The Wicker Man

Dir: Robin Hardy (The Fantasist)
Cast: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Britt Ekland
UK, 1973

Seen: September 1, 2007 on VHS thanks to the Toronto Public Library

Reason to see: It’s on my 101 list of films I can't believe I haven't seen list, for reasons I can not reveal as they would spoil the film. Believe me, it will. Someone asked me once and insisted they didn’t mind knowing but after I told them their reaction was “Wow, that really does spoil the film”. If you *really* want to know and you’ve seen the film, feel free to email me.

There was a lot of anticipation to see this film, the lone copy the library had that took 6 month to make it through my queue. It was unfortunate that it did not live up to the expectations I had. There was a lot going for it in terms of the idea at first, an investigation on a island of a missing child where the townsfolk are creatively elusive. The pacing is slow, as you would expect with a 70’s film but I didn’t it worth it. In general, it wasn’t very scary nor rarely created tension and then it threw in some nudity which arguable fit the storyline but felt completely unnecessary. On the whole I found it a bit of a chore to make it through and I did not agree with the portrayal of the community in which it was set.

Shannon's Overall View:
I can not say I liked it
I would not watch it again, but I might give the remake a go
Whom to recommend it to, normally I’d say people who enjoy 70’s Horror films but that includes me so it does not hold up. I’m at a bit of a loss. If you’ve seen and enjoyed it – let me know!

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© Shannon Ridler, 2007