Edward Woodward used to live about 8 miles away from me in Cornwall, I met him 3 times and on the 2nd occasion i plucked up the courage to tell him he was in one of my favourite films of all time. He looked at me, raised an eybrow and said "Wicker Man"? I said yes and he said "Thanks, I'm still proud of that one"!
Christopher Lee's desire to walk away from his role as Dracula was so great that he agreed to play the starring role of Lord Summerisle for free and he considered it to be his best film and his best performance!
Christopher Lee named this as the greatest film he'd ever been in, during his incredible career of over 200 movies spanning eight decades. And it definitely has one of his best pieces of acting, when Howie makes his declaration that when the harvest doesn't return next year, Summerisle himself will be sacrificed. Lee's silent facial reaction makes clear that the point hits home, and even though he quickly recovers and confidently says this sacrifice will work, you can see just a bit of that doubt remaining, as even if Summerisle himself doesn't believe in the island's paganism (and I love how vague the movie is about this, fully letting you make your own conclusion) everyone else absolutely does, and he'll be left in a mess of his own making.
200 MOVIES!? holy freakin' crap, dude! i knew Lee was god's gift to cinema, but wow... i'm... taken aback to say the least, i love his work but i had no idea he had his hand in that much.
@@UltimateGamerCC and he was a war hero, published 3 heavy metal albums, was friends with Tolkyen, watched the last execution on France, man if I turn to be half of what he was I am already acomplished.
I think it's worth pointing out that Howie (the policeman) isn't just a prude because it was 1973, it's because he was a devout Scottish Presbyterian. He would would have been highly exceptional even for 1973. The average British citizen was far more relaxed about sex than that, especially in England and the major cities. He is the protagonist because his strong beliefs would contrast so starkly with those of the islanders and because if he had not been a devout member of such a restrictive denomination then he probably wouldn't have been a virgin at his age, married or not.
this has always been one of my favourite movies, a creepy foreshadowing i didn’t notice at first was the beetle represents howie going round and round until he was literally trapped.
You mention a few times that you're trying to keep in mind that it was the '70s to understand the portrayal of Howie's religious views, but he was actually intended to be over the top even for the time, and a lot of fans say a big highlight of the film is that both sides are shown to have their pros and cons. The real trouble is that the intended first scene of the film isn't included in the version on Amazon (there are a TON of different versions of the film out there due to the studio being very uneasy about this kind of material), where we see Howie in his home town, where his co-workers in the police mock his taking religion so seriously. With that context, he suddenly becomes a lot more understandable as you see him struggling to keep his cool with the villagers throwing all the most extreme parts of their paganism in his face, and only starts shouting that Christianity is the only true religion when they just WILL NOT STOP dicking around with him (and keep in mind that this is all deliberate on their part to get him into the role of "the fool," as if he'd shown any real open-mindedness toward their religion, he probably wouldn't have fit the role).
100000% agreed with this I didn't mean to be like "WELL IT WAS THIS TIME PERIOD--" but I do know that the further we go back in our world's history, the more, specifically Christianity, plays a huge role in literally everything. So that was my only big reason of saying that.
I will never forget the first time I saw this. The last five minutes is one of the biggest gut punches in any film I've ever seen and completely devastated me.
A heart wrenching, spine chilling, brain draining masterpiece, without a single trace of the supernatural and yet, a hundred times scarier than any ghoul and ghost! The Willow Song haunts my dreams still!
One thing of note: Had he not shown up for May Day, and they gave him ample reasons and time to leave, Rowan would have been the sacrifice. So he at least saved the girl? Yay?
One amusing side note to this film is that the character Willow is the product of no fewer than FOUR performers. Britt Ekland physically plays the role, but the Swedish actress was unable to do a convincing Scottish accent and was dubbed by two others, one for her spoken lines and another for the song. Ekland also only agreed to be filmed nude from the waist up, so the full body shots are another woman (you might notice that her face is never seen during these shots, assuming you can tear your view away from the rest of it). She was actually unknowingly recently pregnant when the scene was filmed!
I was about 14 or 15 when I watched this. It was the first film I watched that didn't end with the good guy winning. It is one of the best films I've ever seen because it stays with you. Once seen, never forgotten.
UK person here, to give a very basic overview of some cultural context that might help with any further analysis of this film: This movie is such a work of art, and really touches on a lot of the social/cultural low key upheaval in England/the UK at the time; More traditional English society/culture/values were giving way to the effects of increased globalisation, decrease in industrialisation, and the fact that the country was increasingly out from under the shadow of WW2. The 70s were a period of downturn after the relatively upbeat and experimental 1960s, where British culture was a major export for the nation (The Beatles, Mod style, etc.) and led to a period of cultural reflection, in which there was almost a contention between those who embraced the 60s and the hope and creativity that was cultivated within the English social sphere and media, versus the more traditional concerns and anxieties-- The religious dialogue in this movie in particular is interesting to note: The Christian man quotes from the Church of England's Book of Prayer and uses their commonly accepted prayer format (you may have picked up on some variations in the Lord's Prayer etc. which are evident when comparing CofE materials to, let's say, other Protestant or Catholic ones-- in the UK this is a very, very big deal with a long history) and the pagans are referencing several Brittonic and Celtic beliefs; This plays into some lingering political and historical tensions, and is almost a riff on the idea of culturally conservative English angst: If they want the good old days back, well, how far back are they willing to go? Who says what the good old days were, or if they were good for everyone, or even good at all? At the same time, it plays the opposite viewpoint as well: Although the pagans are generally upbeat, have a strong community, and thrive within their own creative and free- therefore uniquely distinctive- culture (similar to and yet also the opposite of the more conservative argument for a national and more structured identity as something of importance), we see how far they are willing to go to enact these traditions and uphold this communal system of belief (which is ironically very rigid and structured in contrast with their general approach to life right down to their individual fashion choices), including the fully intentional act of assembling purely to lead a person to a horrific ritualised death. The Christian, as they state clearly, represents the "King's law"-- He represents the conservative, "classic" modern English ideals of order, justice within a framework dictated by monarchy/established law, and is a clean-cut almost generic English middle aged man. The Pagans are much more diverse, with longer hair, more patterned clothing, certain affectations that suggest various "alternative" types of personality, and increasingly behave in a manic way; This is because we see them from the POV of the Christian, who embodies the anxieties and feeling of being the odd-one-out amidst the changing tides of culture and evolving social, political, economic, and other aspects of life that were undergoing major and near-constant change from the end of WW2 into the mid/late 80s in England. The Christian is killed in a very Biblical way, quite literally; the CofE Book of Common Prayer also, if I remember correctly, includes a prayer or two for circumstances of death/time of death reading, and of course it's Christianity so there's reference to avoiding flames/fire as representative of the Devil; This plays back into the hand of the more conservative fears, that the hippies and weirdos are literally "the Devil". The Pagans represent change, and to some degree, rebellion against the structure of the Crown and many aspects of British society that are considered oppressive and/or regressive. Literally, they even burn down the literal structure of the wicker man, along with the spiritual embodiment of the establishment that they wish to purge from the land like a blight upon their crops... Another biblical reference, which makes up the core literal plot of the film. They burn him down in the end, and we see the sun in a final frame of light that could be interpreted out of context as being either a dawn or dusk shot of the sky: Is the end of the "classical" modern English society a good thing, allowing for a true return to values of personal freedom alongside communal unity and strength, some of the most traditional aspects of British life going back to the earliest days, before Christianity, before the Crown? Or is the end of classic, modern English society in such an abrupt and severe way inevitably going to result in shock at such upheaval, something that could inevitably result in a descent into gleeful chaos for better or worse, even if the intention is to both return to the roots of the land and simultaneously open up a more free future? Essentially: The Pagans are an existentialist anarchist/communist coded pre-history traditionalist threat (perceived chaos), and The Christian represents the tangible present monarchical hierarchy of structured society and embodies the traditionalist modern history threat (oppression, repression, and suppression). I could keep going, but holy shit, I already wrote an essay. This movie is so fucking good.
