The Wicker Man (1973)
A May Day watch of one of the classic British chillers. There are a lot of films that can be called classic but this for me has really stood the test of time. Even though i can recall it practically scene for scene it continues to create that atmosphere of foreboding that made it so special as a first time watch.
In fact it could be argued that it's familiarity makes it even more sinister. For we know as the intrepid yet awkwardly naive Sergeant Howie, a never better Edward Woodward, comes into contact with the inhabitants of Summerisle, that each and every one of them knows exactly what fate will fall on the good Sergeant, and every smiling face is a facade of doomed inevitability.
Yet despite the atmosphere of pagan mysticism the film has a sort of comforting quality. Is it because we too know what will befall Howie so we are confident everything leading up to the burning man conclusion should place him in no danger, or is it a sign of the quality of the script that puts us at ease? Having pondered this whilst watching the film for the umpteenth time it still comes as a shock as it dawns on Howie as well as the viewer that there simply won't be a happy ending. We know he's a lamb to the slaughter but even now the film has a potent ability to chill the blood in a way that very few films can. It's when you look around and see the happiness on the faces of the Summerisle inhabitants as the wicker edifice and Sergeant Howie burn, and the Spring sun comes into view that despite the murder of a policeman all is well with the world, and that to me is what makes The Wicker Man a true classic of British film making.
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