HOOP-TOBER 8
2 FOLK HORROR FILMS

While watching The Wicker Man, a film of which I have only seen the remake (gasp!), I thought to myself about folk horror, particularly the folk horror that revolves around paganism and cults and the way in which those come into conflict with the outside world. Here, this particular film finds its conflict between the paganism of rituals and culture of the people or Summerisle and Sergeant Howie, the representative of not just the outside world, but conservative Christian Scotland. 

The end of these films usually is the expected outcome. These films often end with a sacrifice or at least an attempted sacrifice and it almost always gets to that point as the outsider slowly begins to unravel that things are not as they seem. This mystery eventually ends in the burning of an outsider to appease some sort of ritual. This is something that The Wicker Man shares with its contemporary cousin, Midsommar. 

So if these films are so predictable, what makes them scary? I think I figured it out this time and it’s something that I think Midsommar actually leans into really well. We often think of darkness as what instills fear in a horror film. Or, at least, darkness is the hiding place through which our fears can either hide in order to get us, or simply the darkness can give them strength. But here, the fear is not some dark creature, masked killer or demon. No, here the evil is man and what man will do in the name of his god. 

It’s the smiling faces and cheering and singing as Howie burns to death that makes the Wicker Man terrifying. It’s the very real presentation of friendless that makes them instill dread. That so many could commit such a horrific act while smiling brightly is a truly terrifying thought. 

Now, of course, there are some similarities and points to be made about Christianity itself and I think that given the UK’s reputation around conservative Christianity around this time period, it would make sense that a film like this was a bit of a middle finger. But on its barest of bones, The Wicker Man is chilling and a vision of what man can do when blinded by faith.