Growing up in a pagan household, I normally cringe at films that depict pagans as brainwashing sacrificial zealots - but this one in particular is my guilty pleasure NGL.
Didn't grow up Pagan, but found it later. And I usually cringe as well, but this is done so well. Also Dragnet with Dan Akroyd and Tom Hanks is another guilty pleasure.
Even while burning Howie alive, the islanders are never depicted as evil or demented, only joyful. If anyone watches The Wicker Man and is 100% on Howie's side, they are probably pretty toxic and intolerant too.
@@monsterlair they’re only presented as joyful? Intentionally making it look like they’re all covering up the murder of a little girl to keep a policeman around so they can murder him isn’t evil? Howie reacts to everything he sees how any outsider would, he’s just religious too.
@@DavidAGIII You have to be joking. Are you seriously saying that everyone in the world would react and act with such intolerance as Howie? I know i wouldn't. Howies religious intolerance informs his every action on Summerisle.
I know Christopher Lee gets most of the attention for this film and rightfully so, it's a great performance for a role that was written specifically for him that didn't require Dracula fangs and as a person he led a truly remarkable life especially during the war where he claims he served with the SAS behind enemy lines but some are saying that's a lie and he was military intelligence only. For me Edward Woodward's performance drives this film forward and the final scene to this day fills me with dread . So many horror films are instantly forgettable and formulaic so any film that tries to do something a little different where there isnt a jump scare every 5 minutes will get my attention. BTW Great job Sam, you always seem to pick movies that not many uploaders do as they tend to go for whatever is hot at the moment to get the most views , i love squid game but it's getting so over exposed at the moment with seemingly everybody concentrating on that and uploading reactions to it
He claimed only that he was attached to them during that time, the difference being that you work alongside them rather than directly for them. In any case, he still did a lot of badass things. :)
@@Kainlarsen I remember hearing once about early SAS missions despite the name special air service were actually driven to missions via jeep after an early air drop resulted in the accidental death of a few early recruits and they were vague on what unit did the driving to and from the job so if he was involved I'd say it was likely he would have been a driver for them which is definitely still badass
@@iansmith4023 True . Christopher Lee was asked about this moment and he said that when Sgt.Howie exclaims" Jesus Christ " when he sees the Wicker Man for the first time , you have to remember that Howie is a deeply religious man . He isnt blaspheming , he is calling on Divine Intervention .
Thank you, thank you, thank you for watching this; I’ve yet to see anyone else react to this masterpiece of cinema. I have been a fan of The Wicker Man since I saw it when I was about 15. It is arguably the greatest British horror film of all time & rightly so. Over the years, I visited several of the filming locations in Scotland; Plockton where Sgt Howie lands is an amazing little village near Kyle of Lochalsh on the north west coast. Back in 2007 I had the great honour of meeting Sir Christopher Lee. I’ve been a fan of his for as long as I could remember, thanks due to his incredible body of work with Hammer Films. We had a lengthy conversation about those films & the production of The Wicker Man. Right up until to his death, Lee remained adamant that there was a much longer cut of this film. Rumour has it, British Lion films disposed of hundreds of reels; one of which was this much longer cut of The Wicker Man. Then in 2013, we got The Final Cut of The Wicker Man. This involved a restoration of the original theatrical print & also the few additional scenes that had been re-edited into it for the directors cut several years earlier. Which ever version you watch, The Wicker Man always leaves a last impression on you. Fun Fact: when I was at first school (age 5-10 here in the UK at the time) we had an annual May Day Fair…….complete with May Pole Dancing. What can I say, I grew up in a village in the Yorkshire Dales. Several places in Cornwall still hold festivals around that time of the year. The most famous being the Obby 'Oss festival, which is held in Padstow every May Day.
I was so excited to see you react to this! This has become quite the cult classic over the years. What drew me to it was the music… it's really almost like a horror musical. It's nightmarish, melodic and haunting, and the last scene that you mentioned where they are singing and dancing around the burning wicker man is this is like something out of a nightmare and like you said, darkly humorous. And doesn't Christopher Lee have a great voice!
I’ve seen this movie many times, and yet bizarrely, that ending only really hit me on my last viewing...as in the truly horrible fate of a character. It is a horror movie, but in a way you would never in a million years see coming. Great reaction!
I really enjoyed the reaction. The movie was made at a time (late 60s/early 70s) when there was a massive interest in black magic and horror. It was also the time of the sexual revolution, when sexual matters became more explicit and open.
This whole film is about faith; both his and theirs... and how it can damn you. The looming impication that their crops are going to fail regardless of their sacrifice of him is kind of what makes this even more horrifying to me. This is the film Midsommar WISHES it was.
One of my favourite films ever ...! The sound track is so unique and they used the local people for that film... just the creepyness of it, just freaks you out...Christopher Lee said it was his favourite film.
"Oh God! Oh Jesus Christ!" 😃 One of my favourite movies! It's never quite what you expect the first time. As for the Nic Cage version, it's one of the funniest movies ever made. I highly recommend both
Two days ago my fiance left me without a rhyme or reason. I was devastated. I have only been crying and numb. I started watching your reaction videos and I can't even. Your reactions are priceless. Watching you react to some of my favorite films makes me cry with laughter. When you said, "I swear this guy is gonna get killed by the end of this damn movie," I was barreled over in laughter. You're my new favorite youtuber. Thank you for bringing light to me in these dark times.
I am so, so sorry that your fiance left you like that. That's absolutely devastating. Take care of yourself, friend. Give yourself those cry sessions, give yourself time to heal. Things will be hard for a bit, but I know you'll be able to push on and carry on. I am so happy though, to see that you enjoy my content. Thank you so much for watching and being apart of this community, I really appreciate the nice comments and for you watching. Thank you again. My thoughts are with you!
I loved this reaction video! I never would have thought in a million years to suggest it, thanks Moon Brooke! Sam, I know exactly how you felt! Last year, I went into this movie blind, just on the title, I didn't even know it was a horror movie! I'm watching this thing, and for a while, I thought it was a musical! Like a weird, trippy musical! The guy was annoying, but it seemed like he was supposed to be. I was very resistant but it pulled me in. I completely agree: a culty, creepy kinda movie, a slow burn but a good watch overall. I would have been very pissed if the movie didn't "pay off"! And I had a feeling that it wouldn't! The creepy feeling lingered with me for a couple of days - that's the mark of a good horror movie (or any movie!) in my opinion. I only saw it once, but I'm looking forward to seeing it again one day because I'll be able to "relax" with it and enjoy the first section of the movie more. The haunting song in the pub and the song she sings to seduce him are two of my favorite parts.....and they were by a local musician from the island! All the music was written by a local musician, and played by a local band. That's not "professional" film music. LOVED this reaction; the look on your face the whole movie was priceless. Finding yourself suddenly being sacrificed in the Wicker Man.....if that's not a horror movie, at least it's the Twilight Zone! :P
It's kind of a shame it's got such a big reputation as a horror movie now, since for most of it you could easily get the feeling you're just watching a detective story that happens to be in an unusual setting, and then get even more blindsided by the ending.
