The Wicker Man – Sucks

John Campea 66 Comments

Wicker-ManI always get excited about seeing a classic movie for the first time. A few years ago I was pumped when me and a friend of mine finally picked up The Godfather to watch for the first time… and I was blown away by it’s pure brilliance and shocked at how much cinema has been influenced by it (you just can’t appreciate that until you’ve seen it for yourself). Lawrence of Arabia was the same sort of thing for me too. Damn, the list goes on and on.

So the other day I finally sat down to watch the original “The Wicker Man“. Man I’ve heard so much about this movie… about how it’s a horror classic, about how brilliant it is… about how eerie it is… yadda yadda yadda. So all excited I put the dvd in… and then proceeded for wait for an hour and a half for anything interesting to happen… then the credits rolled.

I mean holy crap… that was one of the most boring snooze fests I’ve ever seen in my life. Not once did I care about the little girl, not once did I feel a sense of mystery or eeriness, not once did I feel “shocked” or frightened or even nervous. Whheeeee… singing dancing naked ladies. Whoopie freaking do.

And look, please don’t hit me with the “You have to understand in it in the context of it’s time” argument. I understand that. But a great film is a great film and withstands the test of time. Like The Godfather or Citizen Cane or Sparticus or Ben Hur. Great stories transcend time and can overcome cultural and era changes. The Wicker Man didn’t do that… at least not for me. I mean, seeing Christopher Lee with that crazy hair was almost worth watching the movie for… but not quite enough.

The film was just straight up boring. They set up the premise right away (which is something I appreciate) but they never really move on from there. A police officer comes to an isolated island to investigate reports of a missing little girl… only everyone on the island claims to know nothing about such a girl. Good idea to start with… but as I said nothing really transpires after that until the big anti-climactic finish.

So help me out. Am I the only one here who thinks The Wicker Man is horribly overrated? If you’re one of the people who appreciates it, what is it that I missed?

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66 thoughts on “The Wicker Man – Sucks”

  1. I totally agree with you, it is a very average film that has probably achieved cult status because of the hammer horror links with Christopher Lee and the naked, beautiful Britt Ekand dance that everyone talks about when you mention the film!

    There isn’t any suspense, I never feel frightened either and it is actually quite boring for such a fascinating story. It could have been incredible and terrifying, but instead it is just a quirky cult classic that does nothing to capture the sheer terror of the hidden story.
    Maybe it is the era it was made that makes it more of a joke than a serious film, or maybe it was even lower budget than I thought – I don’t know?

    I love Christopher Lee and of course Britt looks stunning, but It’s not enough to make me think It’s a cult classic – I would of course put it in there with other 70’s stuff like hammer movies, tales from the crypt, thriller etc, exceppt NOT as frightening!

    I feel sorry for Woodwards character – he’s a pathetic soul and he acts that brilliantly, otherwise I didn’t rate it at all as it has lost It’s chance to be a TRUE classic and instead is a titillating and quite ordinary film!

  3. Sorry, Justin, I don’t think I made myself clear. I meant that I don’t personally know anyone who would put it in their top ten list of horror films, and as someone who runs a horror website I have a fairly large group of acquaintances who have varied tastes in horror. Also, my comment wasn’t an attack on the movie itself, which I thought was alright, but rather I was questioning whether it is considered a classic of horror cinema, something you also touch on in your comment. It seems that it’s mostly enjoyed by a select few who happen to be extremely taken by it, thus it’s stature as a cult classic.

  4. Red Steven –

    You said, ” I can’t think of anyone I know who would place it in their top ten.” Hmmm…How about Total Film which called it “the sixth greatest British film of all time”. How did it manage to win the 1978 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film? (Although I agree that even labeling it a ‘horror’ film is rather misleading.) Then of course there is Christopher Lee himself, who routinely cites The Wicker Man as one of the greatest scripts he has ever read and considers it to be the greatest role he has ever played.

    I guess technically, none of these things necessarily translate to an all-time Top 10 list. But I should think that it would give some of the Wicker Man bashers at least a bit of pause.

  6. John –

    The reason I consider Wicker Man both “brave” and “honest” is because it clearly suggests that an unerlying Judeo-Christian ethic is essential for a civilized society. Most studio films steer clear of such debates.

