The Wicker Man

It’s strange that there isn't a dedicated thread for this movie yet. Most critics consistently rank it as one of the better horror films out there.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070917/
To be honest, I’d probably categorize it as a thriller rather than horror, but that's splitting hairs.
I spent quite a while hunting down a copy of The Wicker Man. Once I finally sat down to watch it, I wasn't exactly blown away. Perhaps I've just become desensitized by much more intense films, but to me, it felt pretty mediocre.
What does everyone else think of it?
I've included a poll here. What do you all think about including a poll in the opening post of a movie thread?
We could even start an official forum ranking list for films.
(Maybe the moderators could pin polls to existing movie threads... or perhaps I'm asking too much and that's a silly idea.)

The real reason I'm posting is because of the upcoming remake of that film.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450345/
It stars Nicolas Cage along with a few other mostly lesser-known actresses. Neil LaBute is handling the direction (not unlike Nurse Betty).
I'll check it out if it hits theaters or becomes available to stream, but I'm not setting my expectations high.

I suppose the original is just an absolute masterpiece 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Man, I picked it up this past Monday, but I haven't actually sat down to watch it yet... definitely gonna dive into it as soon as I can though...

4
There are certainly some aesthetically pleasing sequences, though I find the pacing tends to drag quite heavily at times.
What kind of horror are we talking about? Honestly... what exactly have you been watching lately?

Great movie

It’s one of those films I’ve been chasing my entire life

Back when I was just a kid, I saw some documentary about ancient pagans and there was this one clip from this movie tucked inside

I spent fifteen years hunting this thing down before I finally sat through it in 2003.
Absolute masterpiece.

Just a heads up—watch out because there's an 87-minute cut and a 99-minute version out there.

I've got it on my hard drive and on DVD🙂

goldenhound32 said:4
There are some nice scenes, but the pacing drags a bit.
Horror? Please... what kind of lists have you been reading?

I honestly can't remember which specific lists I was looking at. All I know is they were good enough to make me track the movie down.
It isn't a horror movie to me.
As a thriller, it's fine, but it just didn't click for me—which doesn't mean it isn't a good film (some might even call it a masterpiece).
That whole hippie, New Age, Wiccan dialogue in the movie is just irritating. I get that it was trendy in the '70s, and since we're watching a remake, it's clearly still playing to current trends.
The New Age, spiritual, Orientalist, Westernized Feng Shui nonsense makes my skin crawl (if I actually had hair to stand on end).
Maybe that's why I couldn't get into it.

I believe I have the director's cut myself😍

I’ve had enough of this movie.

Hardy is a cinematic masterpiece in its own right. Especially when you consider the absolute gauntlet the production had to run through just to finally reach theaters...
I know Hollywood decided to greenlight some kind of remake a few years back... honestly, I don't even want to know what that turned out like.

Mark Wood79 said:Hardy is an absolute cinematic institution. Especially considering everything it had to go through just to reach theaters...
I know Hollywood decided to do some kind of remake a few years back... I don't even want to imagine how that turned out.

Nicolas Cage is acting, and honestly, the only thing in this movie that actually makes sense is his refusal to die at the end. Everything else? Just wtf. 😕
Though I highly doubt we haven't seen stuff like this before... Americans are practically full of those strange cultist types... at least according to the movies. ☕

I don't really get why people label this movie a horror; I guess the logic is just weird... Anyway, I thought it was great. Everything from those remote locations in Scotland to that strange community living strictly by pre-Christian beliefs, plus that bizarre landowner... My only issue is the ending—it felt totally off, maybe because I'm used to the typical Hollywood style that doesn't leave you overthinking things. I won't spoil it, but I'd still recommend it! 🙂

It’s a total nightmare, honestly.

Sean Nguyen4 said:I honestly don't get the logic behind slapping a horror label on this movie—seriously, what are they even thinking? I mean, where is the actual terror? It’s just... not there. Is it because of a few jump scares or some creepy atmosphere? Because if that's the bar, then we need to rethink everything. I really can't wrap my head around how anyone classifies this as a horror flick.

I’ve been sitting here with this constant, nagging sense of unease—it’s that specific cocktail of paranoia and genuine dread that I actually go looking for when I sit down to watch a horror flick. If you aren't feeling a little bit unsettled, what's even the point? But that ending... man, that was just straight-up brutal.

Sean Nguyen4 said:The only thing that really threw me for a loop was how bizarre the ending felt—though, honestly, maybe that’s just because I’ve been conditioned by that typical Hollywood formula where everything is wrapped up in a neat little bow? You know, those movies that leave you sitting there thinking absolutely nothing once the credits roll? This one didn't quite follow that script. I won't give away any spoilers, but I'd say go see it! 🙂

What exactly do you find so bizarre about where you live? Is it the local politics—which, let’s be honest, can be an absolute circus depending on which state you call home—or is it just that general sense of suburban malaise that seems to settle over everything? I mean, sometimes you look around and wonder if everyone is just playing a part in some low-budget sitcom, right? Or maybe it's the way the infrastructure just... fails? It's hard to put my finger on what makes a place feel "off," but we all know that feeling when a town just doesn't sit right with you. So, go on then—what's the weirdest thing about your neck of the woods?

Edward Hernandez332 said:What's weird about where I live? I guess everything about this place is a little off. Maybe it's just me.

spoiler Like you said, the movie stays pretty unsettling the whole time, but nothing major actually happens. It feels almost like a thriller. Then they go ahead and sacrifice a cop at the end—I honestly thought they were going to pull some kind of gimmick. I guess that made the ending unexpected, and maybe a little brutal.

Sean Nguyen4 said:spoiler: It’s like what you said—there's this constant sense of dread hanging over the whole thing, but fundamentally? Not much actually happens. It plays more like a thriller. And then, out of nowhere, they go ahead and sacrifice the cop at the end... I honestly thought they were going to pull some cheap trick there. That’s why the finale caught me off guard—it was surprisingly brutal.

spoiler: For me, the true horror lies in that creeping unease. You have all these people acting somewhat mysterious, sure, but they’re also incredibly polite—hell, they’re even cheerful. And that's the most terrifying part, isn't it? They genuinely believe they are doing something righteous. All in all, an excellent film.😁

My take? This was a seriously solid horror flick... 👍

I mean, yeah, this movie absolutely hits hard... the scenery is just stunning, and there's that lingering sense of mystery, that eerie little community vibe, plus that really engaging soundtrack and a finale that is honestly just shocking and totally caught me off guard. It’s such a great film, I think.

Seriously, this is just top-tier in every single way...

4/5—I’m talking about the original version, not that one with the cage... 😁

The movie is top-tier.🙏

To me, it’s got plenty of horror elements. Just because it doesn't rely on cheap jump scares doesn't mean it isn't a horror film. Atmosphere is what actually matters.