Omelette Du Homage (The Wicker Man 1973 Review)
Ryley picked another "cult" classic, The Wickerman 1973. The Citizen Kane of Horror movies, if you will.
REVIEW OVERVIEW: It's fun, goofy, whimsical and a bit of a musical—a great movie to watch with a group.
It has a 70s horror air punctuated by a folksy soundtrack. It has been heralded as the Citizen Kane of horror movies, and it quickly becomes apparent why. A moral questioning of all characters makes you evaluate if perceived intention can excuse someone's behaviour. The suspense draws you in almost instantly.
Midsommar should've stolen more from this movie. The Wicker Man is basically Midsommar without the exploitative display of intense/traumatic emotions.
Ryley: 7/10
Kat: 6/10
Both: [00:00:00] Hello
Kat: And welcome to
Both: Easy Bake Takes
Ryley: the podcast!
Kat: Where we read you the one star reviews of your favorite movies and more. I'm Kat
Ryley: and I'm Ryley. And we're doing a cult kind of theme going on. So last week we did invitation.
Kat: And some of you might know that we put out a poll on our Instagram to ask what we should do next. That was like, not for this, the what we're recording now, by the way, just everybody, so we're not ignoring what you voted for.
Ryley: Yeah.
Kat: But what cult movie did you pick?
Ryley: I picked the OG Wicker Man 1973.
Kat: Watch this movie first and then come back to us.
Ryley: Mm-hmm. This is not the Nicholas Cage one, but we will do that in the future. I promise. It's rated R. It's an hour and 28 [00:01:00] minutes, and here's the plot. Police Sergeant Neil Howie journeys by sea plane to the remote Hebridian Island Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl, Rowan Morrison, about whom he has received In an anonymous letter. Howie, a devout Christian is disturbed to find the Islanders paying homage to the pagan Celtic gods of their ancestors. They copulate openly in the fields, include children as part of the mayday celebrations, they teach children of, of the phallic association of the maypole, and place toads in their mouth to cure sore throats. The Islanders appear to be trying to throw the investigation by claiming that Rowan never existed. While staying at the Green Man inn, Howie notices a series of photographs celebrating the annual harvest, each featuring a young girl as the May Queen. The photograph of the most recent celebration is missing, the landlord tells him it was broken. At the local school, Howie asks the students about Rowan, but all deny her existence. He checks the school register and finds Rowan's name. He questions the school [00:02:00] teacher who directs him to Rowan's grave. Howie meets the islands leader, Lord Summerisle, grandson of Victorian agronomist, uh, I looked at the definition. It's someone who like studies plants and plant like breeding.
Kat: And like farming?
Ryley: Mm-hmm. So like you mixing this plant with this plant to produce this fruit.
Kat: Oh, okay.
Ryley: Summerisle explains that his grandfather developed strains of fruit trees that would prosper in Scotland's climate and encouraged the belief that the old gods would use the new strains to bring prosperity to the island among the pagan population. Due to the bountiful harvests, the island's other inhabitants gradually embraced paganism. Exhuming the grave, Howie finds that the coffin contains only the carcass of a hare. He also finds a missing harvest photograph showing Roman standing amidst empty boxes, the harvest had failed. His re- research reveals that a human sacrifice is offered to the gods in the event of crop failure. He concludes that Roman is a- is alive and will soon be sacrificed to ensure a successful [00:03:00] harvest. Seeking assistance from the mainland, Howie returns to his sea plane discovering it no longer functions and his radio is damaged. He cannot leave or call for help. Later that day during the mayday celebration,Howie subdues the inkeeper and steals his costume and mask, that of punch the fool, to infiltrate the parade. Rowan is eventually revealed. Howie sets her free and flees with her into a cave. Exiting it, they are intercepted by the islanders, to whom Rowan happily returns. Summerisle tells Howie that Rowan was never the intended sacrifice, Howie is. He fits their god's four requirements, he came of his own free will, has the power of a king by representing the law, is a virgin and is a fool. Howie warns Summerisle and the islanders that the crops are failing due to the unsustainability of the climate and that the villages will turn on Summerisle and sacrifice him next summer when the next harvest fails again but his pleas are ignored. The villagers force Howie [00:04:00] inside a giant Wicker Man statue along with various animals, set it ablaze and surround it, singing In the middle English folk song, Sumer is Icumen In. Inside the Wicker Man, Howie recites Psalm 23, and praise to God, before cursing the islanders as he and the animals burn to death. The head of the Wicker Man collapses in flames. Revealing the setting sun. That's the plot. The director is Robin Hardy. The writers are Anthony Shaffer and David Pinner wrote the novel Ritual, which is what the movie's based on.
Kat: Mm-hmm.
Ryley: We have the cast, Edward Woodward, he plays Sergeant Howie, Christopher Lee plays Lord Summerisle, Diane Cilento plays Ms. Rose and Britt Ekland plays Willow.
Kat: Christopher lee is Lord Sauron or whatever.
Ryley: Mm-hmm. And he's Willy Wonka's dad.
Kat: Dr. Wonka!
Ryley: Uhhuh, he's Dr. Wonka. And then I have a little bit of trivia. Due to the very small budget, most of the casts, including Christopher Lee, worked without pay. According to Ingrid Pitt in her 2008 Den [00:05:00] of Geek column, Christopher Lee, who had made around 300 films still claim that the Wicker Man was the best film he had ever appeared. The evil eye rowing boat, which takes Sergeant Howie to and from his plane was not constructed for this movie. It belonged to a resident of Plockton. Upon seeing it, the producers decided it would suit the movie. The boat survived until 2004 when it was destroyed in a storm. It was an old boat.
