or monsters here, no bloodshed, violence, or gore. Instead, the film starts off deceptively slowly, taking care to characterise Woodward's central figure and paint a complex picture of the community of Summerisle into which he comes. Then the clues begin to fall together, the suspense builds up rapidly and POW!, the film hits you with one of the most stunning climaxes ever seen in a horror film.For the most part, this doesn't even feel like a horror film, just a study of a community of pagans and heathens. Upstanding Christian Howie is of course shocked by all the so-called depravity he sees around him (couples copulating in fields at night; young girls dancing naked through fires; reproduction and reincarnation taught at the local school) and tries desperately to uphold his moral values when temptress Britt Ekland dances naked into the room next to his at night. The movie is beautifully shot, as seen in the opening shots of Howie's plane flying into the island; and the visuals are accompanied by plentiful folky music which helps to transfer the spirit of the islanders across, with many of the tunes being catchy and playful, not to mention melodic. When I learnt that THE WICKER MAN was actually filmed in 26-or-so separate locations I was shocked, because I was completely convinced that the community of Summerisle really did exist at first.What makes this film - and, in particular, the finale - so effective is its basis in reality. There are no showy or shouty performances, just matter-of-fact people going about their lives. No special effects or anything like that. Only vague hints of the darker things to come later in the movie - talk of crop failure and ritual sacrifice; the Hand of Glory appearing on Woodward's bedside; the whole story of the missing girl and the hare in her coffin. Towards the end, the film becomes a suspenseful actioner for a while as Woodward infiltrates the May Day celebrations in disguise and attempts to rescue the kidnapped girl, but then the twist ending arrives and turns everything around that you've previously seen, much like in THE SIXTH SENSE and no less effective.The finale is classic stuff and the image of the burning wicker man one of the most enduring in horror cinema. The moment in which Woodward first sees the figure and says "oh, Jesus, no!" still has the power to send a shiver down my spine although I've seen the movie half a dozen times. The shots of Woodward reciting the Lord's Prayer as the pigs squeal and burn is almost impossibly powerful and quite stunning - I've never seen anything like it. Forget CHILDREN OF THE CORN, THE WICKER MAN really is the last word on pagan worship and the theme has never been bettered.Edward Woodward puts in the performance of his career as the increasingly desperate Howie; a flawed and often laughable man, but still one you can identify with and sympathise with, and that's the key. Screen legend Christopher Lee enjoys what was his personally favourite performance as Lord Summerisle, and makes his character's convictions scarily convincing - a chilling turn, despite the fact that he is kind and courtly, or happy and laughing, for the majority of his appearance! Genre regulars Britt Ekland and Ingrid Pitt once again shed their inhibitions for the sake of their art to good effect, and each and every creepy islander is effective in his or her role, giving the film a truly scary conspiracy-style feel when the secrets are at last unearthed. Always watchable and truly enduring, THE WICKER MAN has achieved the interest it always deserved in recent years, with the final cut finally being released on Blu-ray format. This really is one of the best horror films to come out of the British Isles and maybe one of the best in screen cinema.

Nikron Chemist Kushari I have watched hundreds of horror movies and by now I thought that I have seen it all but The Wicker Man had so much up its sleeve.People don't make movies like this anymore, the atmosphere is simply not there which is the best part of the movie. The eerie feeling that is present throughout the film along with a clear "naive- righteousness" struggle of Edward Woodward versus the way of the Summerisle inhabitants is what makes this movie hard to forget. The jewel of it all is Christopher Lee who is so influential and confident of his ways.The music and the setting of the film cap off the overall impression and leave you with a plethora of feelings and emotions at the end of it all. An all-time classic in the genre of Horror!

lasttimeisaw British film director Robin Hardy, who passed away this year at the age of 86, only made three movies during his lifetime, and his debut feature THE WICKER MAN, now has undergone a long way to become a religious horror cult after its initial cold shoulder from critics and audience upon its release in its home turf. In the brief preface before the opening credits, Sergeant Howie (Woodward) is seen as a devout Christian, which underpins his martyr-status like Jesus in the Eucharist. Shortly after, the film relocates entirely on an Scottish island, Summerisle, where Howie comes to tackle with the case of a missing young girl, only gets increasingly miffed and discombobulated through the investigation where Celtic paganism is blatantly worshipped by its villagers, what's more horrific is that his advent is completely premeditated with a hidden agenda, and there is absolutely no way for him to leave this insular place.Far from being a conventional jump-scare horror fare, a salient feature of THE WICKER MAN is its mysterious set-up towards the final money-shot, which is constituted of a magnanimous supply of ethereal folk songs, often in diegetic forms, imbues a distinctly ritualistic otherworldliness, where symptoms of degeneration and heresy suffuse the film: the flagrant lies, the open-air lovemaking (with women uniformly stay on top), the eroticized close-up of a snail as an emblem of carnal consummation, the unorthodox teaching school children about phallic worship, a frog-swallowing medical treatment, a wriggling nude dance of telepathic seduction, the May Day celebration with animal costumes, masquerades and escapades. To a modern viewer who takes a more clement slant on religious persuasion, these sequences are mind-opening, palatably surreal, anything but threatening if they are not benighted enough to believe in human sacrifice. However, that is the road where this lucid story heads, the collision course between Christianity and paganism is inexorable, Hardy and screenwriter Anthony Shaffer pull no punches to leave its audience downright astonished, refuse to tamper the ending with a deus ex machina. So that is all she writes, a cunningly composed tale of religion foolery to an appalling effect. Certainly Sgt. Howie doesn't deserve this denouement, but surprisingly, there is less pathos out of it, since Woodward's stern and self-righteous performance doesn't make him a sympathetic hero, he is obstinately blunt and incredulously naive, could he have been more tactful and less religion- frenetic, at least, he would have find some ally among the folks, perhaps someone who hasn't been completely brainwashed by Lord Summerisle (Lee), thus it would turn out to be another story less confrontational. Overall, the cast is adequately one-dimensional, save the almighty Christopher Lee, who is visibly relishing in his suave and eloquent mastermind persona, a true form of evil but a charismatic villain who can compellingly entrance his adherents.With the iconic "wicker man" image immutably leaving an indelible fingerprint on audience's mind, Robin Hardy's one-hit-wonder promisingly retains its inimitable appeal by coalescing the horror genre with such inherently incongruous epithets as gaily, lilting and a hero's undoing.