God had his chance, and in the modern parlance, he blew it.

[thehefner]

Has anyone seen THE WICKER MAN? I finally just did. Even though the ending has been spoiled for me numerous times (for which, I have discovered, I am all the poorer), there were a number of reasons I wanted to see it, mainly that it's written by Anthony Shaffer (author of SLEUTH and brother of Peter) and that Christopher Lee still considers it to be one of my favorite roles. Apparently, he liked the role so much, he agreed to do it for free.

It's fascinating to watch him here. This is one of the few roles I've seen Christopher Lee in where he's not playing someone unspeakably evil. He's actually warm and charming! I think my brain broke at the scene where he's in a frilly shirt and bright red kilt, playing piano and smiling like Liberace.

But back to the film itself. I really want to talk about it here, to give it a full-out review, but I really need to bounce some thoughts off other folks. It's a fascinating, subversive, complex little movie, rich with appeal for folks interested in comparative mythology and... stuff. Seriously, it's such an interesting movie. It's suspenseful, but there's no "foreboding" music. Rather, the soundtrack is pretty well all folk songs (who knew THE WICKER MAN was a musical? Not I!). And while it's often categorized as a horror movie, it really isn't, although the ending is rather horrific. And the movie does have its flaws (pretty much every second of Britt Eckland and her butt-double... I'm tempted to include Christopher Lee in drag, but how can that ever be a bad thing?), but I think its rises above them.

And then there's the main character, the "hero." He's not very likable throughout the majority of the film, since he's a repressed, often oppressive, intolerant man who shoves his single-minded version of Christianity in the faces of those filthy, filthy pagans (among the many things that disgust him, he's horrified to learn that the schoolchildren are learning about phallic symbols). And yet, by the end... well, I don't want to say there's a full-on BLADE RUNNER style of role reversal (when the hell did Roy become angelic?!), but I really want to see what other people make of what those characters do and say. I think it's safe to say that this is a fascinating movie of subjectivity, with no clear-cut black or white answer. I'm glad I finally saw it.

Comments

[frumple.livejournal.com]

Which version are you talking about. The original or the 2006 remake?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Whup, sorry, I meant the original.

Now I don't think I can bring myself to see the remake, even if it too is written by a playwright, Neil LaBute. Who also gets a lot of cries of misogyny thrown at him, which is strange to hear if you've seen his play FAT PIG...

[kali921.livejournal.com]

...You're just NOW discovering WICKER MAN?!

That's a classic film, mandatory for the film literate! Right up there with all the Hammer films of the late sixties and early seventies.

Yes, the ending is absolutely chilling. What a weird, wonderful film.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I've known about it for a long time, I just never finally sat down and watched it till last night. Again, I had the damn ending spoiled for me for a good four years already!

But I can't get into the Hammer movies, I'm afraid. A bit too dry for my horror tastes, although I do mightily respect them. Cushing and Lee are OTP.

[calliopes_pen]

I've never seen this movie, and I have always wanted to. I just haven't felt like tracking down a version that wasn't butchered--because as I understand it, too much was cut from it, leaving it a mess.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Aye, as I've just recently discovered as well! Now I really do want to see the original cut, although I must say, the current cut is plenty watchable.

What really kills me is the current cut of EXORCIST III. If ever I longed to see the original cut of a movie, it's that. Aside from the obvious moments of studio intervention, it's just an excellent film.

[calliopes_pen]

I tend to avoid the Exorcist movies, but have you read the sheer amount of trouble the studio got from Exorcist II? As I understand it, they had to re-release it at least three times, and it turned into a huge mess.

Please, please.....

[kali921.livejournal.com]

...but you MUST wach THE CREEPING FLESH. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068424/) It's a MASTERPIECE of ambience and shocking horror...and there's one moment in the film that's absolutely heartstopping, and STILL scares the shit out of me. AUGH! Seriously, it's got both Cushing and Lee in it, and it's absolutely creeeeeeepy and delish viewing. With the added bonus of a monster!