@@Rmlohner Totally. My only clue was Christopher Lee! And I quickly forgot about him after the opening credits because you don't see him for a while. Plus the music in the beginning is....misleading, to say the least! Doesn't give you much to go on!
@@Rmlohner Even Christopher Lee has stated that they didn't make a horror film, but a detective story with a shocking end. Shame it gets the label it does.
Interesting trivia about this movie: Britt Eckland who played Willow didn't want to do the scene in the hotel room nude. She was willing to do the scene bare chested, but not fully nude. So for the full nude shots, the filmmakers used her stunt double instead.
Now you need to do rest of of the Unholy Trilogy: Witchfinder General [The Conqueror Worm] (1968) and The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971). They're not connected in any way, they are just considered the classics of British folk horror.
Always thought Witchfinder General was so-so, but Blood on Satan's Claw is fantastic fun. The Devil Rides Out is another banger, and of course Night of the Demon (1957).
You maybe interested to know that this year, The Wicker Man is celebrating it's 50th anniversary. Throughout 2013 over in England there have been various celebrations to commemorate this movie. One of these showing of the movie even had the actress who played Willow, (Britt Ekland) being interviewed, I was at that showing.
As a big fan of this film, I am always amused by watching the reactions to those new to the film. It never fails to throw the viewer off guard. It is so entertaining to watch you react to this. It’s just a shame you watched the severely cut theatrical version rather than the full length Directors cut which sets the scene and introduces Howies character better. So, would you watch it again as it has a massive cult following, myself must of watched it more than 30 times now?
he spends the entire visit to the island telling them what to do and how hideous and wrong they are in their ways. they treat him kindly and do nothing to harm him... offering him countless ways to escape his fate... they warn him, they tempt him to forget his christian virtues, the advise him thoughout that he should go and to leave them be - none of which he heeded, he failed to treat them as equals or respect their beliefs and his god was powerless to prevent any of it... making himself the elected one. the sun returning at the end with its promise of harvests and abundance... is amazing.
Hi, I live in Scotland and the film is very popular here, haha, but seriously, I've been to most of the locations on day trips or camping holidays, please don't let this movie make you scared of coming to Scotland, it is pure fiction. The late Edward Woodward made a very good job of playing a repressed Scottish police officer, Woodward himself is not Scottish but he got the accent very well and his performance was met with great approval by Scottish people, he became an honorary Scot and he often visited back to the pub at one of the locations and was always greeted with a warm welcome...great movie, extremely disturbing and harrowing, it kinda leaves you speechless..even in shock!
fun research and historicity involved. Note the "pagans" chanting in contrast to the "christian" hymn. The pagan song is in fact from a real piece of middle english, the "spring carol": Sumer is icumen in Lhude sing cuccu Groweþ sed and bloweþ med and springþ þe wde nu Sing cuccu Awe bleteþ after lomb lhouþ after calue cu Bulluc sterteþ bucke uerteþ murie sing cuccu Cuccu cuccu Wel singes þu cuccu ne swik þu nauer nu Sing cuccu nu • Sing cuccu. Sing cuccu • Sing cuccu nu
btw i'd recommend "Race with the Devil" from 1975 as a great underrated American horror/thriller. I wont give anything anyway but something about 70's horrors in terms of setting the right tone of creeping dread from seemingly no escape seems to be missing from a lot of today's horrors
@@LeviAckerman-cb5ji that's the one. Rewatching the wicker man kind of reminded me of it in terms of the paranoia of the feeling of being watched by everybody, the religious link with pagans being replaced by another form of non Christian worship and the ending. I know it's not the greatest movie but it's one that stuck with me so much from one viewing when I was a kid that I rewatched it as an adult and it held up fairly well. I'm not the biggest fan of Peter Fonda's acting but I liked the idea the film poses of being hunted down by an enemy who's members seem to be all over the country Those movies tend to scare me more than supernatural or gory horror
@@A-small-amount-of-peas I'm a pretty big fan of theological horror and macabre films as well. If you haven't already, you should check out The Sentinel (1977) and Burnt offerings (1976). The effects don't hold up too well (especially on bluray) but the stories do.
British animal rights groups protested the fact that animals were going to be "sacrificed". Anthony Shaffer wrote a letter to the newspapers saying that "only cute, fluffy animals would be sacrificed", showing how stupid their concerns were. This is not really a "horror film", but a serious examination of belief in genre form, which is why Christopher Lee did it for scale.
Thanks, Moon Brooke for suggesting it for her to check out! This was a blast to watch. I already wrote this above, but I went into this movie a year ago completely blind, I didn't even know it was a horror movie especially when it seemed like it might be a weird, early 70s musical! My only clue was Christopher Lee was in it. The movie ended up creeping me out for days which, for me, is the mark of a great horror movie. Thanks again for your part in bringing this video to mine eyes!
It helps that this community is explicitly said to be the brainchild of an upper class guy in the 1800s where there was much less research easily available about what pagans are actually like.
The real issue raised here is how much of the human conscience is family and socially conditioned---for these guys all of it. WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY PETRIFYING.
Funny story - Sgt. Howie's monologue at the end while he was burning alive, in real life one of the goats that was in the wicker man was scared of the special effects and kept peeing on the actor's head during it.
I've paused my Patreon right now due to being on hiatus for 3 months! I didn't wanna keep it open/keep getting money from people as I was putting out no new conTent. But I will be opening it up again soon since I'll be coming back sooner rather than later.
"Naturally! It's much too dangerous to jump through the fire with your clothes on!" is one of my favourite lines in cinema ever. Its delivered in such a wonderful way, like Christopher Lee is talking to a silly child. The Salmon of Knowledge is wonderful too.
I was 14 when I saw this in a theater, and I was not accompanied by an adult, even though it was rated R. In other words, I got to see all the nudity on a 50 foot screen, which didn't bother me, but the context that it was presented in did. What really disturbed me, where the crazy types in the audience who were chuckling through the climax of the movie. Let's just say that I watched my back on the way out.
Howie was a particularly tight-arsed individual, even for that time and that subsection of Christianity. Someone pointed out that this is possibly the only time in any film ever when a character shouts "Jesus Christ!" and it's not a blasphemy. The "making of" has even more twists and turns than the actual film - how it was "lost", found, cut up, butchered, reassembled, recut ... you name it.. There was some talk about changing the ending, a "sudden rainstorm" putting the fire out in time to save him; also talk of a sequel - set immediacy after but being filmed decades later - where the islanders were punished for their sin by suddenly getting decades older.
There's a slightly extended version that starts with the police actually receiving the letter. I haven't seen the extended version in about 25 years, so I can't remember how much more detail it provided.
The Wicker Man is the greatest film I have ever seen. I first saw it over forty years ago. I have seen this version and the extended version many times. I find the slightly shorter version is far better than the longer. Ingrid Pitt who plays one of the three priestesses thought the same way.