    As I said, if you don’t get it, then you just don’t get it…

  7. Count me in on the ‘it’s a classic’ side. I found it a film that got under my skin, the script really blew me away as it was a style or writing I hadn’t seen in film before, the story had perfect pace slowing building up the sense of unease and confusion finally leading to a shocking conclusion. The central performances were outstanding and the images stay with you for many years. It also stands up to repeated viewing even when you do know the ending.

  8. Wow! Your review really sirred up a lot of emotions John. I’m not that into the horror genre, so I can’t make a insightful comment about either your review or the original movie, but I’m happy to see a (first?) retro-review up on The Movie Blog! :D

    Keep up the good work!
    /Joel

  9. Wicker Man a horror classic? Who have you been talking to? I can’t think of anyone I know who would place it in their top ten. Yes it has a strong cult following, but that’s about it. I think it was misrepresented to you, John.

  11. John,
    There are “classic” films that I like, and others that I don’t. How can you say that something sucks, or however you phrased it. Isn’t it more correct to say that you didn’t like it? Listening to how passionately some people defend it makes me think that there’s something to like about it. Frankly I’m surprise about how passionately you’re attacking this movie. If anything, when I listen to the audio edition you drive me crazy with how you defend every movie, even if it seems like crap. If anything, I can picture someone ripping on the original Wicker Man, or the remake, in an email to the audio edition, and you tearing into them. Probably saying something like “stop crying” or something about how sick you are of fanboys, or whatever. I couldn’t care less about Wicker Man, or your opinion on it. They’re not why I read the Movie Blog, or listen to the Audio Editon. I’m just curious about what this rant is really about. I hope everything is ok.

    toddw

  18. “Nazi baby killing cat licking pussies”

    The Nazi baby killer hate I understand, but what do you have against cat lickers? Maybe they cant help themselves.

    Some of my best friends lick cats.

    Sure, it starts off as a lark… “Hey, you guys wanna go lick some cats? All the cool kids are doin’ it, ya know.”

    We did it to fit in. To be a part of the IN crowd.
    Now, here it is 14 years later and I and everyone like me has a serious problem and all you can do is make a joke out of it.

    Well it’s not funny, mister.
    This nation is crumbling because of all the rampant cat-licking going on. People’s lives are being ruined and it’s all fun and games to you.

    Maybe if you took the time to get to know a cat-licker you would find it a little hard to make fun of them or use this deadly addiction as a punchline to one of your jokes.

    This message brought to you by C.L.A.P.T.
    C. at
    L. ickers
    A. re
    P. eople
    T. oo

  19. Totally disagree! OK, it is not a really scary movie (though the final scene is truly horrific in its realism) but I find the Wicker Man bizarre, unique and wonderful. Christopher Lee’s performance is one of his finest (and the actor’s favourite)and the soundtrack is awesome. The film is about a fundamental clash of belief systems – pagan/Christian, chaste/animalistic etc. A very interesting, thought-provoking film.

    The road from conception to cult movie, via a struggle for release, lack of marketing, excessive cutting etc is a great story in itself. The book Inside the Wicker Man by Allan Brown deals with this story and is an excellent read whether you like the movie or not.

  20. I actually enjoyed the remake very much. Never saw the original, but now I have no intentions of. Just reading the arguments I can kinda tell what’s going on with it, and I honestly don’t know why people said that the remake was so horrible a film with all this stuff about the original not beging so great either

  22. **********************************************
    Sorry, I’m about to go off topic.
    **********************************************
    .
    Does it bother anyone with new DVD releases, this new
    trend of releasing “UNRATED” version of a movie, as if
    shocking content not suitble for theaters is added,
    but in reality it is 30 seconds of conversation about
    nothing important, or 5 seconds of the character walking
    somewhere.
    This new marketing gimick sucks. And now you have to research
    the old rating of film to see what it really is.
    .
    Or I’m I being petty.
    .
    It’s reminds me of the old Sat. Night Live skit about extra
    footage of Star Wars showing 10 more minutes of Luke and Han
    running down extending generic corridors.

  24. John, Alfie, you guys ok now? It brings back memories of mom and dad
    going rounds about nothing big. I guess it is safe to come out
    from under the bed now. Who would of thought and old yeller like
    “The Straw Woman” being such a hot topic.

  27. What you gotta remember here is John. You’re right about the time context and whatever. Hell, it’s mega dated. But when you think about how well written this is, it’s something that you wouldn’t think, but this is without a doubt one of the more influential movies of its time. I mean it shunted the horror genre forward, i mean properly forward now, the whole nine yards. Before all you had was that Hammer Horror stuff, which was great. And this freak-show of a movie made the horror genre what it is today. Which is…not that great anyway…oh well…i tried. Black sheep looks good tho. Weird.