Kat: That boat's older than both of us.
Ryley: Yeah, exactly. Many years after making the film, Edward Woodward revisited some of the locations and claimed that he found the makeshift cross that Howie makes out of some pieces of wood still intact where it was left in the original scene.
Kat: That's scary.
Ryley: Yeah. Director and Robin Hardy explained the meaning of the scene with a woman with an egg in her hand, nursing a baby while sitting in a graveyard to Alan Cumming in Scotland on Screen. According to Hardy. It is a fertility ritual and she was hoping for another baby. And that's what a lot of this movie's about too, is like the [00:06:00] harvest.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: Screenwriter Anthony Schaffer wanted this movie to be a little more literate than the average horror movie. He specifically wanted a movie with a minimum of violence and gore, he was tired of seeing horror movies that relied almost entirely on, what is that?
Kat: Viscera.
Ryley: Viscera to be scary. The focus of this movie was crystallized when he finally hit upon the abstract concept of sacrifice.
Kat: Mm.
Ryley: Sir Christopher Lee paid for his own press tour out of pocket and hit every stop, willing to interview him about the movie. According to rumor, some farmers in Iowa were surprised to see him on live early morning public access shows. There's a scene in this movie where Willow's characters, she gets her own little song and dance.
Kat: Mm-hmm.
Ryley: This is probably where, the moment in the movie where like, oh, this is weird and different.
Kat: Mm-hmm.
Ryley: So Willow's dancing took 13 hours to shoot.
Kat: Jesus Christ.
Ryley: And I don't know why cuz it's a three minute scene.
Kat: Well maybe it's like they, [00:07:00] cuz it cuts back and forth from the dude.
Ryley: Yeah.
Kat: And her, so maybe he wasn't on set or something. They had to wait for him to be there.
Ryley: They're not in the same room.
Kat: Exactly. Exactly. Maybe that's why it took 13 hours.
Ryley: I don't know. That was that, that's a, I think excessive. So short version only, so this, this is at the very beginning of the movie, producers thank the Lord Summerisle and the people of his island for cooperating and the making of the film. This is despite both the Lord and the island being totally fictitious. So like.
Kat: I love that.
Ryley: They're just thinking the people of the island of the movie and they're not real people, so.
Kat: That's very Blair, which of them.
Ryley: It is. So what did you think of the movie? Let's see.
Kat: The first thing I have written down is why was he napping with the door open? Like at the end, when he's like, nobody bother me. I'm gonna go take a nap.
Ryley: Maybe need to keep an eye on people. I don't know.
Kat: I mean, it's, it served him to hear.
Ryley: That's probably why if I had to assume. I don't know.
Kat: But I also love fake [00:08:00] violence in old movies. Like when he hits the guy with the hammer, it, he's like a foot away from that guy with that thing like, There's no way.
Ryley: There's another scene where he walks at the bar, they're all singing and dancing, and he barely touches a man. And that man goes flying through the room, like out of the way, like superhero touch, like it's so funny.
Kat: And I wrote down the line, 'cut some capers, man,' whenever they were getting mad at him for not dancing. 'Cut some campers, man.' I don't know what that means.
Ryley: I don't either.
Kat: And also in the parade, the guy with the long black wig was slaying. He was serving cunt.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: The thing about that ale ritual is that seems like something that would be part of like a frat initiation.
Ryley: Yeah, yeah.
Kat: Like pour one out for Posideon, but also I was just imagining the whole time, like just a drunk person on the beach reciting like the whole ritual thing, and [00:09:00] then just poor pouring their beer out into the ocean. But I also said that Midsummer needed to steal more from this movie. Like immediately after watching it, I was like, okay, no I know what people are talking about now. I totally see it.
Ryley: I have some, I have some thoughts on that. Mm-hmm.
Kat: And, well, I found like a, I was reading up on it just to see what people were saying the comparisons were.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: And people who, who were upset that the movies were being compared. They were like, well, it's like a different kind, like the characters are different, like is a different. Like, yeah, dumb ass, it's a different point of view.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: But they're still bringing, bringing people in who willingly. They're willingly there.
Ryley: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Kat: They have some like inner strife to work through.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: They're like emotionally vulnerable group of people and they're literally there willingly and are going to be sacrificed just because the characters go in a different little journey to get to the end. I dunno people were just getting really up in arms that. The same, but somebody was saying that they didn't [00:10:00] find midsummer interesting, but they found the Wicker Man interesting and entertaining, and I think they basically said it was because the Wicker Man wasn't emotionally exploitative.
Ryley: I can totally see that.
Kat: I totally got that. Yeah.
Ryley: I have my issues with midsummer, but I'm not gonna get them get into them today.
Kat: Yes.
Ryley: I will say, it's one of those things where people would always say, oh, it pays, it pays homage to Wicker Man. It's paying homage to Wicker Man. It's, it's, it's respecting. Is it? Because it seems like a lot of the ideas you were depending on seemed to come from Wicker Man. And I know that who, whoever made that movie, uh, was-
Kat: Ari
Ryley: like, they're Yeah. They're not claiming it's an original idea. They're, they'll go along with it.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: How much do you have to depend on the movie you're paying homage to in order to make your own movie? Cause there's one thing to pay homage.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: And there's one who just blatantly use main concepts, you know?
Kat: Yeah. It's literally [00:11:00] the same. It's like maybe the groups of people had different intentions of why they were doing those things, but it's like if the group of people weren't trying to prank you, you know, it was more like.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: I don't know what I was gonna, where I was going with that, but.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: I saw a lot of people on, on Reddit also say that like, they didn't like midsummer because they had seen the Wicker Man, so they knew exactly what was going to happen.