Some fans got the idea that Willow was trying to save Howie with that whole song routine, as he wouldn't be a proper sacrifice if he lost his virginity. Unfortunately, a cut scene was later rediscovered that makes clear he only had to arrive a virgin.
I always assumed her part of the plan was to test him; that someone who is virgin by principle makes for a better sacrifice than someone who just hadn't met the right girl?
One of my favorite films. Flips the trope and you end up siding with the Islanders. Well, mostly. :) The religious extremist is really the cop. And then there is Willow. Heh. Not really a horror, per se.
nothing scarier than Christopher Lee in a dress !!😱😄 at the end - "some one will save him he's the main character" 2 mins later - "oh ok thats a no then"😬
The back of the DVD case I own cites Cinefantastique as calling this "The 'Citizen Kane' of horror films." Mine is the U.S. theatrical version "fully restored from original vault materials for the first time". It's a cult classic in more ways than one. It has one of my favorite horror actresses too, Ingrid Pitt. She starred in "Countess Dracula" and "The Vampire Lovers". I read her autobiography, she had a tough childhood growing up in a German concentration camp and later having to flee communist East Berlin when the wall went up.
the wicker man is easilymy fave film ever. id heard about it or ages before i actually saw it and just assumed it was just a good slasher/horror film. but when i picked it up and watched it it blew my mind, it was nothing like id expected. i wore out two vhs tapes (sue me im old) before buying it on dvd and ive bought the soundtrack, saw eiwings to speak to authors who have written books analysing it etc. its kind of my big obbsession. then i saw the nic cage remake and its one of the handfull of times a film has made me legit angry (but seen as a comedy it could be a good watch).
This is based on a pagan holiday just like the pagan holiday 'Midsommar' (Midsummer) another recent horror film. My friends and I were all in love with Swedish actress Britt Ekland (Willow) when we saw this as kids in the 70's.
Isn't it funny that when we see a film where the Mayan or Aztecs or some Pacific Islander sacrificing humans we kind of just shrug, BUT when the film is about White People sacrificing humans it is such a shock. This film, and Mid-Sommar are examples of that. And a film like Apocalypto is an example of the former. I find it very interest. Also, I do not see this as a horror film, and I feel that the publicity department blew it. Sure the ending is HORRIFIC, but up until then it is an excellent police procedural.
Not sure if we actually shrug but we do tend to be more accepting of film scenes showing Aztec or Mayan priests sacrificing victims...mainly because they're not set a few hours away by train from where we live and they are normally depicting things that happened centuries ago...not in a year when Ziggy Stardust was appearing on stage 😉😊
Foreskins are a thing. They are pickled in jars in Cornwall, England, and you can get them through Amazon. You boil the foreskin so they "puff up" and serve them on scones with a little orange jam on top. They are a little chewy from a jar and taste a little funky, so I prefer them fresh.
This is a masterpiece. Notice how that head bowed to the sun in the end ? Wasn’t that music beautiful, but eerie ? Composed by Paul Giovanni who is in the film and singing Gentle Johnny. Paul is gone I believe but his muse led his talent back to antiquity to get that sound .
![[Live] : ONE 168 วันนี้!! "โจนาธาน vs ซุปเปอร์เล็ก"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0jIN65KgJsI/mqdefault.jpg)
NOTE: This is not the Nic Cage version 🤣
You mean this is about failing apple crops and not Bees and Honey??
NOT THE BEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!
Edward Woodward used to live about 8 miles away from me in Cornwall, I met him 3 times and on the 2nd occasion i plucked up the courage to tell him he was in one of my favourite films of all time. He looked at me, raised an eybrow and said "Wicker Man"? I said yes and he said "Thanks, I'm still proud of that one"!
.....and thank the Wicker Man god for that! :D
You wanna talk about smelling bull. The remake was a steaming pile of it.
@@Andy-ju8bb Lmao
Christopher Lee's desire to walk away from his role as Dracula was so great that he agreed to play the starring role of Lord Summerisle for free and he considered it to be his best film and his best performance!
Yes, I love that! It was the movie he loved to talk about more than any of his others.
He did it beautifully!
...until Saruman came along.
Christopher Lee named this as the greatest film he'd ever been in, during his incredible career of over 200 movies spanning eight decades. And it definitely has one of his best pieces of acting, when Howie makes his declaration that when the harvest doesn't return next year, Summerisle himself will be sacrificed. Lee's silent facial reaction makes clear that the point hits home, and even though he quickly recovers and confidently says this sacrifice will work, you can see just a bit of that doubt remaining, as even if Summerisle himself doesn't believe in the island's paganism (and I love how vague the movie is about this, fully letting you make your own conclusion) everyone else absolutely does, and he'll be left in a mess of his own making.
200 MOVIES!? holy freakin' crap, dude! i knew Lee was god's gift to cinema, but wow... i'm... taken aback to say the least, i love his work but i had no idea he had his hand in that much.
Christopher Lee also did the movie for free.
@@UltimateGamerCC and he was a war hero, published 3 heavy metal albums, was friends with Tolkyen, watched the last execution on France, man if I turn to be half of what he was I am already acomplished.
@@srsaito9262 indeed
Yes,thank you,that brief facial gesture by Lee,is rarely ever picked up by most in-depth film reviews of this classic ! 👌👍
I think it's worth pointing out that Howie (the policeman) isn't just a prude because it was 1973, it's because he was a devout Scottish Presbyterian. He would would have been highly exceptional even for 1973. The average British citizen was far more relaxed about sex than that, especially in England and the major cities. He is the protagonist because his strong beliefs would contrast so starkly with those of the islanders and because if he had not been a devout member of such a restrictive denomination then he probably wouldn't have been a virgin at his age, married or not.
this has always been one of my favourite movies, a creepy foreshadowing i didn’t notice at first was the beetle represents howie going round and round until he was literally trapped.
You mention a few times that you're trying to keep in mind that it was the '70s to understand the portrayal of Howie's religious views, but he was actually intended to be over the top even for the time, and a lot of fans say a big highlight of the film is that both sides are shown to have their pros and cons. The real trouble is that the intended first scene of the film isn't included in the version on Amazon (there are a TON of different versions of the film out there due to the studio being very uneasy about this kind of material), where we see Howie in his home town, where his co-workers in the police mock his taking religion so seriously. With that context, he suddenly becomes a lot more understandable as you see him struggling to keep his cool with the villagers throwing all the most extreme parts of their paganism in his face, and only starts shouting that Christianity is the only true religion when they just WILL NOT STOP dicking around with him (and keep in mind that this is all deliberate on their part to get him into the role of "the fool," as if he'd shown any real open-mindedness toward their religion, he probably wouldn't have fit the role).
100000% agreed with this
I didn't mean to be like "WELL IT WAS THIS TIME PERIOD--" but I do know that the further we go back in our world's history, the more, specifically Christianity, plays a huge role in literally everything. So that was my only big reason of saying that.
So, nothing has changed. People still love throwing the extreme of their religion in each others' faces.
Both sides made quite good points tbh 🧺🔥
I will never forget the first time I saw this. The last five minutes is one of the biggest gut punches in any film I've ever seen and completely devastated me.
