Anyone who has been reading this blog long enough knows that I’m a huge fan of the 1973 film “The Wicker Man”. The film (wrongly billed as a “horror” picture) pitted two religious world views against each other, Christianity and a revived pastoral Paganism (lead by the amazing Christopher Lee). It has become a cult hit since its initial release and still enjoys a large fan following. So to say I have been dismayed over the coming remake (produced by and starring Nicolas “Con Air” Cage) would be more than fair.

The remake (which opens in theatres tomorrow) has not allowed advance review of the film (usually a bad sign). But since they are targetting it towards horror fans, Nomad from Dread Central (a horror-film fan site) got to see an advance screening. If his reaction is typical of most fans of the thriller/horror genre then this ill-advised project may be going to the video stores faster than I thought.

“First off, I’ll say straight away that I haven’t seen the original. After reading some text on the film and talking to friends, it’s clear this is a sort of neutered version of the cult classic. Words like “chilling” and “disturbing” were used for the original. The same can not be said for the new incarnation with its dead pan pace and endless flashbacks to the fateful car crash, which you’ll be sick of by the third time. Where the original hoped to reflect organized religions while questioning their usual puritanical nature, the remake only offers cryptic imagery and 300 scenes of Nicolas Cage doing his confused face. In the past we got naked women dancing in a sort of pagan ritual. Today, we get LeeLee Sobieski in Quaker Summer Wear. Not a fair trade at all!!”

Early vindication? I’ll be checking the Tomatometer for the film as the reviews come pouring in. In the meantime, I urge everyone to see the original film (the uncut version if you can get a hold of one).

Tags: Paganism