The Wicker Man (1973)

Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

Happy Halloween! It's that time of year where horror films are 'in vogue' and we here at Two Geeks and a G.I.T. will not disappoint! This year, our pairing focuses on a type of film only relatively recently recognized by film scholars, that of Folk Horror. Our horror sage explains what that moniker means, and then it's on to one of the first films of its type! Directed by Robin Hardy, 1973's "The Wicker Man" follows English policeman Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) as he travels to the small Scottish island of Summerisle to search for a missing girl. Almost immediately he's met with indifference, and finds himself a lone Christian in an otherwise un-Christian community. The town's blatant sexuality and pre-Christian ways disconcerts him, including the advances made by the Innkeeper's daughter, Willow (Britt Ekland). When Sergeant Howie finally gets to meet with the leader of the community, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), he must confront the fact that this community's lifestyle offends him greatly, and hinders his investigation. Ultimately, Howie believes the young girl to have been murdered, but as May Day looms closer and closer, he discovers that her murder may have been more than just a killing, and may mean something completely un-Christian to the people of the island! Also starring Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Lidsay Kemp.