A heart wrenching, spine chilling, brain draining masterpiece, without a single trace of the supernatural and yet, a hundred times scarier than any ghoul and ghost! The Willow Song haunts my dreams still!
I love Wicker Man Song by Nature and Organisation. Rose McDowall's voice is wonderful.
One thing of note: Had he not shown up for May Day, and they gave him ample reasons and time to leave, Rowan would have been the sacrifice. So he at least saved the girl? Yay?
ooo... fair
@@OGBReacts wait, she would have?! I didn’t realize.
One amusing side note to this film is that the character Willow is the product of no fewer than FOUR performers. Britt Ekland physically plays the role, but the Swedish actress was unable to do a convincing Scottish accent and was dubbed by two others, one for her spoken lines and another for the song. Ekland also only agreed to be filmed nude from the waist up, so the full body shots are another woman (you might notice that her face is never seen during these shots, assuming you can tear your view away from the rest of it). She was actually unknowingly recently pregnant when the scene was filmed!
wow, i knew she was pregnant and had a body double but didnt know she was double dubbed.....crazy
I was about 14 or 15 when I watched this. It was the first film I watched that didn't end with the good guy winning. It is one of the best films I've ever seen because it stays with you. Once seen, never forgotten.
UK person here, to give a very basic overview of some cultural context that might help with any further analysis of this film:
This movie is such a work of art, and really touches on a lot of the social/cultural low key upheaval in England/the UK at the time; More traditional English society/culture/values were giving way to the effects of increased globalisation, decrease in industrialisation, and the fact that the country was increasingly out from under the shadow of WW2.
The 70s were a period of downturn after the relatively upbeat and experimental 1960s, where British culture was a major export for the nation (The Beatles, Mod style, etc.) and led to a period of cultural reflection, in which there was almost a contention between those who embraced the 60s and the hope and creativity that was cultivated within the English social sphere and media, versus the more traditional concerns and anxieties-- The religious dialogue in this movie in particular is interesting to note:
The Christian man quotes from the Church of England's Book of Prayer and uses their commonly accepted prayer format (you may have picked up on some variations in the Lord's Prayer etc. which are evident when comparing CofE materials to, let's say, other Protestant or Catholic ones-- in the UK this is a very, very big deal with a long history) and the pagans are referencing several Brittonic and Celtic beliefs;
This plays into some lingering political and historical tensions, and is almost a riff on the idea of culturally conservative English angst: If they want the good old days back, well, how far back are they willing to go? Who says what the good old days were, or if they were good for everyone, or even good at all?
At the same time, it plays the opposite viewpoint as well: Although the pagans are generally upbeat, have a strong community, and thrive within their own creative and free- therefore uniquely distinctive- culture (similar to and yet also the opposite of the more conservative argument for a national and more structured identity as something of importance), we see how far they are willing to go to enact these traditions and uphold this communal system of belief (which is ironically very rigid and structured in contrast with their general approach to life right down to their individual fashion choices), including the fully intentional act of assembling purely to lead a person to a horrific ritualised death.
The Christian, as they state clearly, represents the "King's law"-- He represents the conservative, "classic" modern English ideals of order, justice within a framework dictated by monarchy/established law, and is a clean-cut almost generic English middle aged man.
The Pagans are much more diverse, with longer hair, more patterned clothing, certain affectations that suggest various "alternative" types of personality, and increasingly behave in a manic way; This is because we see them from the POV of the Christian, who embodies the anxieties and feeling of being the odd-one-out amidst the changing tides of culture and evolving social, political, economic, and other aspects of life that were undergoing major and near-constant change from the end of WW2 into the mid/late 80s in England.
The Christian is killed in a very Biblical way, quite literally; the CofE Book of Common Prayer also, if I remember correctly, includes a prayer or two for circumstances of death/time of death reading, and of course it's Christianity so there's reference to avoiding flames/fire as representative of the Devil; This plays back into the hand of the more conservative fears, that the hippies and weirdos are literally "the Devil".
The Pagans represent change, and to some degree, rebellion against the structure of the Crown and many aspects of British society that are considered oppressive and/or regressive. Literally, they even burn down the literal structure of the wicker man, along with the spiritual embodiment of the establishment that they wish to purge from the land like a blight upon their crops... Another biblical reference, which makes up the core literal plot of the film.
They burn him down in the end, and we see the sun in a final frame of light that could be interpreted out of context as being either a dawn or dusk shot of the sky:
Is the end of the "classical" modern English society a good thing, allowing for a true return to values of personal freedom alongside communal unity and strength, some of the most traditional aspects of British life going back to the earliest days, before Christianity, before the Crown?
Or is the end of classic, modern English society in such an abrupt and severe way inevitably going to result in shock at such upheaval, something that could inevitably result in a descent into gleeful chaos for better or worse, even if the intention is to both return to the roots of the land and simultaneously open up a more free future?
Essentially: The Pagans are an existentialist anarchist/communist coded pre-history traditionalist threat (perceived chaos), and The Christian represents the tangible present monarchical hierarchy of structured society and embodies the traditionalist modern history threat (oppression, repression, and suppression).
I could keep going, but holy shit, I already wrote an essay.
This movie is so fucking good.
Thank you so much for sharing all of this!!
Great mini-essay and analysis!
This is a brilliant analysis.
You need help.
if this cop wasn't so dense and dumb pagans would not win
Fun fact…Lindsay Kemp, the hotel owner, was David Bowie and Kate Bush’s mime teacher. He was legendary.
Growing up in a pagan household, I normally cringe at films that depict pagans as brainwashing sacrificial zealots - but this one in particular is my guilty pleasure NGL.
Didn't grow up Pagan, but found it later. And I usually cringe as well, but this is done so well. Also Dragnet with Dan Akroyd and Tom Hanks is another guilty pleasure.
Even while burning Howie alive, the islanders are never depicted as evil or demented, only joyful. If anyone watches The Wicker Man and is 100% on Howie's side, they are probably pretty toxic and intolerant too.
@@monsterlair they’re only presented as joyful? Intentionally making it look like they’re all covering up the murder of a little girl to keep a policeman around so they can murder him isn’t evil?
Howie reacts to everything he sees how any outsider would, he’s just religious too.
@@DavidAGIII You have to be joking. Are you seriously saying that everyone in the world would react and act with such intolerance as Howie? I know i wouldn't. Howies religious intolerance informs his every action on Summerisle.
This movie is a real treat.. That reaction shown from Edward Woodward’s POV, to seeing the Wicker Man.. Chills every time..
I know Christopher Lee gets most of the attention for this film and rightfully so, it's a great performance for a role that was written specifically for him that didn't require Dracula fangs and as a person he led a truly remarkable life especially during the war where he claims he served with the SAS behind enemy lines but some are saying that's a lie and he was military intelligence only.
For me Edward Woodward's performance drives this film forward and the final scene to this day fills me with dread . So many horror films are instantly forgettable and formulaic so any film that tries to do something a little different where there isnt a jump scare every 5 minutes will get my attention.
BTW Great job Sam, you always seem to pick movies that not many uploaders do as they tend to go for whatever is hot at the moment to get the most views , i love squid game but it's getting so over exposed at the moment with seemingly everybody concentrating on that and uploading reactions to it
His response when he sees the Wicker Man and what's going to happen to him, is one of the most unsettling movie moments I've ever seen!
