originally posted on tumblr, Mar 2nd 2026  

Movie-A-Day-Thon #7: The Wicker Man (1973)

Guys I’m such a fake horror movie fan. How did I only yesterday find out that the Nicholas Cage movie is A REMAKE?? All this time there was a 70s original version of it and I never knew?? Insert Mushu “disohonor on you” gif here.

Lore drop moment: I had a friend from college who had a Nicholas Cage obsession for a bit, and we often hung out at her place and watched several Cage flicks for shits and giggles. One of them was Wicker Man in the computer lab, and we almost lost it trying not to die laughing and disturb the others. Anyway I can barely recall most of it, and I certainly will not be rewatching that shit for comparison’s sake.

I’m gonna be real, that bit with the landlord’s daughter song was. So out of pocket. I was CACKLING at how baffled Howie looked as the villagers sang at him. It was giving “guy who didn’t know he was going to be in a musical” trope and it was amazing.

The songs themselves were so nice too. It really sold the vibes of Summerisle as a free-love folksy pagan place (but with murder!). Also, Christopher Lee!! God it was so nice to hear his younger voice again, I miss this man.

It had some really startling cuts, between what is the village daily life and the village… normal. And seeing Howie try to navigate it without ruffling any feathers was somehow more unnerving then seeing him actually react to it all. And honestly it really didn’t hide its hand in all this, from the start you know what the movie is trying to sell you (ooooh pagans bad!) but it’s the slow build up of it as the island opens up to Howie, that is tasty.

It reminds me a bit of Planet of the Apes, in a way. It’s Christian horror, for those who would think paganism like this is horrifying, like Planet of the Apes is horror for the cis white men, who would think not being in control and in power of the world is horrifying. Compare it nowadays, where Christian horror has been tainted by satanic panic and blood libel, and are far more bloody and cruel than the chipper and spring-like luster of the Summerisle. I think the latest movie to come close to this vibe was Midsommer, which says something, don’t it?

Well, it was an entertaining movie, with a banger soundtrack and some really strong tension moments, but not much horror to me personally.