In cinema, detective thrillers with horror elements have always occupied a special place. Sometimes such films go down in history as real classic masterpieces, and sometimes they get pretty passable status. They say about such people: "at C grade." And sometimes it happens that the project turns out to be so successful that decades later it is being re-shot, in a new way and in step with the times. So it happened with the British "Wicker Man" in 1973, who was born again in America in 2006. Those who think which one to look at and whether to do it at all can read reviews about the Wicker Man on Imkhonet, or you can study this article, where the opinions of users are generalized.
First Wicker Man
In the early 70s, the theme of the mystical and terrible in the cinema was at the peak of popularity. It was then that the world saw such cult films as “Omen”, “The Exorcist” and “Carrie”, and the black and white series “Twilight Zone” generally experienced an unprecedented rise. Interest in the otherworldly, unknown and frankly terrible was heated every time with newer and newer creations to please the public. One of them in 1973 was “Wicker Man”, reviews of which are replenished daily on various sites so far.
The film was shot in the UK, directed by a little-known Robin Hardy. Cast: actors Edward Woodward (“Like the cool cops,” “Her name was Nikita,” “Purely English murder”), Christopher Lee (Odyssey, the second episode of “Star Wars”) who had already left this world, and Diane Cilento. This “Braided Man” turned out to be extremely successful, the reviews of the audience about which were then and now mostly positive and enthusiastic.
Remake
American filmmakers were so inspired by this legendary film that in 2006 they decided to re-shoot it. So there was a remake with Nicholas Cage (Rock, Faceless, Treasure of the Nation) and Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream, Where Dreams Come, Age of Adalin) starring and Nick LaBut as the director. However, as is often the case with imitators, the project was by no means a big and high-profile success. Moreover, it turned out to be unsuccessful: numerous negative reviews about the film "Wicker Man", a low rating and as many as five nominations for the Golden Raspberry Award for the worst, almost everyone speaks for itself.
Here is another striking fact, indicating that the attempt to surpass the original not only failed, but failed miserably. Dear actor Edward Woodward, who starred in the original film, received an offer to light up here, but, after viewing the script, he considered its quality unworthy and refused. In any case, all this does not prove that not a single horror movie lover will definitely like it. There must be a lot of those who consider it a fresh trend and stone over the "Wicker Man" old, irrelevant and covered with dust. Positive reviews about the new film, which are also many, indicate just that.
Plot
The only thing that connects these films from different eras is the plot. It is not exactly identical, but still as similar as possible. Here's the bottom line: a teenage girl’s loss is suddenly discovered, and an experienced detective investigates the matter. A thread of investigation leads him to one of the Scottish islands. In an attempt to find out what the hell happened to the innocent poor thing, he gets involved in something even stranger and not subject to logic. The islanders not only show with their whole appearance how much they are not happy with the newcomer, but also engage in occultism.
Frightening rituals, strange spells, idols and worship of pagan deities - in all this the main character will have to find the key to the disappearance of the unfortunate girl. The tense atmosphere, powerful intrigue, mysterious denouement and magnificent intricacies of the manifestations of good and evil - all this can be seen both in the debut film and in the remake. In this whirlpool of pagan rituals, insoluble puzzles and frequent hallucinations, there is something to think about not only for the brave detective, but also for the ordinary audience of The Wicker Man. Many reviews are full of various theories, philosophical questions and completely unexpected conjectures.
Influence, interesting facts
These two creations of cinema made a huge impression on more than one generation. One of the most important consequences was the world famous Wicker Man festival. It is predominantly musical and has been held annually since 2004. An organized venue for all fans to listen to live music and how to get some rest is the place of filming of the original picture. The culmination of the festival is the grandiose burning of a wicker scarecrow, which is supposedly sacrificed to the gods. So the usual film gave birth to a whole culture.
By the way, in the film "Rules of Sex" there is also a scene of burning a wicker man. In reviews of this picture, observant reviewers often trace a reference to the legendary thriller. It is also noteworthy that the creators dedicated the 2006 film to the cult
Johnny Ramon, who was a member of the American punk band Ramones formed in the 70s.