Ryley: And that should tell you it's using way too much of the Wicker Man source than its own originality, you know?
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: It's not original enough. You can pay homage.
Kat: Five minutes into this movie, or not five minutes, but by the time the, um, like the maple part was in there, I was like, Okay. Starting to get it. Starting to get.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: Where they got it from. But they should have stolen more. They should have stolen more from this movie if they were going to
Ryley: Might as well.
Kat: Yeah. Someone tried to argue the point that like, well, it was like on the post where someone was explaining how mid-summer didn't work for them and Wicker Man did work for them. And this person was like, well, if they were the exact same, like it would be [00:12:00] derivative, like it would just be a derivative work and it like would be like a copycat. And then someone was like, well, they didn't copy everything, but it still was derivative.
Ryley: Mm.
Kat: Of the Waker man, it's still a derivative work.
Ryley: Mm-hmm. And that's the perfect word for it. Yeah.
Kat: Yeah, exactly. Like it's copying and pasting, changing some things, but changing them for the worst. Maybe. I don't know. People were coming at this from the wrong angle. They were trying to compare the two with like the exact things that happened, like how, like the.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: Exact, like the character traits and stuff. I was like, no. It ends with someone being burned alive as a sacrifice. Moving on from, I wrote that I love Christopher Lee, and he has sounded like he was 80 years old since this, since the seventies.
Ryley: Yes.
Kat: When he's standing on the beach on the like rock at the end. His hair is blowing back.
Ryley: Oh yeah.
Kat: It looks like the nick, the Nicholas cage, bird hair photo.
Ryley: Yes, it does. Yeah, absolutely.
Kat: I wrote, I love pranks for the sake of the harvest. [00:13:00] But before they sacrificed him, they just pranked this guy.
Ryley: Yeah. Honestly, they, they, they put some effort into tricking this man. You know, they made this man go crazy.
Kat: A whole island gaslit you guy.
Ryley: No kidding. Yeah, he did at the end of the day though, I think he kind of deserved it.
Kat: He did. I mean, he's a cop, a virgin .
Ryley: Exactly. Exactly.
Kat: Yikes.
Ryley: Yeah. Yikes.
Kat: I was thinking about that. The part where he kind of, it felt like he deserved it. Like Yes but when you think about it, it's, you get into like a similar line of thought that some people come out of Midsummer with.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: Where it's like he was going into with a serious task of solving a murder.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: And everyone was lying from the start. So I think it was justified for him to be a dick the whole time.
Ryley: Yeah. Like, I understand that, but like the whole time he's being super like your religion's wrong. The whole time and just like really.
Kat: That part, yes.
Ryley: It makes his [00:14:00] character very unlikable. And I understand what he was doing. He was trying to solve a missing child case cuz he thought there was a missing child.
Kat: Yeah, but he didn't have to. You're right. He didn't have to shit on that religion the whole time.
Ryley: Yeah, he didn't have to do that. I'm sorry, but like I think there's a point too, get back up. If people are not being that chill, get back up.
Kat: I mean, he tried and they destroyed his plane.
Ryley: Did he call people? Cause I feel like-
Kat: He was going to, and they destroyed the, the radio in his plane.
Ryley: Oh, okay. That makes sense. Cause I thought like he, cause I know he goes back to the plane at some point and it's destroyed. I thought it's just like one of those things where like should done it sooner. They probably destroyed it the second he got off of it. So.
Kat: Yeah, definitely.
Ryley: Mm-hmm. That makes sense.
Kat: Oh, true.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: Cause they, he walks back in and, um, Willow and the, that little gay man who owns the inn were like, 'is your backup coming?' And he was like, 'no.'
Ryley: He's like tearing up. He's trying to show that he's crying.
Kat: 'No.'
Ryley: 'No.'
Kat: 'Which one of you destroyed my plane?' [00:15:00] But the last thing I have is just said, I can't even imagine what the Nicholas Cage one is like.
Ryley: Oh. It's in my own opinion, I like this movie.
Yeah.
And I do think there's some good aspects of this movie. It's on the weird side definitely. But it's got its own message going on.
Kat: It kind of like, in a way, the weirdness of it, but also like this old seventies film campiness of it.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: Reminds me of like, you know, like Rosemary's Baby, like those type of horror movies where it's just like.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: This is fucking ridiculous. And the acting is hilarious and the violence and the screaming is insane. But it's a good movie.
Ryley: It's a good movie. I like it. And for this one, I, I definitely fit- it definitely fits that because this movie is wild. I really like this one. But the Nicholas Cage one, I like that for a different reason. I know that's a bad movie. We all know it's a bad movie. No one watches that movie and went, I think that was really good. No, that is a [00:16:00] ridiculous movie. And it's funny. That's why.
Kat: Yeah. It's like, um, the, the video I I sent you about with Brendan Frasier talking about the Scorpion King, he's like, they could change it, but.
Ryley: Yes, it's the same. It wouldn't be as fun.
Kat: Yeah, it wouldn't be the same without.
Ryley: The goofiness of it.
Kat: Exactly.
Ryley: He put it into words. He really did, because. No, it's not a good movie, but it's fun. And it's silly and goofy and I like watching it because it's ridiculous. And this is the Nichos Cage one not the.
Kat: Not the, yeah. But what did you think? What did you have?
Ryley: I genuinely, genuinely like this movie. It's wild and weird, and I understand why it's a cult classic. The first-
Kat: mm-hmm.
