Pwaters' Month of Terror Day 6: The Wicker Man

Hello ladies, gentlemen, and creatures lurking in the shadows!  This month, October, is a favorite among horror fans, such as myself.  My goal for the next 31 days is to share with you the scariest and best of the genre.  The films will range from old school classics to modern day gorefests (they won't be in any particular order).  So scout these movies out, grab a bag of popcorn (or a blood bag) and enjoy!

The Wicker Man (1973)
Dir. Robin Hardy

Please, please forget about the remake starring Nicolas Cage; it may be a good midnight movie to cackle along with and make fun of, but the original 1973 British film is quite scary and nightmare inducing.  The film follows Sargent Neil Howie on the remote island of Summerisle, from where a girl has reportedly gone missing.  While investigating, he realizes that this small village is nothing like his straight-laced Christian background - they're an off-kiltered society of pagans and he smells something fishy going on.  British actor Edward Woodward (try to say that ten times fast) is great as the man outside his comfort zone (granted that having to face the cult leader, played by horror veteran Christopher Lee, is no small tomatoes).  The whole movie almost feels like a dream, and the music and imagery are downright haunting.  After I watched the movie for the first time I felt like I was in a trance (or maybe it was just Britt Ekland's crazy nude seduction scene).

I think what makes The Wicker Man so scary is that a seemingly strong and smart man is so easily manipulated by this cult.  Everyone seems to be "in" on things, and he knows it, but still can't figure it out.  Plus the scenes of cult members wearing animal masks gleefully joining hands and chanting as they gather for a ritual killing are a tad unsettling.

(PS: I thought "no small tomatoes" was a saying, but then I googled it and nothing came up...I swear I've heard that somewhere before, but I guess I was wrong.  I'm leaving it in though because I like it and I will as of now try to use the phrase as often as I can).