Plot: What’s it about?
With Halloween quickly approaching, a friend and I have recently been going through some of my favorite horror films of all time. Near the top of the list is Robin Hardy’s classic 1973 film The Wicker Man. I showed it to my buddy over the weekend and needless to say, he experienced the same feeling that most viewers remember. When the grand finale occurred, my friend immediately fell in love with the film. Watching it again this year, I was glad to see that it still holds up. This final cut has added in a few minutes of material that only recently saw the light of day, and the additional footage doesn’t add much to what I already considered a nearly perfect film.
The film is a fairly unique take on a horror film. Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward,) a prim and proper British police officer, arrives via seaplane in the quaint Scottish village and island known as Summer Isle. He has been sent there to try to track down a missing little girl named Rowan Morrison. From the very start the villagers act bizarrely while he pursues his investigation. For one thing, nobody seems to have the faintest idea who Rowan Morrison is, or why an authority would have been sent a letter notifying of her disappearance. On top of that, the town’s people are deeply religious, but are believers in the ancient pagan religions. The deeply Christian Sergeant Howie is juxtaposed against the sexually free landlord’s daughter, Willow, played by Scandinavian beauty and one time wife of Peter Sellers, Britt Ekland. At the center of the investigation is Lord Summerisle, a cheerful and dark figure played by the inimitable Christopher Lee.
The Wicker Man is easily in my top five horror films. It just keeps me coming back for more. Part of it is the incredible soundtrack work by Paul Giovanni that does not sound like anything else. Part of it is the attention to detail in the plotting of the film and the quaint surroundings. Part of it is watching great performances by Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward firing on all cylinders. At the end of the day, the ending of The Wicker Man is one of the best endings put to celluloid. There really is no other film out there that can tap into the strange mood this film taps into. It has been incredibly influential with direct influence on such films as An American Werewolf in London, Hot Fuzz, or The World’s End. All of these films borrow specific elements from this film. There was even a remake by acclaimed director Neil Labute starring Nicolas Cage, but it pales in comparison to the original. Strangely, this film would also be the one film that Robin Hardy would be known for. He only directed two other films (so far) and both were trashed by critics. His place on my film shelf will always be secure thanks to this little nasty treat. Watching The Wicker Man and exposing other people to it is the gift that keeps on giving. If you haven’t seen this film, do yourself a favor and go with it!
Video: How’s it look?
Lionsgate obviously put a lot of effort into this release of The Wicker Man, and as somebody who has owned it on DVD for thirteen years, I can say that this is the best this film has ever looked. Aside from the inclusion of a few new moments of extremely grainy bad looking footage for the new Final Cut, the restoration is revelatory. Colors and grain look fantastic and fine detail is by far the best it has ever been on the film. The film maintains a good amount of grain. There are some moments of soft focus (most notably in the fire jumping scene) but I was extremely pleased with the effort that Lionsgate have put forth. Unless they find a way to restore the newly added few moments of footage, this will be the definitive version of the film for some time. Fans and new comers will both be happy with the transfer.
Audio: How’s it sound?
This DTS-HD Master Audio Mono audio track is very well done. Hearing the soundtrack by Paul Giovanni in lossless form after all of these years gave me many reasons to be happy. Even though this was a Mono mix, the film is so hypnotic you are likely to feel like it was in full surround. The final scenes in particular benefit heavily from the lossless mix as the townspeople head towards the cliffs. This blows away previous iterations of the sound mix.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Worshiping The Wicker Man (1080p; 23:36) is a fun piece with interviews of some directors that are fans of the film. I was most excited to see Eli Roth (one of my personal favorite directors) discuss the film.
- The Music of The Wicker Man (1080p; 16:02) Details the difficult process of getting the soundtrack to sound as good as it does in its present form. This was not an easy process, but it is fun to hear all the hoops people went through to get it done.
- Interview with Robin Hardy (1080p; 16:59) a fun interview with the one trick pony that made one of my favorite movies.
- Restoration Comparison (1080p; 1:55)
- Trailer (1080p; 1:30)
The Bottom Line
The Wicker Man will always be one of my favorite horror films. It will sit on the same shelf as House on Haunted Hill, Hostel, and Sleepaway Camp, for me to return to every now and again. For fans this release is the one to buy. If you have not seen it, there is no better time than now. I love it, and I feel confident that you will too!
Note: This movie does not shy away from nudity and some sexual content. None of it is overly explicit. What can you expect from a bunch of people that worship fertility?