@@iansmith4023 definitely. One of those heart stopping moments even though part of you already knows it's coming
He claimed only that he was attached to them during that time, the difference being that you work alongside them rather than directly for them.
In any case, he still did a lot of badass things. :)
@@Kainlarsen I remember hearing once about early SAS missions despite the name special air service were actually driven to missions via jeep after an early air drop resulted in the accidental death of a few early recruits and they were vague on what unit did the driving to and from the job so if he was involved I'd say it was likely he would have been a driver for them which is definitely still badass
@@iansmith4023 True . Christopher Lee was asked about this moment and he said that when Sgt.Howie exclaims" Jesus Christ " when he sees the Wicker Man for the first time , you have to remember that Howie is a deeply religious man . He isnt blaspheming , he is calling on Divine Intervention .
This is a great movie. I like it where they don’t spoon feed you the information. You have to be bewildered like the characters in the story
This movie is a cult classic for a reason. It's an absolute masterpiece.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for watching this; I’ve yet to see anyone else react to this masterpiece of cinema.
I have been a fan of The Wicker Man since I saw it when I was about 15. It is arguably the greatest British horror film of all time & rightly so.
Over the years, I visited several of the filming locations in Scotland; Plockton where Sgt Howie lands is an amazing little village near Kyle of Lochalsh on the north west coast.
Back in 2007 I had the great honour of meeting Sir Christopher Lee. I’ve been a fan of his for as long as I could remember, thanks due to his incredible body of work with Hammer Films. We had a lengthy conversation about those films & the production of The Wicker Man.
Right up until to his death, Lee remained adamant that there was a much longer cut of this film. Rumour has it, British Lion films disposed of hundreds of reels; one of which was this much longer cut of The Wicker Man.
Then in 2013, we got The Final Cut of The Wicker Man. This involved a restoration of the original theatrical print & also the few additional scenes that had been re-edited into it for the directors cut several years earlier.
Which ever version you watch, The Wicker Man always leaves a last impression on you.
Fun Fact: when I was at first school (age 5-10 here in the UK at the time) we had an annual May Day Fair…….complete with May Pole Dancing. What can I say, I grew up in a village in the Yorkshire Dales.
Several places in Cornwall still hold festivals around that time of the year. The most famous being the Obby 'Oss festival, which is held in Padstow every May Day.
I was so excited to see you react to this! This has become quite the cult classic over the years. What drew me to it was the music… it's really almost like a horror musical. It's nightmarish, melodic and haunting, and the last scene that you mentioned where they are singing and dancing around the burning wicker man is this is like something out of a nightmare and like you said, darkly humorous. And doesn't Christopher Lee have a great voice!
It really *was* conceived as a Horror Musical by Robin Hardy. :)
It was based on Druidism which was the main religion in Britain before Christianity and was written about by the Romans when they invaded.
I’ve seen this movie many times, and yet bizarrely, that ending only really hit me on my last viewing...as in the truly horrible fate of a character. It is a horror movie, but in a way you would never in a million years see coming. Great reaction!
Thank you!!
@@OGBReacts I believe the Wicker Man is considered _folk_ horror.
I really enjoyed the reaction. The movie was made at a time (late 60s/early 70s) when there was a massive interest in black magic and horror. It was also the time of the sexual revolution, when sexual matters became more explicit and open.
the convergence of two fanatical religious ideologies. I LOVE this film.
This whole film is about faith; both his and theirs... and how it can damn you. The looming impication that their crops are going to fail regardless of their sacrifice of him is kind of what makes this even more horrifying to me. This is the film Midsommar WISHES it was.
oh you're watching the good version, phew. to continue the trend of older movies I highly recommend Freaks (1932)
Oh the remake is great too. Drink and laugh at what a mess it is!!!
"One of us! One of us!" 'Reefer Madness' too.
Completely agree about Freaks one of the most disturbing stories ever filmed but fascinating never the less!!!
Love Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee great casting.
Two fantastic actors . RIP to them both .
Edward Woodward? That's the wokest name I ever heard.
I’m glad you picked the original- going to watch it tonight after work!
Thank you!! I hope you enjoy
One of my favourite films ever ...! The sound track is so unique and they used the local people for that film... just the creepyness of it, just freaks you out...Christopher Lee said it was his favourite film.
"Sumer is icumen in,
Loude sing cuckou!
Groweth seed and bloweth meed,
And springth the wode now.
Sing cuckou!"
"Awe bleteþ after lomb
lhouþ after calue cu
Bulluc sterteþ
bucke uerteþ
murie sing cuccu"
Seeing this made me realize how much Midsommar was inspired by this
One of the reasons I wanted her to see this before Midsommar.
2 different holidays.
@@mylife-23 Very true. The director has gone on record saying this was an inspiration though.
Both are certainly worth watching.
"Oh God! Oh Jesus Christ!" 😃
One of my favourite movies! It's never quite what you expect the first time. As for the Nic Cage version, it's one of the funniest movies ever made. I highly recommend both
There's a TH-cam video with that dialogue that loops.
Two days ago my fiance left me without a rhyme or reason. I was devastated. I have only been crying and numb. I started watching your reaction videos and I can't even. Your reactions are priceless. Watching you react to some of my favorite films makes me cry with laughter. When you said, "I swear this guy is gonna get killed by the end of this damn movie," I was barreled over in laughter. You're my new favorite youtuber. Thank you for bringing light to me in these dark times.
I am so, so sorry that your fiance left you like that. That's absolutely devastating.
Take care of yourself, friend. Give yourself those cry sessions, give yourself time to heal. Things will be hard for a bit, but I know you'll be able to push on and carry on.
I am so happy though, to see that you enjoy my content. Thank you so much for watching and being apart of this community, I really appreciate the nice comments and for you watching.
Thank you again.
My thoughts are with you!
I liked this better than the Nic Cage version.
Well, yeah. I mean, the remake was awful.
Their both enjoyable in their own ways. This is a good movie, and the remake is hilarious.
I loved this reaction video! I never would have thought in a million years to suggest it, thanks Moon Brooke! Sam, I know exactly how you felt! Last year, I went into this movie blind, just on the title, I didn't even know it was a horror movie! I'm watching this thing, and for a while, I thought it was a musical! Like a weird, trippy musical! The guy was annoying, but it seemed like he was supposed to be. I was very resistant but it pulled me in. I completely agree: a culty, creepy kinda movie, a slow burn but a good watch overall. I would have been very pissed if the movie didn't "pay off"! And I had a feeling that it wouldn't! The creepy feeling lingered with me for a couple of days - that's the mark of a good horror movie (or any movie!) in my opinion. I only saw it once, but I'm looking forward to seeing it again one day because I'll be able to "relax" with it and enjoy the first section of the movie more. The haunting song in the pub and the song she sings to seduce him are two of my favorite parts.....and they were by a local musician from the island! All the music was written by a local musician, and played by a local band. That's not "professional" film music. LOVED this reaction; the look on your face the whole movie was priceless. Finding yourself suddenly being sacrificed in the Wicker Man.....if that's not a horror movie, at least it's the Twilight Zone! :P
Glad you enjoyed!! Agree with you completely
It's kind of a shame it's got such a big reputation as a horror movie now, since for most of it you could easily get the feeling you're just watching a detective story that happens to be in an unusual setting, and then get even more blindsided by the ending.
