Firebeetle's Reviews: Beware the Wicker Man!

[TheAuldGrump]

I think it's good, but not fantastic (the original that is; I've read nothing to make me want to watch the remake).

Maybe you have to be British to appreciate the situation. There are some seriously weird little villages and towns here, with traditions going back (or alleging to go back) centuries (look here and here for some examples). I used to rent a room in Leyland, just north of Manchester. One Saturday, I got up late and found the whole house, street and seemingly most of the town empty. They were all down at the high street having a carnival, and no-one had bothered telling me that this was going on.

What makes The Wicker Man and programmes like The League of Gentlemen so engaging is that it isn't that difficult to imagine such places exist.

The Burryman. There also used to be several towns that had a festival where they turned a big rock over on certain days or nights (the one I remember was on St. John's Day).

Part of the popularity(?) of the original Wicker Man was that it was the first time that most of the audience saw anything at all pertaining to pagan rituals, though corrupted in this instance. I actually saw this as a theatrical release in the way back when, for some reason it was rated PG when initially released, and my parents had no idea what the movie was about.

Since I was looking for druidic stuff for my game I went, I did not expect so much, ummm... skin, either. But I was able to scam enough out of it to use in a Call of Cthulhu game a decade later. It helps if you realize that the movie does not pertain to the supernatural, but rather to people's beliefs in and of the supernatural.

So, all in all, I am rather fond of the film.

The Auld Grump

*EDIT* The U.S. Theatrical release, I suspect that it had already been floating around British theaters for a while.

 

[frankthedm]

Was 50/50 on this one. Now, I'll theater hop at the dollar show if i see it at all.

Now, if you want a good British horror film, go watch The Descent.

You've just killed your credibility.

 

[Tuzenbach]

We do?!?!

And all this time, I took you for a Yank!

 

[Tuzenbach]

Terry Gilliam movies probably occupy the top 5 slots then...

Not to be pedantic, but Terry Gilliam was actually the lone American member of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

You've just killed your credibility.

I think he meant comedy. For a good Brittish comedy watch the movie the Desent.

Or did I just say something creepy again...

 

[Huw]

And all this time, I took you for a Yank!

Nah, he lives near me.

 

[Huw]

You've just killed your credibility.

Caves, monsters, girls in lycra - do you have a problem with this film?

 

[TheNovaLord]

Caves, monsters, girls in lycra - do you have a problem with this film?

yeah it was rubbish.

Was too hyped as the bees knees in brit horror. Thought it was silly and dull and not original at all.


Not an entertaining patch on dog soldiers, wilderness or the one set in the WWI trench i can never remember the name of...

The original wicker man is ok in its context. Does the new one feature the iron maiden song 'the wicker man' i quite liked that

JohnD

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I could swear I heard several years ago that a remake was being done that Sean Astin was going off to Ireland to film. Did that morph into this, or am I just insane?

I believe that was originally supposed to be a sequel, not a remake. Fell by the wayside, as I recall, for lack of money.