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I actually watched this yesterday, and was not expecting how relevant it was to the time of year! I'm still wrapping my head around it. I think I enjoyed this one better. Especially considering the time in which it was released. It felt so of-it's-era, that I was more sold on the wacky premise. And the music seems so integrated that I'd hardly have called it a musical.

This movie was so perfect for this time of year. I happened to watch both movies (original and remake) by coincidence. I definitely feel like the original version of the film feels more sensible than the remake. Edward Woodward's Sgt. Howie is more calm and ever so slowly builds to frustration. The original is full of songs, sexual energy and they go out of their way to explain their customs to Sgt. Howie. They give him ample opportunities to not go to the May Day festivities and of course he chooses to go. I do like religious juxtaposition of the original and how Sgt. Howie has his place now as a martyr for his beliefs. I also do like that Sgt. Howie gets to warn/curse Lord Summerisle that if the crops fail again, only Lord Summerisle would do as the next sacrifice. Anyway, great film.... and surprisingly musical. I forgot how much music was in the film.

I.....had no idea there was that much singing in this. We watched:

The Wicker Man is one of my all time favourite horror films. To me what makes a good horror film a great one is not the amount of death or kills or gore or even how many scares if gives you. A great horror film is one that creates an atmosphere. One that doesn't need to rely on cheap shock or gore to get you to feel uncomfortable or uneasy. The best way to do that is create characters that you are interested in and have something to say. We've been blessed in the last few years to have films like The VVitch, Susperia, Hereditary, etc. that get this concept. So expanding upon this the whole religious angle and the question of one's faith and beliefs is so integral to what makes Sgt. Howie and the story work, that the Nic Cage version always confused me a little. The bedroom scene and the other odd scenes are earned because we know who the character is. We get the bigger picture and higher concepts. We understand the crisis of faith or beliefs being tested. This things push the character and therefore us with them. Just being odd or having unearned weirdness is what separates a good film from a HDTGM film. That said this time rewatching it I really focused on the music and like was said it is hard to imagine the film without it. It is such a part of the film and creating a tone and atmosphere even more so than I realized.

The blu-ray we have is The Final Cut (approx 94 mins) and seems to be the "middle version" according to the info on wikipedia. But I haven't seen the other versions to know how it compares. It seemed to flow pretty well imo, so I guess the chronology helps. I only saw the film once prior, so I had forgotten some of what happens, but I think that's one of my favorite scenes in the film. The song is really great and it has a lot of emotion between Willow's beckoning dance and Howie's obvious frustration as he resists her temptation. It definitely seems like a weird reaction, but he knows what she is trying to do and he's fighting so hard to remain true to his Christian values. Ironically, giving in to the temptation might've saved him, idk There's so much more thought put into the original. Even the costume that Sgt Howie steals is significant.

This is my first time watching this, so for people who have seen this before, what’s your take on the nude bedroom dancing scene? I loved the music playing in the background and the forbidding “thumps” on the wall. And I liked the idea of her tempting him to make sure he was “pure.” But, damn, Howie acts like a real weirdo in that scene - lol.

I could see making this movie a yearly tradition.

I agree. That song they sing at the end, about the cuckoo, would be absolutely terrifying if you were in Howie’s position. It’s so silly and cheerful sounding.

As I said on Letterboxd, it makes the Nic Cage version make both less and more sense. It definitely makes more sense for the detective to be super religious though. Cutting that aspect of the character from the Nic Cage version is confounding. What were they thinking?

Yes! That was one of my bits of foreshadowing I caught based on my knowledge of the Nic Cage version. I was like, “Oh, he’s so going to be the fool...” I also like how the movie subverted the whole “virgin sacrifice” trope. It annoys me so much when movies just ignore male virgins. My favorite example of this is when two eleven year old boys lament “Where are we going to find a virgin?” in Monster Squad. I’m like, “Hey fellas, take a look in the mirror...” I watched the version on iTunes. It says it’s 1:42 (102 minutes), and as far as I could tell, it was chronological.

Me too. It opens the doors for Musical Mondays to be interpreted more broadly while still allowing for straight Musicals if that's what people want to choose.

we've kind of being doing that since around the time someone choose Baby Driver. I mean off and on I'm actually all for this

There's so much to the original that just builds a wilder, but more solid story I think. The conflict of religion is a big one. I also like how developed the island is, so that you only realize something is off by the behavior of its inhabitants. The virgin sacrifice aspect too is not part of the Cage version. The songs just add to the atmosphere. They are used so naturally, but are rather unsettling.

I'm torn on this too. I think Edward Woodward plays it straighter than Nic Cage does, but the whole set up in the original may be more bonkers

I just can't decide if this is more crazy or less crazy than the Nic Cage version.

We could maybe also like do slow morphs! Like this one is definitely headed in the direction of maybe not considered musicals but music plays a heavy part, so we could like focus on that too! Clueless, Pulp Fiction, Garden State, Drive, etc!

I have to admit, I’m kind of sad they’re doing away with the Zocchihedron. I get why they’re doing it, but I really enjoyed the randomness of the picks. It also means that we probably won’t get Star Wars out of the way until Rise of Skywalker - which bums me out. I love Star Wars, but I am sick to death of talking about Star Wars - for good or ill. I was really hoping to get it out of the way sooner rather than later. Oh well...

I think the idea of replacing religion with familial responsibility was a logical choice, but then they went so far into Cagesanity that made that movie a HDTGM classic. I wasn't surprised by the singing so much since that was a focal point of a lot of reviews, though I was surprised that this was an almost stag film with the numerous scenes of nude girls just dancing in the field. What's even more bonkers is that Robin Hardy would make a spiritual sequel in 2011 called the Wicker Tree that had Christopher Lee cameo. That one focuses A LOT MORE on music and religion as the main character is born again pop singer that goes to spread the good word to heathens around the world, leading her and band to Scotland where they come across the pagan cult that have similar practices as the original group.

Maybe you could find the Gas n' Sip from Say Anything...

Ooh if I ever make it L.A ( I assume that's where it is)I want a gas station milkshake. Fuck going to see the Hollywood Walk . Convenience store milkshake is where it's at!

Lyrics: i dont mean to be rude or sound like a humbug but i waited the whole episode to hear some plugs i don't use curse words or take illicit drugs my only true vice in life is the plugs that's a good song that is a good song that song's okay that's a great song i didn't like that song was that even a song? that's a goood song not very good song the only good songs are hymns.