Known for his knack of crafting cult-favorite horror movies, contemporaneous director Ari Aster is surely one of the big names in 21st-century horror film making. His sophomore work in the genre,Midsommar, is a movie often praised for its ingenuity, being a horror film that happens almost entirely in broad daylight. However,Midsommaris not the first movie to attempt such a difficult challenge.In the 1970s, late British director Robin Hardy presented the world with a sunny, yet terrifying film.
The film in question isThe Wicker Man, a 1973folk horrorfilm about a devout Christian police officer, sergeant Howie, who sets foot to a pagan island off the coast of Scotland to investigate the eerie disappearance of a girl. Heavily focusing on religion as a theme,The Wicker Mantells the tragedy of a man fighting hard for what is right, without ever realizing that what he thinks is right might not coincide with the views and myths of other cultures.
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In its main storyline,The Wicker Mansets up a very intriguing mystery. The island on which the whole movie takes place is not a very big one. Everyone knows one another, or at least their families. But, no one seems to remember the missing girl, something that both puzzles and infuriates sergeant Howie. Also, given how strict and unwavering the sergeant is, viewers might easily disagree with his arrogant and oppressive attitude, but at the same time, the mysterious islanders' obvious lies make it really hard to trust or side with them. In a way, the violence inThe Wicker Manis intellectual.Not particularly bloody or gory, one could argue that the 1973 film is not scary, but creepy. And there is a huge difference there.
As sergeant Howie witnesses the islanders’ unfamiliar rituals and odd behavior, he grows increasingly suspicious of a murderous, religious conspiracy. Learning about the Celtic gods that the islanders worship, the sergeant becomes certain that the islanders are preparing to sacrifice the missing girl in order to increase their harvest, which had been decreasing over the last years. The similarities withMidsommarare quite easy to see, which could point to how Aster drew influence from Hardy’s work.
Both films are centered around a protagonist visiting an unfamiliar, isolated location whose people operate following mysterious, alarming religious rules. There is also a thematic parallel in the harvesting metaphor, going a little beyond the religious themes. Also, byfollowing the modern trend in horrorof straying further away from jump scares,Midsommar, likeThe Wicker Man, never really intended to be a scary film. Aster, however, is no stranger to gore, soMidsommaris quite violent at times. Nonetheless, the weirdness in those two movies is responsible for their potential as terrifying experiences.
In the harrowing final minutes ofThe Wicker Man, Howie bravely faces the lying pagan cultists and unknowingly partakes in a deathly trial. When he thinks that he has found and saved the missing girl, it turns out thathe was the sacrificial lamb all along. His fierce defense of his Christian values led him straight toward the stake. The twist ending inThe Wicker Manis surely one of the most haunting ones in film history. Even already knowing what will happen, first-time viewers will always be swept away by the frightening sight of the titular “character”. In comparison toMidsommar, a film whose ending also evokes the imagery and symbolism of fire,The Wicker Manis absolutely ground-breaking and devastating,whereasMidsommaris awkwardly and darkly bittersweet.
In both films, the sun’s omnipresence is very tightly related to the films' main themes. InMidsommar, Dani’s trauma has to be confronted by her and not kept hidden in the shadows of denial. In the end, she actually finds belonging in a community that feels her pain and offers her healing. InThe Wicker Man, Howie’s selfless giving of himself to his religion is exactly his undoing.Just like Jesus Christ was crucifiedin daytime, Howie is burned to death in the most melancholic sunset possible. His final prayers, pleas, and curses as the fire burns through the gigantic spine-chilling wicker man statue are forever haunting. Surely, the night can instigate fear in viewers, but only the sunset can evoke so much anguish.
Presenting a not-so-friendly protagonist in an unfamiliar scenario, surrounded by off-putting and creepy liars, Robin Hardy’sThe Wicker Manis an expertly crafted audiovisual myth that explores the depth and dangers of mythology itself. A deeply entertaining and disturbing film that makes viewers boil with inklings. It is important to separate the original film from the 2006 American remake, directed by Neil Labute andstarring Nicolas Cage, which did not manage to live up to the original’s creepiness and philosophical depth (and also made it to many lists of ‘Best Worst Films Ever’).