  28. I wonder why some of you are giving credence to someone whose knowledge of film is so limited as to the point of them mistakenly referencing Orson Welles’ classic as “Citizen Cane”, mistaking Michael Rooker as “Michael Rourke” ad nauseum in a video review, etc etc. These aren’t mere typos, but obvious signs of a (very) casual movie fan at work.

    John has said many times to never confuse his blog for professional criticism.

    In the immortal words of Marge Simpson, “Well, duh!”.

  34. but I may have taken you the wrong way to …. this is hardly the first time we have disagreed about something john…..but when you put up a heading like that about a film which to a lot of people is considered like a sacred cow you have to expect some people to be a little taken aback….

    i mean i fucking love this film and i meant what I said the same way I would say it to a friend if he told me he thought it sucked…i wouldn;t literally disown him but i would joke about it…you see what I mean now?

  35. Hey Alfie.

    You said:

    “I really do wonder why I come to this site…..”

    To which I replied:

    “Then don’t come to this site. Just that simple.”

    How was my simple response to what you said “lame”? i think it was apropriate. You now say you were kidding, and I take your word for it. But my response to what you said was totally in line. I wasn’t all twisted up. Just saying.

  36. john if i was going to stop visitng this site because we don’t have the same opinion i would have stopped visiting the first day I came here…

    it wasn’t meant to be taken literally…it was meant to be flippant but you got your knickers in a twist….it was meant to be more about how i can’t believe you hated the film that much…if I had said it out loud to you you would have heard the tone intended…..

    i wrote a response to your article and the best reply you can give is to tell me to stop visiting here….i just thought that was lame thats all….

  38. Hey Alfie,

    As is evidenced by this site still being up and running, I can take criticism no problem. Just look around ANY comments section and you’ll see I take loads of it everyday. That’s cool. no problem. It’s all about discussion.

    But saying “I really do wonder why I come to this site” isn’t criticism. If you can’t handle someone not sharing your opinion to the point that you don’t even want to be at that site anymore… then move on to another site that better suits your tastes. I can recomend at least a dozen excellent sites.

  42. Nothing could sum up how different you and I are in terms of films then this post right here john. every week it amazes me more and more how differently we see films…….

    The Wicker Man’s pace is completely deliberate…It is a film that requires patience and pays off that patience in spades with a glorious final act of pagan dementia…..

    The wjhole film just has this creepy tone to it…every second….There is a feeling in every single scene that something bad is going to happen…there is this feeling of dread that casts a shadow over the entire film…they don’t have to resort to shock tactics or fake “boo” scares by having cats jumping out of the dark…the script and the tone the director sets does all the work. Right of the bat you have the locals watching howies plane arrive and it is creepy. they don’t even have toi do anything and it is creepy as hell.

    Yes it starts of slowly but the madness that takes over the last half is brillant. It demented…gloriously demented and it just gets weirder and weirder…..until the shocking conclusion which you is just like a punch in the stomach.

    You said it was predictable..so are you seriously telling me without any idea or any clue of how it was going to end you guessed the ending?? You guessed what was going to happen to him?

    It is one of the most original horror films ever made….

    The one thing it is not is a film for everyone…I can see whay you wouldn’t like it but it is one of my favorite films of all time and when I see the headline “The Wicker Man Sucks” I really do wonder why I come to this site…..

  43. I’d hate to do this, but I’ve got to 100% agree with John here. The main problem with Wicker Man is it’s total lack of any subtlety or grace. It just whacks you over the head with the painfully obvious until you cry out in submission.

    Yes, the Equalizer’s performance was pretty good, but aside from that everything played out like a poor school stage show. No goose bumps, no chills, no interest.

  44. Hey Justin,

    You wrote:

    “I’ll just say that no film has ever dealt as bravely or honestly with the subject of religion in society as that film did. Can you imagine a studio greenlighting that script today?”

    I’ve got to ask… what that a joke? Or are you actually being serious? What on earth was “BRAVE” or “Honest” about Wickerman?

  45. Hey Dre,

    You asked:

    “could it be that your brain or movie tastes are just conditioned/geared at this point towards more modern (ie more straightforward storytelling) than to the more abstract stuff of yesteryear,John?”

