I scratched another Saturn Award winner for Best Horror Film off my list, and this time around it was the 1978 winner, “The Wicker Man.”Based loosely on David Pinner’s 1967 novel, “The Ritual,” this movie was released in the UK in December 1973 and eventually in the US in June 1975. I can say with little doubt that it’s one of the most unusual, creepy and edgy movies I’ve ever seen. That’s not to say it wasn’t entertaining.
In a nutshell, the movie’s about Neil Howie, a police investigator who visits an isolated Scottish island to investigate the report of a missing girl. Almost from the start, Howie realizes that the folks living on this island aren’t quite right, and he finds out the full truth about them far too late for his own good. Edward Woodward plays the role of Howie, and Christopher Lee plays Lord Summerisle, the owner of the island and spiritual and civic leader of its inhabitants.
Those of you who haven’t seen the original “Wicker Man” may be familiar with the movie thanks to the 2006 remake, which starred Nicolas Cage in the role of Howie. I’ve seen both of them now, and I can tell you that the original is the better of the two, while the remake is much more, shall we say, “family friendly.”
I would not recommend this movie to everyone, especially those who are too young to join the Army, but if you like horror movies, you’ll enjoy the original “Wicker Man.” While it doesn’t contain any scary monsters or outright supernatural elements, it does fit well within the horror genre. (In fact, a scene from the movie ranked No. 45 on Bravo’s list of 100 Scariest Movie Moments.)
Next on my list of Saturn Horror Award winners is 1979’s “Dracula,” an American/British film, which starred Frank Langella as Count Dracula. This movie also stars Laurence Olivier as Professor Abraham Van Helsing.
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