Ryley: Half of this movie is a musical. Which is so weird.
Kat: Yeah, I love it though. It makes sense.
Ryley: Yeah, right. Yeah. And it's like a folky musical too, so it's just kind of like, it's just weird. It fits the movie so well. A lot of the comments that we're gonna read talk about how like silly the music is when like, I think it adds to it. I think it just adds to, I don't know, just this quirky movie.[00:17:00]
Kat: It sounds like. So you told me from the beginning like, this is a musical.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: And I didn't know what to expect going into it. Because I was like, how is, how is this a musical? And I knew nothing about this movie, like plot or any, anything going into it. I've always, I'd always heard about it, but it was usually the Nicholas Cage version that I'd always heard talked about. So once they started singing, I was like, okay, yeah. It doesn't feel like a musical though. This feels like a weird culty group singing their folky songs together.
Ryley: Mm. Absolutely
Kat: Peter Paul and Mary Mama's and the Papa's era of time too. So this shit makes sense. Like it just makes sense.
Ryley: Exactly. Cause I can't think of another movie that's kind of like that, you know?
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: And when I was first watching this movie for the first time, I did not know, like I, I had seen the Nicholas Cage one, so I knew what to expect, but I did not expect that, and that, I think that's what really added to this movie for me, was just that it was a musical right off the bat. And well, the first half, it kind of dies down after a little while, but.
Kat: [00:18:00] Comes back in the end and.
Ryley: Yeah, comes back at the end. I really just like the aesthetics of this film too. I think it's really cool. There's that scene where he is walking out into the field and it's like, it's all the couples know doing it, but it's like shot in such a weird way, light and that's still, it's really interesting.
Kat: It's always interesting to me cuz I know like at one point these colors were used more, but you don't see a lot of movies with rich primary colors.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: And I don't mean this in a bad way, I mean it in like the most like nice way possible, like feel good way, feels like kindergarten, you know, like it feels like elementary school use of primary color and I love it.
Ryley: Yeah. I like that too. That's a good point too. I, I agree. I already talked about midsummer, so I'm not gonna go down that route again.
Kat: We'll see.
Ryley: We'll see. Yeah. Um, generally though, no one really mentioned it in their reviews. I mean, I think one did for a little bit.
Kat: Probably Just depends what's it from- when it's from too.
Ryley: Exactly. This is a well liked movie. Like this movie got [00:19:00] like, It's like 89% for critics and 82% for audience on rotten tomatoes. Like that's better than a lot of movies that we love and.
Kat: I saw it in multiple different places, being called the Citizen Cane of Horror movies.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: And I kind of understand what that means a little more now
Ryley: I get it.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: It's intelligent. I've heard a lot of people use that word for this movie. Intelligent. And you know, I agree. There's an intelligence to it and there's a lot of stuff you could read about it, especially religious wise and sexuality wise as well. Lots of ways you could read into it or analyze it.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: Yeah, it's very interesting in that way. And it's a cult classic. So you know, you know what pun intended. Pun intended. That's really all I had to say for right now. Uh, do you have anything you, anything you wanna add?
Kat: I do love that fucking parade. That was a fun scene.
Ryley: I love that too. I love all the, I honestly do love the costumes in this movie. I think it's really like, it's like the aesthetics. It's very interesting. It's very cool. I do like the parade as well.
Kat: If someone were to tell [00:20:00] me that Wes Anderson was heavily inspired by this movie, I would not be surprised.
Ryley: Yes. Well, there's that scene where the girls are running around the fire, you know?
Kat: Mm-hmm.
Ryley: And they're singing a song and this sounds just like something from, what's that one with the two kids they run off together. The Wes Anderson movie.
Kat: Moonrise Kingdom.
Ryley: Mm-hmm. Sounds just like the song. Some- something along the lines of Moonrise Kingdom. Like I was sitting there listening to it. I was like, oh wow. So it's funny that you said that, cuz definitely.
Kat: Mm-hmm. I think that's everything for right now.
Ryley: We're gonna move on to critic reviews. So this first one is titled 'Classic Film Review, they should have known better than to try and Nick Cage, a classic.' This is posted this last June by Roger Moore. He gave it a four outta four stars. And they start by claiming it's a classic and like most classics shouldn't be remade, then rips into the Nicolas Cage one as awful. They quote, "watching the original anew reminds us that you should never touch any iconic story with a big reveal at the end." And so for this movie [00:21:00] it's, you know, you don't, you don't want to.
Kat: I mean, that's true. You haven't Suspiria, but they, the remake changes the movie a little bit and changes how it ends, but still keeps like similar things like it's still a remake. Even if you've seen the old one, you kind of know what might happen, but you don't know that the end is gonna happen. And I think if you make a remake and you don't do that it's understandable if people don't like it because you're doing a copy paste. Except maybe you change why he's going there a little.
Ryley: Yeah.
Kat: I know that like, it's his, it's his daughter that's missing or whatever. Nicholas Cage one.
Ryley: It's revealed later. Well, it gets comp- it doesn't get complicated. It just, there's information revealed.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: If you're gonna remake a movie, first off, you're already pissing off fans of the original.
Kat: Somebody. Yeah.
Ryley: And two, just to repeat the end, the big reveal ending, you're, you're, I think, I think you've made one too many mistakes, [00:22:00] you know? Now, adding Nicholas Cage and telling him to go crazy.
Kat: That adds something.