@@Rmlohner Totally. My only clue was Christopher Lee! And I quickly forgot about him after the opening credits because you don't see him for a while. Plus the music in the beginning is....misleading, to say the least! Doesn't give you much to go on!
@@Rmlohner Even Christopher Lee has stated that they didn't make a horror film, but a detective story with a shocking end. Shame it gets the label it does.
Before I watched it, I’d heard it was a horror movie and that’s all. No one told me it was also a comedy musical!
A comedy musical that kicks you in the gut at the end!
@@anthonymunn8633 agreed. The guy was annoying, but they didn’t have to do him like that. ☹️🔥👮🏼♂️
So glad you watched the original and not the absymal remake with Nic Cage! Christopher Lee is fantastic as always.
At least the virgin sacrifice wasn't a woman this time. That was a nice change of pace.
Interesting trivia about this movie: Britt Eckland who played Willow didn't want to do the scene in the hotel room nude. She was willing to do the scene bare chested, but not fully nude. So for the full nude shots, the filmmakers used her stunt double instead.
Excellent classic choice of a British horror movie. Never seen a reaction to this classic.
this is one of the best british movies ever made
The scariest musical ever.
Now you need to do rest of of the Unholy Trilogy: Witchfinder General [The Conqueror Worm] (1968) and The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971). They're not connected in any way, they are just considered the classics of British folk horror.
Always thought Witchfinder General was so-so, but Blood on Satan's Claw is fantastic fun. The Devil Rides Out is another banger, and of course Night of the Demon (1957).
OMG. I stumbled across your channel via your Ed Wood reaction.
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I so appreciate you doing this
Welcome on in!! Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy!!
You maybe interested to know that this year, The Wicker Man is celebrating it's 50th anniversary. Throughout 2013 over in England there have been various celebrations to commemorate this movie. One of these showing of the movie even had the actress who played Willow, (Britt Ekland) being interviewed, I was at that showing.
This movie bothered the heck outta me when I discovered it on Some cable channel years ago. So weird but intriguing
this film chills me even after seeing it dozens of times
As a big fan of this film, I am always amused by watching the reactions to those new to the film. It never fails to throw the viewer off guard. It is so entertaining to watch you react to this. It’s just a shame you watched the severely cut theatrical version rather than the full length Directors cut which sets the scene and introduces Howies character better. So, would you watch it again as it has a massive cult following, myself must of watched it more than 30 times now?
Edward Woodward was Mr Weaver in Hot Fuzz ( the man who checked the CCTV cameras and got blown up in the end
Mad respect for reacting to this movie!
he spends the entire visit to the island telling them what to do and how hideous and wrong they are in their ways. they treat him kindly and do nothing to harm him... offering him countless ways to escape his fate... they warn him, they tempt him to forget his christian virtues, the advise him thoughout that he should go and to leave them be - none of which he heeded, he failed to treat them as equals or respect their beliefs and his god was powerless to prevent any of it... making himself the elected one. the sun returning at the end with its promise of harvests and abundance... is amazing.
Hi, I live in Scotland and the film is very popular here, haha, but seriously, I've been to most of the locations on day trips or camping holidays, please don't let this movie make you scared of coming to Scotland, it is pure fiction. The late Edward Woodward made a very good job of playing a repressed Scottish police officer, Woodward himself is not Scottish but he got the accent very well and his performance was met with great approval by Scottish people, he became an honorary Scot and he often visited back to the pub at one of the locations and was always greeted with a warm welcome...great movie, extremely disturbing and harrowing, it kinda leaves you speechless..even in shock!
fun research and historicity involved. Note the "pagans" chanting in contrast to the "christian" hymn. The pagan song is in fact from a real piece of middle english, the "spring carol":
Sumer is icumen in
Lhude sing cuccu
Groweþ sed
and bloweþ med
and springþ þe wde nu
Sing cuccu
Awe bleteþ after lomb
lhouþ after calue cu
Bulluc sterteþ
bucke uerteþ
murie sing cuccu
Cuccu cuccu
Wel singes þu cuccu
ne swik þu nauer nu
Sing cuccu nu • Sing cuccu.
Sing cuccu • Sing cuccu nu
They hold a wicker Man festival there until this day, COVID. Permitting
. great to see our religion represented.
Christopher Lee was so good looking in his younger years. He aged very gracefully.
I had that stupid "corn rigs and barley rigs" song stuck in my head an entire week after watching this movie!
It's been years since I've seen it and now that song is stuck in my head again :D
If she had watched the long restored version, it would have been Gently Johnny stuck in your head instead 😊
@@monsterlair Yeah. I was bummed to find out I didn't have the extended version.
I waited for the song that never came.
You should react to the original Stepford Wives (70's). It's an excellent movie and I don't see anyone reacting to it.
Another film where the horror category is almost a spoiler.
btw i'd recommend "Race with the Devil" from 1975 as a great underrated American horror/thriller. I wont give anything anyway but something about 70's horrors in terms of setting the right tone of creeping dread from seemingly no escape seems to be missing from a lot of today's horrors
Is that the one with Peter Fonda? I didn't really like that movie myself. But it's been so long since I've seen it, maybe I'll give it another try.
@@LeviAckerman-cb5ji that's the one. Rewatching the wicker man kind of reminded me of it in terms of the paranoia of the feeling of being watched by everybody, the religious link with pagans being replaced by another form of non Christian worship and the ending.
I know it's not the greatest movie but it's one that stuck with me so much from one viewing when I was a kid that I rewatched it as an adult and it held up fairly well.
I'm not the biggest fan of Peter Fonda's acting but I liked the idea the film poses of being hunted down by an enemy who's members seem to be all over the country
Those movies tend to scare me more than supernatural or gory horror
@@A-small-amount-of-peas I'm a pretty big fan of theological horror and macabre films as well.
If you haven't already, you should check out The Sentinel (1977) and Burnt offerings (1976). The effects don't hold up too well (especially on bluray) but the stories do.
@@LeviAckerman-cb5ji Thanks for the tip will check them out 👍
British animal rights groups protested the fact that animals were going to be "sacrificed". Anthony Shaffer wrote a letter to the newspapers saying that "only cute, fluffy animals would be sacrificed", showing how stupid their concerns were.
This is not really a "horror film", but a serious examination of belief in genre form, which is why Christopher Lee did it for scale.
Thanks for watching this classic that seems to have slipped by most in time!!!
Thanks, Moon Brooke for suggesting it for her to check out! This was a blast to watch. I already wrote this above, but I went into this movie a year ago completely blind, I didn't even know it was a horror movie especially when it seemed like it might be a weird, early 70s musical! My only clue was Christopher Lee was in it. The movie ended up creeping me out for days which, for me, is the mark of a great horror movie. Thanks again for your part in bringing this video to mine eyes!
Aw your reaction was priceless, you caught so much of the weirdness on your first pass
Cool flick and it ranked at #45 in the 100 scariest movie moments on Bravo
1970s horror movies are my happy place.
The ultimate decade for Horror movies, too many to list.
Part horror, part musical, and not a comedy like Little Shop of Horrors. That's bound to be unsettling.
It's kind of a comedy at times too. "Shocks are so much better absorbed with the knees bent."
I do the Wicker dance whenever I'm burning leaves in my backyard.
Best British horror film of all time!
70s camera work itself is creepy. The zoom ins and the funky movements add to the horror vibe.
