Review by Peter Syslo
It's always interesting to take on a classic and renowned film. There has been a lot said about THE WICKER MAN and it is challenging to review a film of such stature because I want to remain objective and unbiased by other opinions. With that disclaimer out of the way, I will get down to the nitty-gritty and say that I thought that THE WICKER MAN was a good film. I wasn't exactly "bowled over" by the picture, but it did have a lot of strong points to it - the music being the strongest and most compelling point. It is a very unique film, I will give it that, but my main problem with it was that it was a "single event" film (I will explain that later) and it wasn't as fulfilling as I thought it would be.
THE WICKER MAN (1973) is directed by Robin Hardy and the screenplay is written by Anthony Shaffer, which is based upon a novel by David Pinner. The film stars Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Aubrey Morris, and Roy Boyd. Deserving special credit is the fantastic musical score by Paul Giovanni - his eclectic yet beautifully chilling music makes the whole movie.
The film is about Police Sergeant Howie (Woodward) who travels to a remote island off of Scotland to investigate the apparent disappearance of a young girl named Rowan. While there, the Sergeant encounters numerous and highly musical townspeople but none of them can seem to help him with any details of Rowen's disappearance. Also, Sergeant Howie notices that these people are very different in their customs and beliefs - they celebrate wine and song, the women are seductively naked, and in general, the people tend to be on the Pagan side of the fence. After visiting the leader of the island, Lord Summerisle (Lee), Sergeant Howie begins to put things into perspective and l earns that the inhabitants are performing religious rituals in order to bring about a better yield for their apple orchards (their main export). Sergeant Howie eventually learns the truth about everything on the island and the climax of the film is truly one of the most unique, in horror history.
In its own right, THE WICKER MAN is a very intelligent and philosophical tale which tells of the dangers of being overzealous in one's beliefs. I think that the film does contain a lot of merit and it is definitely worth experiencing, but it seemed to be all about the build to the climax. This is what I meant when I said that it was a "single event" film; it centers around one horrifying scene and every other scene in the film is subservient to that "one scene". It is kind of like DELIVERENCE, only Boorman used the "single scene" idea in the middle of the film. Honestly though, I have to say that something like DELIVERENCE was a little better than THE WICKER MAN because it did contain other interesting scenes besides the terrifying "squeal like a pig" scene (banjo scene, the cliff scene, etc.). I think that is the basis for my whole criticism of THE WICKER MAN; except for the climax, the other scenes in the movie we ren't as interesting and they did not stand, as well, on their own. I can't really say," Oh yeah, how ‘bout that scene where…" about any other scene in the film (except the bedroom musical number where Britt Ekland's character is trying to seduce Sergeant Howie - that was highly memorable).
Cutting to the chase: THE WICKER MAN was a good film, but a lot of it seems to serve the purpose of the climax. In the movie's defense though, it is an incredible climax and it is definitely worth watching the film - you will never see a scene like that in any other horror film. Aside from storyline details, the other aspects of the film were great: the acting was top-notch - you can't get much better than that in a horror film; the cinematography was just incredible - it is beautiful to watch; the set design and the "paganisms" were awesome and really gave it that ancient, naturalistic atmosphere (the masks and ritual elements were perfect); and lastly, the music was brilliant - it is so bizarre (like a twisted musical) but it fits so well and it contrasts and amplifies the horrifying climax. If you like religious-based horror, horror with a "twist ending", or "stranger-in-a-strange-land" films, then you will proba bly enjoy THE WICKER MAN. It is a movie with a message, it is very well-done, and it is very thought provoking. I give it a 6/10.