Ryley: It adds something to your movie and you're lucky. You probably have him to add something to your movie. That movie would've been unbearable probably to watch, had it been anyone else.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: I'll continue. "It's a film that capitalizes on its location Plockton, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland and environs, and then now almost lost sense that there are islands off Britain where time stands still and quaint, strange and disconnected from modern reality things go on. I love the tightness of the Wicker Man. The lack of wasted scenes or moments in Shaffer's, lean, drumtight script. Every character is on screen to make a certain point, and only on long enough to make that point. There's a shrugging, just go home warning and there are brush offs and a shrugging, will you asked for it mate acceptance of his fate when the sergeant doesn't heed those warnings. Woodward sputtering self-righteousness, his one way blind faith, [00:23:00] is beautifully contrasted with Lee's whimsical longhaired, he even sings, laid-back Lord Summerisle." Teases the idea that a good remake is possible, but says, "but looking at the Wicker Man now, coming up on 50 years since its release, its tidy, compact, and menacing perfection is easy to grasp. Attempts at longer cuts of the film only unravel some of the mystery that is vital component of its appeal. And unlike most out there scenarios, this is one case where it needs a little more Nicolas Cage simply does not apply."
Kat: Fair.
Ryley: The original is perfect. It's good.
Kat: Yeah. It didn't, didn't need the remake.
Ryley: It did not.
Kat: I saw on Wikipedia that there was a stage production of the Wicker Man.
Ryley: Oh, okay. I can see that going very well.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: This is a very prop heavy movie, so I can see how that would go. That could be very interesting in how it could go well. I would actually go see that if given the chance.
Kat: And I don't know if it was a musical too or not, but I was looking at just like there was a, the bottom, very bottom [00:24:00] of the Wikipedia page had like other developments of the story and there was like possibly going to be a sequel because the guy who wrote the ritual or like, I think it was actually the screenwriter for this, for the Wicker Man had started writing a sequel and.
Ryley: Yes.
Kat: And then there's a spiritual sequel with the movie, the Wicker Tree or something.
Ryley: Yes.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: I heard it did not do well.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: Any other thoughts about this one?
Kat: No.
Ryley: This next one's from Cinema site and the review goes, "the slasher model had not quite made its presence known in the realm of modern horror films. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was still a year away and Halloween was five off. So, horror was still on a religious kick scaring people with the prospects of Satanic possession. The first major features of the type was Roman Polanski's, Rosemary Baby, leading the Change in 1968. It would be followed five years later by Best Picture nominee the Exorcist, and three years further with the Omen."
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: So it was like, right, you know, right smack dab in the middle of this.
Kat: I guess [00:25:00] that what I said earlier makes more sense too. It's just like this late sixties, early seventies horror is just perfect.
Ryley: Yeah, exactly. "Yet the idea of pagan religious wasn't as frequently used, but would get its own shot at the horror audience in 1973 with the Wicker Man, the cult classic, pardoning the pun. Despite being a rather forward decade for psychosexual and violence cinematic experiences, Wicker Man is still a bit too advanced for a society still locked in repressed religious belief. It's why films like Rosemary's Baby and the Exorcist, apart from being excellent films, managed to touch so evocatively the minds of audiences. They weren't exactly prepared for what the Wicker Man would have to offer, and may have been more offended than entertained. The film isn't about its performances, which is notably lacking. It isn't about the scares and thrills, there aren't any. It's about the shock factor. It's about dealing both seriously and not so seriously about the lack of religious [00:26:00] tolerance in society and doing so almost surreptitiously. Yet, for all this forward thinking, the Wicker Man still focuses the audience squarely against the pagan cults and vilifies it in the final scenes as the crowd sings and raises praise for their gods as the Wicker Man himself burns away the offerings they have provided. However, I must give it credit for at least trying to go a different way with its concept, I just wish it had been so effectively against religious tolerance."
Kat: Yeah, and I, I agree. That if it weren't for Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist, that this movie probably would've offended a lot of people.
Ryley: Yeah.
Kat: Because it was honestly surprising to see how candidly Christianity is shit on in this.
Ryley: Yeah. It kind of opened the door for it a little bit to- for at least for audience and members, so.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: I don't agree. I think the performances in this movie are good. I don't think they're lacking.
Kat: I think they're good for the seventies.
Ryley: Yeah. It wouldn't come off as good today, but [00:27:00] I, you know, I, I don't think it's bad.
Kat: And I, I just think that's never a good way to judge acting in old movies because there's a different standard for what was good. It was a lot of people who had probably predominantly trained as theater actors. So everything's a little more exaggerated and whatnot too, so.
Ryley: Exactly.
Kat: It's like pointless to, unless it's so bad that even in that era it was bad.
Ryley: Yeah, exactly. And there are.
Kat: Oh, for sure.
Ryley: This is not one of them. This next one called Horrific Inquiry. It was written in 2021 from film inquiry.com. Written by Stephanie Archer. The writer talks about scrolling through Twitter and sees the images of the last few scenes of the Wicker Man and notices the similarities between that and how they had just seen midsummer. They quote, "as the Wicker Man opens, viewers are given a sweeping look at the waters and landscape of the Scottish isles. Accompanying the naturalistic viewpoint are the sounds of Scottish-influenced music, almost a shanty sounding construction to [00:28:00] the song. Abruptly, however, the song ends and a more modern 1970s, sound takes hold, giving the film its first contrast between perceived ancient versus modernization. This film will continually play into this concept, toying with the idea of ancient and modern through its depiction of religion versus the occult, one that will challenge the notions of what ancient and modern really is."