This movie always reminded me of a well known short story called The Lottery.
By Shirley Jackson, who also wrote The Haunting of Hill House, on which another classic horror movie from earlier days was based.
Me who's pagan: we're not like this.
Also me loving the stereotypical film witches: I love it 🙌
It helps that this community is explicitly said to be the brainchild of an upper class guy in the 1800s where there was much less research easily available about what pagans are actually like.
The real issue raised here is how much of the human conscience is family and socially conditioned---for these guys all of it. WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY PETRIFYING.
Funny story - Sgt. Howie's monologue at the end while he was burning alive, in real life one of the goats that was in the wicker man was scared of the special effects and kept peeing on the actor's head during it.
I tried to join your Patreon and it wouldn't let me. It just said I was not allowed to join. I don't know why? Have you restricted your patreon?
I've paused my Patreon right now due to being on hiatus for 3 months! I didn't wanna keep it open/keep getting money from people as I was putting out no new conTent. But I will be opening it up again soon since I'll be coming back sooner rather than later.
R.I.P. Sir Christopher Lee🕊❤
Loved his voice.🌹
The beetle in the desk represents Sgt. Howie.
This movie freaked me out as a kid and ive never been able to watch it since ha ha.
Same
Basically if he'd had given in and slept with Britt Ekland's character they wouldn't have sacrificed him.
That's what I was thinking!!
@@OGBReacts Seems an Apt quote:
Patrick: You're not a virgin are you? No? What do you mean No?
Patrick's Sister: Well, Steve but he doesn't count.
Saw this film years ago. The ending horrified me. Very strange film.
"Naturally! It's much too dangerous to jump through the fire with your clothes on!" is one of my favourite lines in cinema ever. Its delivered in such a wonderful way, like Christopher Lee is talking to a silly child.
The Salmon of Knowledge is wonderful too.
Christopher Lee had a lovely , warm , deep voice . A great actor who lived to a good age . He also had a great singing voice .
I think a lot of folks forget that May Day is 100% about and focused on fertility and fertility rights.
You can get the music album.
The nope energy from this thumbnail XD
We call it the citizen Kane of horror in the uk.
I was 14 when I saw this in a theater, and I was not accompanied by an adult, even though it was rated R. In other words, I got to see all the nudity on a 50 foot screen, which didn't bother me, but the context that it was presented in did. What really disturbed me, where the crazy types in the audience who were chuckling through the climax of the movie. Let's just say that I watched my back on the way out.
Howie was a particularly tight-arsed individual, even for that time and that subsection of Christianity.
Someone pointed out that this is possibly the only time in any film ever when a character shouts "Jesus Christ!" and it's not a blasphemy.
The "making of" has even more twists and turns than the actual film - how it was "lost", found, cut up, butchered, reassembled, recut ... you name it..
There was some talk about changing the ending, a "sudden rainstorm" putting the fire out in time to save him; also talk of a sequel - set immediacy after but being filmed decades later - where the islanders were punished for their sin by suddenly getting decades older.
One of the best horror films ever made❤
There's a slightly extended version that starts with the police actually receiving the letter. I haven't seen the extended version in about 25 years, so I can't remember how much more detail it provided.
I've got the longer cut. It's very good.
The Wicker Man is the greatest film I have ever seen. I first saw it over forty years ago. I have seen this version and the extended version many times. I find the slightly shorter version is far better than the longer. Ingrid Pitt who plays one of the three priestesses thought the same way.
Some fans got the idea that Willow was trying to save Howie with that whole song routine, as he wouldn't be a proper sacrifice if he lost his virginity. Unfortunately, a cut scene was later rediscovered that makes clear he only had to arrive a virgin.
I always assumed her part of the plan was to test him; that someone who is virgin by principle makes for a better sacrifice than someone who just hadn't met the right girl?
One of my favorite films. Flips the trope and you end up siding with the Islanders. Well, mostly. :) The religious extremist is really the cop.
And then there is Willow. Heh.
Not really a horror, per se.
nothing scarier than Christopher Lee in a dress !!😱😄 at the end - "some one will save him he's the main character" 2 mins later - "oh ok thats a no then"😬
The back of the DVD case I own cites Cinefantastique as calling this "The 'Citizen Kane' of horror films." Mine is the U.S. theatrical version "fully restored from original vault materials for the first time". It's a cult classic in more ways than one. It has one of my favorite horror actresses too, Ingrid Pitt. She starred in "Countess Dracula" and "The Vampire Lovers". I read her autobiography, she had a tough childhood growing up in a German concentration camp and later having to flee communist East Berlin when the wall went up.
Ingrid Pitt BEGGED to get a role in the film, no matter how small, once she heard what the story was, so they squeezed her in as the librarian.
The final cut is the best one, not sure if that's the one you mean? It has the hey jonny song in it
This is the one of a few films that took my breath away. I'm surprised you could talk after that ! 🤭❤
the wicker man is easilymy fave film ever. id heard about it or ages before i actually saw it and just assumed it was just a good slasher/horror film. but when i picked it up and watched it it blew my mind, it was nothing like id expected. i wore out two vhs tapes (sue me im old) before buying it on dvd and ive bought the soundtrack, saw eiwings to speak to authors who have written books analysing it etc. its kind of my big obbsession.
then i saw the nic cage remake and its one of the handfull of times a film has made me legit angry (but seen as a comedy it could be a good watch).
Um….Sam….you ok? You can’t unsee it, unfortunately. Just think of Nic Cage and the stupid bees🤣😂
This is based on a pagan holiday just like the pagan holiday 'Midsommar' (Midsummer) another recent horror film. My friends and I were all in love with Swedish actress Britt Ekland (Willow) when we saw this as kids in the 70's.
Isn't it funny that when we see a film where the Mayan or Aztecs or some Pacific Islander sacrificing humans we kind of just shrug, BUT when the film is about White People sacrificing humans it is such a shock. This film, and Mid-Sommar are examples of that. And a film like Apocalypto is an example of the former. I find it very interest. Also, I do not see this as a horror film, and I feel that the publicity department blew it. Sure the ending is HORRIFIC, but up until then it is an excellent police procedural.
Not sure if we actually shrug but we do tend to be more accepting of film scenes showing Aztec or Mayan priests sacrificing victims...mainly because they're not set a few hours away by train from where we live and they are normally depicting things that happened centuries ago...not in a year when Ziggy Stardust was appearing on stage 😉😊
Foreskins are a thing. They are pickled in jars in Cornwall, England, and you can get them through Amazon. You boil the foreskin so they "puff up" and serve them on scones with a little orange jam on top. They are a little chewy from a jar and taste a little funky, so I prefer them fresh.
... WOW
😉😊🤣
This always gave me The Prisoner vibes.
I saw that on a double bill with Don't look Now, another 70's cult classic. Perhaps you might react to that at some stage.
Thanks for watching 😀 not enough people do. What a great movie.
Edward Woodward or E A OO A as some comedian once quipped, Does anyone remember that joke.
Excellent choice, Moon Brooke.
This is a masterpiece. Notice how that head bowed to the sun in the end ? Wasn’t that music beautiful, but eerie ? Composed by Paul Giovanni who is in the film and singing Gentle Johnny. Paul is gone I believe but his muse led his talent back to antiquity to get that sound .
Fix yourself.