Blasphemy! Hammer made the BEST trashy-yet-brill films. And by all that is holy, YES, Cushing and Lee are just wonderful actors.

Please, please tell me that you've seen Vincent Price's THEATRE OF BLOOD.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Not surprising, as Exorcist II is largely considered one of the worst horror movies ever made. It's one of the reasons so few people have seen III, which is really more like an excellent X-Files episode than a sequel to the Exorcist. I actually prefer it to the original! It's well worth seeing, partially as a neat obscure movie and partially for the awesomeness that is Brad Dourif.

Re: Please, please.....

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

THE CREEPING FLESH, eh? Alrighty, on the Netflix queue is goes!

Sorry, I just can't get into the trashy flavor of Hammer. Trashy only works for me when there's a sense of humor. And even then, well, I'm not the biggest fan of Troma most times.

THEATRE OF BLOOD has been close to my heart ever since I saw it at five years old. I adore that movie. Adore it so. How can I dislike a Shakespeare-based horror movie with a lisping Vincent Price in an afro killing off theatre critics? BRILLIANCE.

I once had an icon of Price in the 'fro that read "Vincent Price is my Homeboy."

[calliopes_pen]

I think it was probably the Razzie Awards book that described everything that went wrong with the post-production and everything else. I'll check if it's that book if you want, since it's an interesting book in itself.

...the awesomeness that is Brad Dourif

Who I have actually never heard of until now.

Re: Please, please.....

[kali921.livejournal.com]

Really, truly good horror movies are extremely rare. Slasher films do nothing for me, and they almost always lack any artistry.

You've seen Polanski's REPULSION, right?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

The Razzie's also mentioned George C Scott for III, which I think is really unfair and off.

You may know Brad Dourif from one of five things:

Billy Bibbit from ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST

Doc from DEADWOOD

The X-Files episode, "Beyond the Sea"

The voice of Chucky the Killer Doll from the CHILD'S PLAY movies

Grima Wormtongue from LORD OF THE RINGS


He was also the physical inspiration for the Joker in THE KILLING JOKE, and my god, how perfect he could have been to play that role.

[calliopes_pen]

Never seen any of those, except for when I forced myself to sit through an hour of part of the Lord of the Rings on TNT. I remember Wormtongue vividly. He was the one that seemed creepy, and with messy hair, right? Trying to manipulate a possessed king?

He was also the physical inspiration for the Joker in THE KILLING JOKE, and my god, how perfect he could have been to play that role.

Based on the little I've seen of him, I think you're right.

Re: Please, please.....

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Slasher movies... most of them blow, yes, but there are a handful that are great. Like, I think NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 1 and 3 are pretty great movies. I seriously do. And I think FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 4: THE FINAL CHAPTER is the best of the series, which ain't saying much, but it's definitely worth checking out. If only for Crispin Glover's dance scene. Holy crap, girl. You have not lived till you've seen the Crispin Glover dance scene.

I almost included TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE in there as an example of real film artistry, except it's not really a slash movie (even if many wrongly categorize it as such).

No, I have not! Clearly, I must, eh? I'm also on the lookout for Polanski's CUL-DE-SAC, which isn't available here, I don't think. Donald Pleasance-y goodness.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's him! He's excellent at playing creepy/intense/powerful characters. He's just an excellent actor, and his EXORCIST III work is some of the finest of his career. It's just him in a strait-jacket, no soundtrack, talking for, like, five minutes. Riveting!

He might be too old for Joker now, but maybe Dark Knight Returns Joker? I could so see that.

He was also in a neat Babylon 5 episode. Chances are he's probably turned up in something else you've seen. He's one of those kinds of actors.

[calliopes_pen]

I just checked his IMDB listing, and amazingly Wormtongue is the only thing I've ever seen him as.

I remember that I saw part of Babylon 5 on the Sci-Fi Channel back when they showed reruns of it, but they cancelled it for a second time before I got very interested. So I never saw his episode.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was a long-shot, but I was just trying to hit all the geek bases.

B5 is flawed, sure, but I love it so. More than most of Straczynski's comics today, anyway.