Kat: I think that's a really good point to bring up cuz I was as listening to the music that was like the soundtrack music, not the, the non diagetic music versus the diagetic music. And it's pretty similar in genre, like it's that folky seventies music versus these folky, like traditional sounding songs. But it's a good point that it's contrasting the, the traditional ancient versus like the modernized version of it.
Ryley: Mm, exactly. And I don't know if they mention it in here, but someone was also talking about [00:29:00] how this is a cult that has like very old pagan rituals and all that, and beliefs and all that, but they're all modern dressing. You know, they live on this island that's kind of isolated but's very modern. So it's, that's an interesting thing that someone pointed out, so.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: They continue by saying, "from the very beginning, the idea of nature is front and center, reinforcing the beliefs of those who inhabit the island. This is swiftly contrasted by the rigidness of the manmade construction represented by the plane, gliding through the air, further contrasted by the rigidness of the officer inside." so yeah, basically what really which is what you were saying.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: "While the Wicker Man may be a warning to those who choose a depraved life of paganism and the occult, there's a strange sense of tolerance that rises between the lines of judgment and damnation. As Sergeant Howie immediately decries, their way of living is ungodly. While they never put the officer down for his beliefs, calmly and openly explaining their way of life, the Sergeant is quick to deliver judgment. He calls them out for their [00:30:00] behavior and depravity becoming almost consumed, his need to find a lost girl evolving into a form of redemption for himself and for the island. If he can save just one of them, there's the chance to save all."
Kat: Oh, okay. That's, that is one of the reasons that I could see this movie offending people. Cause basically telling everybody they're gonna go to hell if they don't change their ways but they're also sacrificing him. So it's like this, this weird, like, 'are they any better than the other?' Kind of thing?'
Ryley: Exactly. And I think they literally talk about that in this next part. They did a deep dive into analysis of this movie, and I could not include all of it would've taken.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: "Yet while one boasts more tolerance than the others, they are each blinded by their faith," willing to do all that is- "willing to do all that is necessary to fulfill what is asked and needed of them. Where the cop will constantly call out wrongdoings in an attempt to lead others to the true God. Each is ruled by the expectation of their religion and their loyalty in faith with little question of what [00:31:00] is asked of them." Like you were saying, like is one or the other really wrong or right? You know?
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: It's like they're both doing the same thing.
Kat: And they, they both believe that they are doing the right thing. But are they?
Ryley: But are they? And I think they literally go, 'no.' I think they literally have that sentence and they're like, no.
Kat: Well.
Ryley: And then they have a conclusion. "The Wicker Man was not entirely what I had expected, bordering along the lines of horror musical. Its endings impactful and memorable, but the lead up to its conclusion leads a bit to be desired. While a critically acclaimed horror film that would have an impact on the films to follow, its overall effect does not stand the test of time. If I Hadn't known the ending going in I wonder if it would hit differently, if the reveal of the film's climax would have had a greater impact. Though the film is not without its merits, remains a vital piece of not only horror but cinematic history. In its final moments as the flames engulf the Wicker Man and the camera pulls [00:32:00] away into the sky, almost like a god departing satisfied with the offering, audiences are left in awe of the conclusion, the presumed good feeling to survive. In the end, we are all left wondering who really was the fool."
Kat: That's fair. He was making some good points about their harvest. He was like, 'its not gonna get any better guys.'
Ryley: Yeah, exactly. Like I just love how at the end he was just trying to use like, just like actually like scientific logic, like guys. You can't be growing this food here. It won't, it won't grow.
Kat: Yeah. But yeah, that's, that's a really good point that you walk away wondering who, who was the fool. At the end of the day, they all are. Everybody's.
Ryley: Yeah.
Kat: Everybody's kind of dumb.
Ryley: That's a good point. Yeah.
Kat: They're fooling themselves with all of it.
Ryley: That's true.
Kat: No, but that was a really, I, I'll probably go read the full analysis of it. That was really good.
Ryley: It's really interesting. They really go into it. It was a very good one for a negative review, basically, it was really interesting. Like they really, they really do watch it in deep dive so.
Kat: Yeah.[00:33:00]
Ryley: We're gonna go ahead and start with audience reviews. We'll start with a 10 outta 10, 'an image forever burned into the cinematic minds' in 2006. "An intelligent, suspenseful and alluring modern classic. The Wicker Man remains one of the most unforgettable thrillers of its day. Scottish policemen arrives on an offshore island to investigate the disappearance of a girl and discovers that the mysterious islanders are all part of a Pagan cult. That's only the beginning of horrors to come. The Wicker Man is a rare kind of film that develops a strange world of its own and exists only within that world. The culture that is presented in this film has a very realistic feel to it and thanks largely to Robin Hardy's sharp direction and to Giovanni's oddly soothing musical score. The setting of the film is beautiful and lush and very well exposed for our story. The cinematography is often stunning. Some sequences of the film are actually quite hypnotic story-wise, the Wicker Man is excellent as well. Anthony Schaffer delivers a well written mystery with a [00:34:00] strong sense of both the eerie and erotic. It is a tale that builds with dread and tension to the horribly unsettling conclusion, which ends with the most arresting images of the film. The cast is quite excellent, the best of course being leads, Edward Woodward and the great Christopher Lee, the characters of the film are very believably played, which strengthens the authentic feel of the movie all the more. A classic in every way, the Wicker Man is one of those films that never loses his power to chill and intrigue. A must see for all cinema fans."
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: This next one is four stars from Letterboxd. Says, "I guess I never knew I wanted musical horror films until I saw this musical horror film."
Kat: Have you not seen Rocky Horror?
Ryley: That's the thing. Like there's only a handful.
Kat: I guess that is a different kind of musical horror than this, though.
