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TheWickerMan(1973)

Dir.RobinHardy

TheWickerManisaBritishhorrormovie,known

foritssignificantcontributiontothereinventionand

reestablishmentofthehorrorgenreaftertheageof

Hammer-stylehorrormoviesofthe50sand60s. Wewantedastorythatfittedperhapsintothe

horrorgenre,butwhichwasmoreafilmfantastique.

(Hardy,Unknown)

TheWickerManisundeniably70sinits

indulgenceinexploitationandexcessivenudity,butthese

aspectscanbeeffectivelyexcusedastheiruseto

reinforcetheexistenceofanaliensociety,builtonthe

principlesofwesternEuropeantradition,inaworldof

whichtheprotagonist,SergeantHowie,issofamiliar.The

filmescalatesthefeelingsofalienationandunfamiliarity

byaddressingthemessuchasreligionandhumannature,aswellaspushingagainsttypicalhorrormovieclichsin

ordertokeeptheblatanthorroroftheplotbehindcloseddoorsuntilthefinalscenes.

AparticularaspectofthefilmthatamplifiestheterrorofSummerisleisthecontrast

oftraditionandmodernity.Thefearisderivedfromtheapplicationoftraditionalhuman

natureandapplyingittothesocietyinwhichtheobserverwaspreviouslycomfortable.The

filmmakersunderstandthesimpleprincipleofhumannature,thatifyouweretoplacean

individualwithinasituationofunfamiliarity,fearislikelytobeinstilled.AsnotedbyAdam

SmithofEmpireOnline.com,

Itspowercomesnotfromappealstothesupernatural,butfromadeep

understandingofourownundeniablehumannature.Horrordoesntgetmorecloseto

homethanthat.(Smith,2007) OnSummerisle,theirwayoflifeisstillverymuchderivedfromtraditionalideasof

living,althoughonthesurfacetheyarepresentedasareflectionofthefamiliar,ruralEnglish

countryside.Whilstatfirst,thisseemsfamiliartoHowie,hisfearbeginstorevealitselfwhen

theunfamiliarvastlyoutweighsthefamiliar.Whenthe heimlichbecomesunheimlich.The

inhabitantsofSummerislehavebeenraisedinthisisolatedsocietywhereholdingafrogin

onesmouthisasurefirewayofcuringasorethroat,whilstHowiecomesfromasociety

susceptibletochangeandadvancement,andithasfarsurpassedthelifestyledisplayedon

theisland.Thecheerfulnatureoftheinhabitantsonlyamplifiesthisunfamiliarity,as,unlike

Howie,theyareascomfortableinthissocietyasheisinhis.Howieexpectsthemtobeas

fearfulasheis,andwhentheirreactionisquitetheopposite,histerroronlyincreases.

IthinkRowanMorrisonwasmurderedundercircumstancesofPaganbarbarity,

whichIcanscarcelybringmyselftobelieve,astakingplaceinthe20thcentury.

SergeantHowie

ThetraditionsonSummerisleultimatelypushHowiesownbeliefsasfarasthey

couldpossiblygo.HowieisadevoutChristian,apointofwhichhemakesclearatthesightof

anythinghemaydeemimmoralorunnaturalontheisland.Hisfaithiswhatmotivateshim

duringhistimeonSummerisle,beingtheonlythinghewouldconsiderpureandtrueonan

islandinhabitedbyheathenindividualsandabhorrenttradition.Totheinhabitants,Howies

standpointontheirbeliefsandtraditionsisseentobesomewhatnarrowminded,assaidby

StevenGraydanusofDecentFilms.com,

Hisreligiosity,howeversincere,seemsasmuchamatterofconventionalityand

sanctimoniousnessasfaithandspirituality.(Greydanus,2008)

Fig1.TheWickerManFilmPoster

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StevenPayne Unit3Environment

Howieappearstojustifyhisdisgustoftheislestraditionsbyinsistingtheonlyway

oflivinginthisworldisthroughthewordoftheChristianBible.Thecombinationofhis

dedicationtoChristianityandtheauthoritythatcomesfromhispositioninthePoliceforce

appeartoprovideHowiewithasenseofdominionandpowerovertheinhabitantsof

Summerisle.Ofcourse,theinhabitantsonlytakeadvantageofHowiesforwardinvestigative

approach,showingthatanoffensiveapproachisntnecessarilythebestone. TheWickerManisaseffectiveintermsofinstillingfearinitsaudienceasitwas

whenitwasoriginallyreleased.Eventhoughtheoutrighthorrorissupresseduntilthefinal

climaxofthefilm,thechillingtoneofSummerisleanditsinhabitantsispresentfromthe

verybeginning.Thetruehorrorcomesfromanobservationofourownhumannatureand

beliefs,ahorrorthatretainsitseffectivenessconsiderablymoresothanothermoviesofits

time.

Bibliography

Quotes

Hardy,R.(Unknown)TheWickerMan-RobinHardy/ChristopherLeeInterview. In:youtube.com

[online]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVKNSj3TcWA(Accessedon6/1/12)

Smith,A.(2007)EmpireEssay:TheWickerMan. In:empireonline.com24.8.07[online]

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=7892(Accessedon6/1/12)

Graydanus,S.(2008)TheWickerMan.In:decentfilms.com20.10.08[online]

http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/wickerman1973.html(Accessedon6/1/12)

ListofIllustrations

Fig.1.TheWickerManFilmPosterFrom:TheWickerManDirectedby:RobinHardy.[filmposter]UK:

BritishLionFilms