Am I the only one..

[Our Year]

who thinks The Wicker Man is rubbish

Im sorry but i dont see wot all the fuss is about

 

[aprout]

Nope, I'm with you there. It's rubbish.

I've seen scarier episodes of Bagpuss.

 

[sleepyone]

Me too, my first viewing of this was very recent, 2007, and while I can see why some people might think it's great classic cinema it's just not my cup of tea.

I almost bought it on DVD but saw it first on Ch4 and glad i saved my money*



*on reflection this is a ridiculous statement considering i have such greats as Alligator2: The Mutation in my collection

 

[WildeKarde]

I would have to disagree as I quite like it and think it's a pretty decent film. It's not able to compete with most horror films per se but it has it's place in history.

I'm sure it was quite a low budget film at the time and wasn't that popular when released and has developed it's popularity since then.

 

[Sonic67]

The Nicholas Cage one is poor, the original was brilliant. It was the ending for me. I expected a police helicopter to turn up or something and then...

 

[figoagogo]

Is a good movie - but not a scare-fest.

It works (IMO) by building up the tension slowly, the weird things going on etc, then there is that ending which is great.

Definitely a slow movie, not sure it deserves the credit it gets, but certainly unique amongst its genre.

 

[darklight]

One person's classic is another person's crapfest....That's why we're all different....Thank God

 

[Pincho Paxton]

It doesn't reach it's full potential, but it's Ok.

 

[hooray33]

Are you mad? It's mint!

I love it as a dark comedy to be fair though - caught it on the advice of a fellow fan of the League Of Gentlemen and viewed as a dark but slightly comic caper it hits the spot quite nice. Being intoxicated when you watch it does help. Oh, and Brit's bits.....mmmmmmmmm!

 

[Steve T]

It's superb. That is all.



in my humble opinion of course!

 

[huwg]

I like the film, Christopher Lee is excellent in it
"Do sit down, shocks are so much better absorbed with the knees bent"

 

[domtheone]

Is the OP taking about the Nic Cage one (not seen) or the original?

Original is a classic.

Absolutely fabulous closing scene too

 

[Our Year]

Is the OP taking about the Nic Cage one (not seen) or the original?

Original is a classic.

Absolutely fabulous closing scene too

Original

 

[domtheone]

Is the OP taking about the Nic Cage one (not seen) or the original?

Original is a classic.

Absolutely fabulous closing scene too

Original

 

[Our Year]

sorry but I cant see the fascination

 

[Speedoguy]

Great film - reminds me a bit like one of the tales of the unexpected episodes only an extended version.

A young sexy Britt Ekland was also a plus.(even though I later learned that she had a stand in for some of her flesh scenes as she had a bun in the oven).

 

[McNab]

I can understand why people don't like the original version. I like it though, due to the odd and unsettling island people and of course the ending.

As for the Nic Cage version, I've not seen it yet but I really wish it was like this comedy trailer someone has put together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_mW8mBzmHo

It's always worth seeing that again

 

[Garrett]

Great film - reminds me a bit like one of the tales of the unexpected episodes only an extended version.

Exacly what I though, or a Hammer House of Horrors SPOILER

Spoiler

it had doom writen all over it you knew somthing was not as clear cut as it should be and knew all the time he was diging his own hole but not quite what and was being played and manipulated, unfortunatly when things are doom laiden from the start the end comes as no suprise and if it had been up beat that would have been a twist.

Cant say it was my favorite film or the worst one I enjoyed the full version a lot more than the shorter version.

 

[wastedyuthe]

I think the problem with the original is the fact (as some people have already pointed out on here) it is unfortunately and inaccurately labelled a 'horror', and is anything but. As a film, I think it is excellent, and actually prefer the theatrical version to the DC too. But I agree with the director that it shouldn't be classed a horror. If the film had been classed as a drama and people would watch it expecting it to be a drama, then I'm sure people won't be so disappointed with it's lack of scares. It isn't meant to be that kind of film.

 

[the_pauley]

Forget what it's labelled as, the original Wicker Man is quite simply one of the greatest movies ever made. Anyone that disagrees wants their eyes poking out with hot needles.

Regardless of what the rest of the movie's tone was, the end sequence is one of the most genuinely chilling experiences I have ever had in a cinema, and on it's own certainly earns the "horror" tag.

That closing sequence on its own has more genuine horror in it than the likes of Halloween the 13th on Elm Street manage in their entire running time.

The Nic Cage version, alas (as feared), sucked on runny eggs.

 

[figoagogo]

the end sequence is one of the most genuinely chilling experiences I have ever had in a cinema, and on it's own certainly earns the "horror" tag.

Agreed, but for some I think they find getting to that point hard work, its a pretty slow movie.

I like the build up, the sense of "something wrong and general "weirdness", but is not a movie I would watch over and over again.

I would also class it as horror, and it proves that horror does just have to be about slashing/blood/guts etc, it can be intelligent Something the recent glut of hoolywood "horror" could/should learn from.

 

[Chox1988]

Forget what it's labelled as, the original Wicker Man is quite simply one of the greatest movies ever made. Anyone that disagrees wants their eyes poking out with hot needles.

Regardless of what the rest of the movie's tone was, the end sequence is one of the most genuinely chilling experiences I have ever had in a cinema, and on it's own certainly earns the "horror" tag.

That closing sequence on its own has more genuine horror in it than the likes of Halloween the 13th on Elm Street manage in their entire running time.

The Nic Cage version, alas (as feared), sucked on runny eggs.

dont agree about it being such a great film, personally thought it was above average, but couldnt agree more about the end being very very chilling, brilliant ending. Enough to earn its own merit as a horror, seems very 'real' for want of a better phrase, did an incredible job of a sense of something not being right.

 

[Garrett]

That closing sequence on its own has more genuine horror in it than the likes of Halloween the 13th on Elm Street manage in their entire running time.

I had the pleasure of seeing the film knowing nothing what so ever about it, it was a support film as you say a lot better than the likes of Halloween the 13th on Elm Street and though had a very uneasy feel to it although the 2 films you mention I always though over rated.

Forget what it's labelled as, the original Wicker Man is quite simply one of the greatest movies ever made. Anyone that disagrees wants their eyes poking out with hot needles.

I hope that was a joke, peeps are entitled to there own opinion 1984 came and went and was nothing like the book or film.

 

[Steve McQueef]

who thinks The Wicker Man is rubbish

Im sorry but i dont see wot all the fuss is about

You're not the only one. I personally can't stand a great deal of these so called classics.

 

[Pincho Paxton]

Horror

I think that the term horror has slowly evolved, and is now re-classed to something different than the days of Hammer movies. I would call the Wicker Man a Hammer Horror, but it only works with the word Hammer at the beginning. Other words might work like Cult Horror, but the variants are all pointing slightly North/west away from the term Horror. If you break The Wicker Man into its prime elements throughout each act, you find that the acts before the finale' are nowhere close to Horror category. They are all occult related, but not scary. They are mystifying, and intriguing and create a strong bonding, a foundation that is as strong as the final sequence. The story also strays into a certain percentage of garbage, that you would not have thought could come from the same pen. This drags the whole movie down a few pegs, and also helps to remove the Horror specification from the overall final build.

Finally.. The end sequence is scary as a one shot scare. How many movies can get away with a single scary sequence? Could Alien get away with a single kill? Would this single kill re-categorise the movie?

I also don't like the Drama category either for Wicker Man, or Lost for that matter. We are missing some movie tags from our pockets, and need to create some new ones.