Ryley: Very different.
Kat: Cause that is a straight up musical.
Ryley: Yeah, it is. This one's half a musical. Like it's got songs. It definitely does. People sing in this one, but it's, I wouldn't call it a full musical though. [00:35:00]
Kat: Yeah, there aren't enough gay people in this one.
Ryley: Yeah.
Kat: There's no Susan Sarandon here.
Ryley: There isn't.
Kat: No tim Curry.
Ryley: Unfortunately. I wish Tim Curry was in this movie.
Kat: If he was Lord Summerisle.
Ryley: Yes. That would be really great.
Kat: Dressed as Dr. Frankenfurter.
Ryley: That would be fantastic. I wish that was in there. Just a mixture of that movie.
Kat: Switch out that character for Dr. Frankenfurter. 'We're not a cult. We're not a cult.'
Ryley: I love that. This is one outta 10 from IMDb. 'People praising this schlock are joking, right?' And this was written in 2003. "The Wicker Man is a complete waste of film, noteworthy only for its camp value. The fact that there are people out there who somehow believe this is a fascinating psychological drama makes about is far more creepy and disturbing than anything in the film. Do not be taken in by the hype. Wicker Man is pure schlock from start to finish."
Kat: I did like the campiness of this movie. I think it might have been a little boring without it, but.
Ryley: [00:36:00] Yeah. I don't think, well they said it was no worthy only for is camp value, so I guess that's the only thing they liked about it as well so.
Kat: Yeah. But that doesn't mean that it's a waste of like take a, think of a movie that's really campy, like Death becomes her, without the camp, they could still be good movies. They just wouldn't be popular for being extremely campy.
Ryley: Yeah.
Kat: That's it.
Ryley: I just disagree with them in general. Like, I like this movie and I don't, and I just love how they're like, anyone who likes this movie thinks it's far more creepy and disturbing than anything in the film, which is funny.
Kat: Some people just don't find cults interesting that way. I get it, but.
Ryley: I don't understand why they're very interesting. But anyway, the next one's a one outta 10. It's titled 'Horribly Overrated.' Written in 2006. I have to admit that I was shocked when I saw this quote unquote movie, and that's a very generous term for this atrocity, has such a high grade on IMDb. This thing is atrocious. It's one thing to have bad actors trying to act in the movies, but having the same amateurs trying to sing and dance is much, much worse. Even the [00:37:00] great Christopher Lee comes off as pathetic in this picture. The movie belongs to no genre because it fails at everything. It fails at as a mystery film. Since it's obvious what will happen after the first 15 minutes and it fails as a horror film since there are no horror at all, really. The character of Sergeant Howie is one of the stupidest characters I've ever seen in a movie, and usually characters are really stupid in horror movies. Here he is on an island that everyone's hostile to him and where it would be obvious even to a 10 year old child that something is very wrong, acting as if the entire UK police force is just around the corner and all he has to do is call for backup. And there's the songs just shut up already and move on to the finale of this thing. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of, Seventies horror and a bigger fan of British horror movies but this film was just insulting to the viewer. Avoid like the plague."
Kat: Um, this seems like the kind of person that like gets upset at other people for having fun.
Ryley: I love it when someone says, literally, 'it fails in the mystery film since it is obvious [00:38:00] what will happen after the first 15 minutes.' You knew what was gonna happen at the end of this movie in the first 15 minutes? You knew? You knew exactly what was gonna happen?
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: I call bullshit. I think you just got, I just think you're lying. I think you're lying through your teeth.
Kat: My thing with a statement like that, it's like, sure, there's been times where I've guessed. And the person showing me the movie is like, no, it doesn't happen. But to say that you were sitting there and were like, they're playing a prank on him. He's getting sacrificed.
Ryley: Yeah. Liar.
Kat: I don't believe.
Ryley: Unless you knew what was gonna happen when you started watching it cuz you cheated and you read ahead.
Kat: I'd never see this before I couldn't predict it.
Ryley: Exactly. It's, I'm sorry. It's a, it's a very unique kind of ending. I mean.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: Like there's movies where you can predict it. Absolutely.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: Absolutely. This is not one of them.
Kat: Also, the song, like the shitting on the songs thing. Maybe just turn the movie off.
Ryley: I think at that point. Yeah. This is not the movie for you if you didn't like the songs. You're not, you're not in the mood to watch this movie.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: This movie isn't for you.
Kat: No.
Ryley: Might as well turn it off. [00:39:00] This one's a four star. Says, "what the fuck? I love the Midsummer Cinematic Universe now."
Yeah. It's like, no.
Kat: It's the Wicker Man Cinematic Universe. Thank you.
Ryley: They were first, 1973. This next one's from letterboxd. "Plays like a delightful comedy on rewatch. You know the specifics of what's coming and this time you're rooting for the people of the island, who you wanted to root for the first time anyway. Was honestly proud of them. That was a complicated plan. Did I do it right? You did it beautifully."
Kat: That's true. I can see that. Cause the whole time I was like, 'whose side am I on?'
Ryley: At the end of the day, you do, you know, you know what's gonna happen.
Kat: I feel like in the seventies it was probably easier to convince people that the cop was the good guy.
Ryley: Mm-hmm. I think now. I think nowadays definitely the people are like, no, the island people, I mean.
Kat: Well, This guy had it coming.
Ryley: Exactly. I think we said that earlier too.
Kat: We literally said that's maybe not the point we should be going with.
Ryley: Yeah, exactly. So, um, you pick, you know, I don't think there's [00:40:00] a, you decide right or wrong, I'm gonna say it's a movie.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: There's no right or wrong answer. You, you pick.