    That’s a fair question Dre. My response would be that many of my favorite films of all time are as old or older than Wicker Man. Bridge Over the River Kwai, Ben Hur, Sparticus, Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia. So no, I don’t think that has anything to do with it.

  46. I’m with Triflic and TheGoodFella. They nailed it.

    There is just no help for some people. If you don’t get the fact that the original Wicker Man is a classic (which completely holds up just as well today)…well…then you just don’t get it. Obviously nothing that could be printed in a blog comment will change that.

    I’ll just say that no film has ever dealt as bravely or honestly with the subject of religion in society as that film did.
    Can you imagine a studio greenlighting that script today? No way jose.

  47. could it be that your brain or movie tastes are just conditioned/geared at this point towards more modern (ie more straightforward storytelling) than to the more abstract stuff of yesteryear,John?!? this is a legit question btw,& not a dig in any way shape or form.

  49. Amazing how harsh people are being with this film. I guess I understand how it could put people off. It isn’t a slasher film or a story of the supernatural and it hasn’t got a bunch of places where the audience is supposed to jump or cringe. It’s mostly a mood piece with kind of a vendetta against Christianity, which is plenty entertaining, IMO.

  50. I wholeheartidly agree with your stance on this film John. I wanted so bad to like this movie, because it seems to be on everybodys “must see” horror movie list. It’s a total snooze fest

  51. Hey, y’know I loved “Blade Runner”. Love it up and down, all versions. Love It Love It LOVE IT. Hasn’t aged much. Kind of like a bottle of wine, y’know?

    Oh, the original Wicker Man sucks eggs.
    The remake not much better.

  53. Only seen The Wicker Man once but thought it was fantastic and really unsettling. Forget the fact that it might look silly if you’re in the wrong frame of mind — it’s a chilling story of a pagan cult and the lengths they’ll go to pay sacrifice to their gods. And believe me, these cults have existed and may well still exist.

    This in my mind is one of the best horror movies ever made. The fact that most of it is outdoors in daylight makes that even more impressive.

  55. I’m in the same boat as you mate. Finally rented this one last year with my girlfriend at the time. We liked getting old movies we’ve never seen and we finally got around the Wicker Man. What a total waste of time. It was empty, hollow, weak. Main reason I never bothered with the Nic Cage remake.

  56. Completely disagree, John.

    I saw this movie for the first time a few years ago and just fell in love with it. Unlike yourself, watching it I do get a really vivid sense of foreboding as the conspiracy around the Inspector grows. The conflict between the strong Christian morals of the policeman and the pagan community is great and, in these days of safe generic filmmaking, I was just so taken aback by the originality of the concept – granted, originality doesn’t always make for a great film but I was sold on it.

    And then there’s that iconic ending – anti-climatic!? It’s probably the main reason the film is so revered now – that image of the townspeople gathered round the wicker man is absolutely terrifying.

    Ah well, as you always say – film is subjective. But you are wrong.

  57. Hey Triflic,

    It’s all well and good that the wicker man TRIES to be an interesting and thoughtful look at belief systems, that it TRIES to emulate a juxtaposition of normal into the Alien… it’s nice that it TRIES to do all these things. But trying isn’t enough. It has to succeed. And The Wicker Man doesn’t on any level.

    Boring, predictable and far less thoughtful than it seems to think it is.

    But oh well… that’s the subjectivity of film.

  58. I agree the film has not aged well and most of its notoriety is due to the shock, for its time, ending.

    Still I enjoy Woodward’s performance as the out of his element police officer and the undertones of the religious clashes between his stiff character and the freer spirits of the island.

    In short, is it over-rated? Yeah, probably a little bit.

  59. Wow. There is no help for some people. I certainly contend that THE WICKER MAN is a true classic. The fact that a horror film can take place in broad daylight, and in ‘slow motion’ with no jump scares. The horror is the breakdown of ones belief system by witnessing and being forced into something truly alien. And having the the ‘aggressors’ be joyful in regards to the whole thing. It’s not a visceral movie (except for the last 5 minutes), it is a movie that actually stimulates a bit of thought. A good quality in a horror movie. Next thing you are going to tell me that NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD sucks.

    Then again, from the man who dislikes Bladerunner, there is little hope.

