The Wicker Man

In terms of execution, it's nothing great – often shoddy editing and dull staging of potentially impressive scenes that could have been among the gems of cinema. But maybe that's why Wicker Man impressed me so much. The nagging feeling that I was watching something unconventional, original and distinctive, persisted in me the whole time, culminating in the surprising ending in exactly my favourite cinephilic way. The script is very clever and manages to keep the viewer's curiosity and slight tension, the actors give convincing performances and the Scottish music completes the immersive formal setting. It makes me think that if Kubrick had made something like this, I wouldn’t be able to sleep for a week out of sheer excitement. 75% (09/03/2018)

This is one of those films that always convince me (when I’m in doubt) that my efforts to fill my horror film education are not pointless. It is permeated by an incredible atmosphere, though not a scary or horror one – The Wicker Man is only marginally horror – but the very particular atmosphere of countryside, fields, sun, etc. I didn’t mind at all the music score (though it’s not something I like much elsewhere) because it helps the film a lot; it’s really good. The film has a great twist, which today wouldn’t be as shocking as thirty years ago, but it still adds points. For me, this a gem that should captivate everyone (provided they are in the right mood, like I was), even if there are a few things that deserve criticism. I haven’t watched the recent remake with Cage and I don’t want to. (06/26/2008)

Horror productions often resemble a merry-go-round, where a successful film is usually the starting point for a whole series of inferior sequels and the genre actually recycles a few successful models. The Wicker Man stands out from the genre's compartments and plays with its viewers, just like it does with its protagonist. Policeman Howie comes to the island to solve the disappearance of a local girl, but from the very beginning, he faces strange reactions from the local population. Common conventions, rules, and laws recognized on the mainland do not apply in this place. A sinister premonition turns into certainty that a terrible crime is imminent, and that turns into a determination to save the victim's endangered life at all costs. The film uses motifs from the horror and thriller genres, but it disregards their traditional props and, in the end, it is closer to a very dark comedy. It overturns traditional Christian morality (from which the gothic novel emerges as a predecessor of modern horror), ridicules it, and gradually leads its principled protagonist into a fateful trap. The Wicker Man is not particularly profound or complicated, but it is surprisingly functional and above all entertaining. Overall impression: 75%. (03/19/2015)

I had the same feeling from The Wicker Man that I usually experience when reading reviews written in Swahili; these feelings are identical to when Howie enters Summerisle pub. What more do you need to know about the investigations of a shy fanatic and his battle against pagan windmills which is hard to determine the genre (s) of and even those of us with the confidence of Donald Trump wouldn’t dare to try. Just don’t worry about that and let yourself be sucked in by THAT atmosphere, the actors, the songs, the Vermin Man by the maypole, Lee’s flowing locks, phallic symbols and... And one of the most unusual (and one of the best) movie experiences ever. Shirley Jackson would have loved this. (06/21/2012)

An atmospheric treat that is really hard to comment on. In any case, The Wicker Man is original through and through, and probably the strangest and most poetic "whodunit" I've ever seen. With the best soundtrack. Genre classification? Who cares! Christopher Lee had me wrapped around his finger once again. (04/24/2013)