Wicker Man, The
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I'm sure many of you out there have already seen the movie Wicker Man. What!?! Some of you haven't? Well, then let me tell you what it is all about and if this edition is worth the purchase. I remember when I was little I would walk by the horror section of my local video store and ogle all the wonderful covers. This was the days of the big plastic covered VHS boxes, not the nice neat small cardboard ones. I would always walk by the Wicker Man and stare at the cover. What the hell was this movie about? Who is the wicker man, and how could wicker be deemed scary?
Some years later I finally experienced the movie. I say experienced as opposed to watched, because this is an odd bird. Part musical, crime mystery and horror the wicker man is odd and very British.

Edward Woodward (To U.S audiences from the great Equalizer show) plays Sergeant Howie. A stout Christian, Howie flies into the island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a lost girl. The station had received a letter from an islander stating that the little girl has been missing for some time. Once Sergeant Howie arrives at the island however, no one has any knowledge of the girl's disappearance nor even the girl's existence.

Not wanting to give up the case and sensing that something is off with this island, the sergeant continues his investigation. What he finds deeper is an island of followers from old British folklore full of sex, dance and may poles led by the Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee). Of course this conflicts with those strong Christian morals that Howie has, and causes even more distrust in the surrounding mystery of the lost girl. This all leads up to one twisted and powerful ending when the truth is revealed.

Again, the movie is odd. It is brilliantly acted and visually stunning, yet it is also along the lines of a major mind rape. Going into the movie you of course see how odd the townsfolk are. With their singing, nude women running around and religious beliefs you start to feel that these are some twisted individuals. Well, I am all for women just to dance around nude at anytime, so let's skip that part. On the other hand, when you see Howie scold the islanders for their views, you start to see some ignorance coming from him. Who is Howie to say that these townsfolk are heathens, just because they do not have the same beliefs as himself? Looking further into it, are the islanders odd just because they have different beliefs? Of course, that is a certain way to look at it.

The other way is that this is a smart mystery movie with horrific undertones that is a classic in every sense of the word. Now, if you have not seen this, then be warned. There are enough moments of singing to give you the slight feel of watching a musical, however I enjoyed these moments. It all added to the oddity that is The Wicker Man. Also, we are blessed with a nude dance number by Britt Ekland. Now if a normal nude woman was singing to me as a way of seduction I would definitely have to pass on that. With ole' Britt though, I could forgive.

While this is by default deemed a horror movie, I have to disagree. This is more of a psychological mystery. Gore hounds will be disappointed with the movie's lack of gore, but trust me when I say that it is definitely not needed here. If you have not seen the movie before or don't mind double dipping by buying another copy, then I say rush out and get this two-disc double edition of the film. You are given commentaries, documentaries and both original theatrical and extended version of the film. Of course there's more, but just take my word for it and buy this. The Wicker Man is a brilliantly made movie, that while dated in appearance of hairstyle and clothing, still has a kick to it.

Added:  Thursday, January 04, 2007
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