[calliopes_pen]

I know. JMS has definitely lost his touch for storytelling lately. I remember when he wrote Real Ghostbusters, and actually made the early years a tad creepy and wonderful.

Now, with his comic writing? Not so great.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

SUPREME POWER was excellent, I thought, but SQUADRON SUPREME is only now finally starting to pick up. Still, I thought it was one of the few books that actually utilized the MAX label, and it was foolish to become a PG-13 book. Are they really getting more readers that way?

And yeah, I started rewatching his Ghostbusters cartoons, and wow, they are so good! That first season, man, no wonder I was such an Egon fanboy as a little kid!

Which reminds me, one day I need to make a Vigo Mortensen that reads, "I am Vigo, the Scourge of Carpathia, the sorrow of Moldavia!"

[calliopes_pen]

I'm still an Egon fangirl--of course, that's probably because fanzines and fanfic for the show still appear once every so often.

From the first season, Mrs. Rogers Neighborhood is my favorite. That's the one where Peter gets possessed by Watt, and nearly opens the containment unit.

Which reminds me, one day I need to make a Vigo Mortensen that reads, "I am Vigo, the Scourge of Carpathia, the sorrow of Moldavia!"

"Bring me the child, that I might live again!"

One of my favorite scenes from that movie is just the list of the ways he was killed. "Just before his head died, he said 'Death is but a door, time is but a window, I'll be back!'"

That, and my other favorite scene is when the Statue of Liberty stomps a police car, and Ray screams "SORRY! MY FAULT!" down to the crowds below.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Oh my God, Mrs. Rogers Neighborhood! That totally was one of my favorites! I gotta watch that on youtube!

Ghostbusters 2 is so underrated. It's got a real subversive creepiness too, doesn't it? It's a bit unsettling. I love the website i-mockery.com for articles such as this:

http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/ghostbusters2/default.php

Also, now I gotta make an icon of Janoz saying, "Why am I drippings with goo?"

Re: Please, please.....

[frumple.livejournal.com]

A sort of slasher movie (actualy more of a monter movie) that I was very surprised about was JEEPERS CREEPERS. I found it actually scary. The ending was also a bit of a shock as well. Overall nto a great film, but definitely a horror movie that was actually scary.

[frumple.livejournal.com]

Do not foget the "Collect Call of Cthulhu." A Real Ghostbusters Lovercraft story which was quite fun. My favorite quote.

Peter - "So what? This Necronomicon is just a book of magic."
Egon - "That is like saying the atomic bomb is just banging two rocks together."

Re: Please, please.....

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Aye, that one made quite a stir when it hit! Clive Barker raved it. I really should check it out sometime.

[calliopes_pen]

I have the entire series on DVD, thanks to someone on Ebay, so if Youtube doesn't have that episode, I'll do my best to get it uploaded.

*hurries to the I-mockery website*

"The angry fur coat then scurries off into the night, never to be seen again. I like to think that if you live in New York and listen closely enough... amidst all of the hustle and bustle of the busy streets, you can sometimes hear the coat still scampering wildly around the city scaring the bejesus out of the pedestrians."

*dies laughing*

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

It's all good, it's up there! Huzzah! Oh man, that takes me back!

[swimpenguin.livejournal.com]

When I saw that movie about a month ago, it seriousl disturbed me. It's a realistic horror film, with more emphasis on the realism. Very prevelant in the sense of close-minded Christianity versus a different religion that exists today in American (and other) politics and world view. The main character to me-you just see him as an enormous prig until the end, when he fully realizes what is going to happen to him, and at the point, you feel shock and horror for him, but in the sense that what Christopher Lee and co. are about to do to another human being is awful, no matter how much they are a crappy person (ie. as much as I hate the hypocritical anti-gay asshole priests that condemn homosexuality, only to find out they've been having gay sex for years, I don't wish them harm/death) Wicker Man to me was the "other" religion taking similar horrible tactics against fundamentaslist Christinatiy that such a religion has used against other faiths/people in the past/present.