    :)

    Full Take on Wickerman:

    The Wickerman is a cautionary tale of the power of personal belief and the spiritual consequences when two opposing viewpoints clash. The Beáltaine fertility rituals of an isolated small Scottish island offend the devout Christian police officer there to investigate a missing girl. It seems the Island’s simple country folk and Lord Summerisle (played by an intellectually menacing Christopher Lee) are not unwilling to sacrifice one of their own children to make the crops grow better. The film has the power to unsettle from the conviction of Lord Summerisle and the fact that all the strange events are taken by the locals as ‘normal’. Even the most unsettling scenes in the film take place in peaceful, scenic broad daylight, to the calm (corny) lyrics of Paul Giovanni.

    Officer Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) begins to quickly realize he is out of his depth when he cannot get an ounce of truth from anyone with whom he speaks and is sexually tempted to the point of cold sweats by the innkeepers daughter, at her fathers request. Willow (a sultry and zestfully naked Britt Ekland who married Peter Sellers and appeared two other iconic 1970s British films, Get Carter and The Man with the Golden Gun, around the same time as The Wicker Man) doesn’t have much to do in the film, but her thru-the-wall song of seduction is a fantastic sequence, (it was memorably covered by The Sneaker Pimps in the late 1990s, and is also used effectively as a reference in Eli Roth’s forthcoming Hostel).

    The 1973 film, which was written off as B-grade shlock at the time, has achieved well-deserved cult status, cropping up in a 1980s Iron Maiden Single, various film references (besides Hostel, see also Joe Dante’s The ‘Burbs and Roger Avery’s The Rules of Attraction, Nicolas Widing Refn’s Bleeder and Danny Boyle’s Shallow Grave) and as an icon for several UK Music Festivals. There is a sequel of sorts in production (from the director of the original) , and also a remake (every classic horror pic is getting one these days) which went with the truly bizarre director choice of Neil LaBute. I’d be curious to know whether or not it has come up in the sermon of a progressive minister or an edgy bible study worn down from too much C.S. Lewis.

    The Wicker Man hasn’t so much as aged, as taken on a life of its own. The music, the eerie investigative structure, creepy imagery and the final shocking scene still have the power to disturb more than 30 years later. People remember this film, it stays with them. The insight into pagan ritual and belief make it perfect Halloween cinema, even if the Beáltaine festival is May 1st.

  60. The whole thing with The Wicker Man, IMO, is that it presents a social situation where Christianity and Judeo-Christian morality aren’t observed. That break with concepts of middle-eastern religion that many of us have been raised with was kind of a twist at the time.

    Of course, it’s a really bad musical at its core. But it’s got that kind of shock value that The Lottery had the first time I saw the film. We saw it in English class when I was in Jr. High and when the stoning took place it really gave me a start. Same thing the first time I saw the final scene of The Wicker Man. Personally, I even like the remake. Both films are art pieces more than they could really be considered realistic cinema.

  61. It is SO funny that you bring this up. A couple years ago, a friend of mine brought this with him for a bucnh of us to watch… more to MOCK because he felt it was so bizzare…

    Well, we pop it in, and 2 hours later i wake up (and feel bad because i fell asleep) and as i look around… all 4 of us had been completely asleep! None of us got past minute 10. So we grabbed soe soda, ordered a pizza and watched it again (or should i say for the 1st time). Although this time we gave our own running commentary throughout. I dont understand how anyone could call this a “classic”. I mean, to each his own, but this??

    When i heard about the Nick Cage remake i really couldn’t have cared less… and still dont.

  62. I watched the original Wicker man a few months ago because i wanted to ssee it before i saw the remake.

    Brutally gay movie

    I then decided to take a pass on the remake

  64. I agree that there are moments that seem dated, but I actualy rather enjoyed it. After watching it a few years back, the only thing I questioned about the accolades this film gets is wether it’s actually a horror film. It’s more of a detective-mystery type film, not really horror.

    Attn: POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!!!!
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    I think there have been so many film since then that have used that twist-ending idea, that if you’ve seen films like Angel Heart, Jacob’s Ladder, or Unbreakable, then this film will seem a dissapointment.
    At the time of its release though, there weren’t that many films around like that (if any), and the shock ending had much more of an impact than it does now.

    1. The original “The Wicker Man” was a complete waste of my time. In fact, I actually feel like life has been drained from me for having watched it. Horrible to say the least. Edward Woodward must have needed the cash. I know Christopher Lee was trying to get out of being typecast as Dracula, but he should have passed big time.

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