The Wicker Man - Rubbish ?

N

Nero - HBK fan

New member
I remember watching this many years ago on TV and I thought at the time - What a load of old rubbish.
My opinion has never changed.
(The Edward Woodward original, not the Nic Cage remake, which I won't bother with simply because the original was so bad)
 
One of the best old horror movies of all time imho. The problem probably is that you were brought up on slasher movies and cannot get to grips with subtle build ups and tension. The twist at the end is superb and its certainly the best thing Edward Woodward ever did.
Being interested in Paganism I may be biased however :o
 
The mistake is in watching it as a horor movie where it largely fall short.

As a thriller then it's fine. And the ending is one that would polarise the audience
 
I think it was a mistake to restore it: It's better when you don't know so much about EW's character and what's really going on. Otherwise it's a masterpiece.
 
I think it is an excellent film - the increasing tension very well played.

I watched the Director's Cut with audio commentary the other day and it was extremely interesting listening to the views of Sir Christopher Lee, Edward Woodward and the director regarding the various scenes.

There seems to be a lot of the film "missing" which is a shame.
 
The original is a genius film.

I guess you're just too young.

Did you do the maypole and sword dances in primary school?
I did and I had no idea what they were to represent, until many years later when I saw The Wicker Man. Then it brought it home.

An absolute classic film.
 
I'm 46. I was born in 1963 !
In my opinion, it's a rubbish film.
The best bit is Britt Ekland writhing around naked !:D
Although it has recently been revealed that it WASN'T HER !:mad:
 
I love that if you don't like it you must be "too young" or just "don't get it". It's just a rubbish film with a semi-interesting ending (and without that it would never in a million years get all the praise it does)
 
A very over-rated film and not as creepy as other people make it out to be. I've seen many similar films from that era which were terrifying.

The ending is so ridiculus. The 'door' to the wicker man was so thin that Edward Woodward could easily have broken it, especially as he knew he was about to be burnt alive.
 
Ekland was nude in the film - she is plain to see.
However ,unbeknownst to her the director refilmed scenes showing her arse and replaced her with a stunt "arse".



The version shown at cinemas and on tv is cut by nearly 20 minutes , but I guess if the 80 minute version was not interesting enough the restored version certainly wont be.
 
Did you watch the original again recently or are you just basing this opinion on the TV showing many years ago?

That is like me starting a thread on an episode of Eastenders i watched many years ago in the soap forum. :rolleyes:
 
I think that the original Wicker Man is a classic.

I do believe that it's one of those films where it helps to have been brought up somewhere where they have odd little festivals with pagan overtones. Where I was brought up, we still did have until the late 80s, and so the film created a slight sense of familiarity when I watch it.

I think it's this familiarity, but then the total discomfort that arrives when things start getting a little weird, that makes the film. It might be a generalisation, but I suspect that those people who've had no connection with 'rural' culture (and by that, I mean towns and villages with odd traditions as opposed to simply 'living in the country') might find it harder to 'get it'.
 
The extra minutes found in the Director's Cut emphasise the pagan nature of the community and makes Lord Summerisle's actions more understandable.

It IS a classic film - not glitzy and gory, but a story highlighting the chilling view of normality about the events shown by the inhabitants, young and old, on Summerisle.
 
It's a great film. Christopher Lee is wonderful in it. It's subtle and original. The ending is great because it's not what you expect. Much better than any obvious slasher movie horror stuff.

I don't think it was Britt doing the naked bits as she was pregnant at the time, so had a stand in.
 
Yay I'm glad I'm not alone in hating this pile of overrated cack. I'm 40 btw before anyone accuses me of being "too young" to appreciate "real" horror ;)
Tbh I've tried watching it at least once every decade since the 80s, maybe to see if I grew to appreciate it more as time went by, but sadly no, I still find it incredibly loathsome. Also the part where they light the WM and Woodward is singing hymns is one of the funniest moments in cinema history. Like a Python sketch :D
 
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