— you’ll simply never understand the nature of true sacrifice.

day seven of hooptober! damn, i can’t believe it’s been a week already. going strong and don’t plan on breaking the streak. ok for the wicker man, lowkey didn’t know there was a distinction between og and remake, just thought it was one and nick cage was the star of the show. we’re in for a ride and my notes are on fire:

i’m getting strong religious themes very early on. loved the scenes with the naked couples in the grass and the snails on the leaves. i loved the voice over during the snail scene and the crosscutting. loved the aphrodite mentions...i love offerings...my lil witchy pagan heart

everyone on the island is so nonchalant. their m.o. is to gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss. also tell me why i had a story idea like this when i was a kid before i even knew anything about the wicker man. i think it’s funny too how the sergeant’s name is howie cos that’s what my future nephew’s name is gonna be

it’s cool they have phallus education, but what about yoni education...i think it’s way more important and undertaught, but maybe it would’ve been pushing the boundaries of the audiences of the time too much...also the chalk board talking about hag stones is sick

the christian mind cannot comprehend...if only they knew the christians jacked pagan style. unrelated but the record-keeper lowkey has princess leia hair. i can totally see how this inspired and informed midsommar lol

i actually like how musical this is. had abs no idea it was. adding this to my musicals i actually like list
i love when witchy women dance naked >>> peak cinema. when they’re both yearning on the other side of the wall. it’s not split-screen but i wonder if that’s what inspired that kinda shot

at least the cop is educating himself on their traditions. i definitely think he could judge less...cos now he’s stranded on the island and def not gonna be able to leave

i love how he is determined or delusional enough to think that he’s going to find rowan and get out of there alive with her lol godspeed man. you were fucked from the moment you started meddling in business that’s not yours to medal in

i feel like this is an age old story though. stranger shows up to a society unknown to them and tries imposing their beliefs onto them...that’s what christians have a tendency to do, judge and moralize rather than learn about other people’s beliefs and why they may believe in something else

those sun pastries made by the salmon of knowledge guy are sick

lol waking up to whispers of what the townsfolk are plotting to do to you must be a terrifying experience. i love how a lot of this takes place during the day, i’m gonna mention it again but i see this influencing the hell out of ari aster’s midsommar. i’m such a huge fan of both now! really glad i’m watching this

ohh shit i LOVE that twist. that definitely got me. honestly, that was a twist well-done. without spoiling it too much, it was similarish to midsommar but different

overall, the wicker man floored me with how much it balances folk horror with satire, ritual, and musical whimsy. it does horror in the best way: sun-drenched yet sinister, pagan yet playful, and bewitching precisely because it doesn’t hide in the shadows like most horror does. the gaslight-gatekeep-girlboss townsfolk, the constant clash between christianity and paganism, and the way the narrative circles back to that inevitable, shocking twist all make it clear why this film has endured as a classic and influenced modern folk horror like midsommar. for me, the wicker man is less about the “monster” and more about the consequences of arrogance, belief, and sacrifice, and that final bonfire cements its place as one of the greats.