Kat: Choose your own adventure.
Ryley: Choose your own adventure. This is a one outta 10 stars from IMDB. It's titled 'terrible.' It's written in 2005. These are all within the same year. It's kind of weird.
Kat: It must have gotten released on, or like re-released or something.
Ryley: It must have. "This film was bloody awful. I thought it was tripe the first time I saw it. It was even worse second time round. It is a pile of self-indulgent crap. How can you set a film in Scotland then preceded cast actors that are mostly alien to Scotland and its traditions and cultures? The plot is frankly, nonsensical and irritating. The acting wooden and the direction amateurish. This is something you would expect from a youth drama group in their first year of an art degree. Anyone who claims to like this film needs to reintroduced their mouth to their brain as it is currently attached to their rear end." This sounds like a Scottish person. I feel like they're very mad.
Kat: Yeah, that does. And I, you know, that's an A, that's a valid criticism.
Ryley: I'm not gonna say they're wrong.
Kat: But isn't it like those people moved [00:41:00] there?
Ryley: I don't know. I don't really know their backstory too well.
Kat: Cause the count summer, not count. Not count. Count Dracula
Ryley: He does play Dracula though.
Kat: He does. Lord Summerisle.
Ryley: Yeah.
Kat: He was talking about how his grandfather that he brought people there. I think it would've been fine just to make maybe the people who weren't main characters scottish.
Ryley: Yeah, yeah. I understand.
Kat: But either way, that's, that's not surprising if they're mad at the British. Go ahead.
Ryley: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Cause they're, they talk about the movie a little bit. The like still non-sensical, irritating. Okay. You didn't like the movie. Okay.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: This next one's five stars from letterboxd. "The true horror, having to reconcile my dislike of hippies with my equal dislike of the police."
Kat: That must have been like.
Ryley: This must have been their worst nightmare of a movie.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: Yeah, true horror.
Kat: That's That is funny though. That is-
Ryley: That is a good one. Yeah.
Kat: 'Who side am I on?'
Ryley: 'I just hate everyone.'
Kat: 'Everybody had it coming.'
Ryley: Next was a one out of 10 from [00:42:00] Imdb. It's called a 'Cult Classic question mark' written 2006. Maybe it is a cult classic, but that does not stop the movie from sucking horribly. I didn't know what to expect from the movie. I was told, Hey, is this a messed up movie? With that tidbit of information, I sat down to watch it. The end result was that I was so angry that I just watched that movie. Even more angry that my friend did not warn me of the pure stupidity of this film. I'm not sure if it was all of the terrible musical numbers or the fact that I cannot stand wimps and losers, but somewhere along this mess of a movie, I was finding myself searching for something to end my life with. Another thing, why don't the cops carry guns? Watch it, laugh, and then cry for wasting your time." So one thing that the UK is better than US is that the police do not carry guns.
Kat: Yeah. If he had a gun, they'd probably take it.
Ryley: Literally in the Nicolas Cage one, it's an Americanized version, so he does have a gun and.
Kat: Did they take it?
Ryley: Yeah. After a scuffle. Yeah.
Kat: That makes [00:43:00] sense. I will say I loved, that one sentence. I can't, 'I don't know if it's because I hate musicals or, or terrible musical numbers or I can't stand wimps and losers, but somewhere I, along the way, I wanted to kill myself' basically. That's such an insane thing to say.
Ryley: Exactly. People are nuts.
Kat: Like being angry after this movie?
Ryley: Yeah, I don't understand.
Kat: Your friend probably liked it and felt it was like a little messed up, but like mad that your friend didn't warn you that it was stupid cuz they thought you.
Ryley: They probably liked it.
Kat: And they almost had the point. Watch it and laugh.
Ryley: Yeah. At the very least, like laugh at it like even if you didn't like it genuinely. I'm sure there was stuff to laugh about in this movie. You didn't laugh at the scene where they're the lady dancing in the room all crazy and naked, like? That shit was funny. I'm sorry, I was laughing.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: Just calm down honestly, at the end of the day, jesus.
Kat: Put the movie down.
Ryley: Yeah, no kidding.
Kat: You step away from the typewriter, or whatever they had back then. [00:44:00]
Ryley: In what? In what? 2006? This next one I love because it's my favorite comedy thing of just bringing in the most random movie you can possibly think of to compare it to. It's one Outta 10 from IMDb. It goes- the title is "yeah and if you thought Battlefield Earth was bad," just the most random movie to compare it to.
Kat: John Travolta.
Ryley: Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh, Jesus. See? You see what I mean? Like that's the funniest thing anyone can do. It's just go, yeah, but it was awful compared to, and it's just like, how did you jump to that?
Kat: Yes, of course it's bad.
Ryley: Yeah.
Kat: Oh my God. It has a nine meta critic score.
Ryley: Oh my God.
Kat: I, I needed that context for myself.
Ryley: So they go into saying, "if a film could actually set out to be one of the most horribly worst films ever made from technical, lighting, written, and acted. Boy oh boy, they still never come as close to this corn filled turd. You could actually say that they backed up the truck of pure filth and poured it [00:45:00] all over celluloid, thus creating the Wicker Man. Ever sit on a wicker chair the middle of summer for an extended period of time? Know how your skin starts to kind of stick to the wicker a bit, and then you finally stand up you have a massive pain in your arse? Congratulations, you've just taken in a viewing of the Wicker Man. I just saved you an hour and a half, yet given you the same result. Do yourself and future generations a favor and skip this flick."
Kat: It had both of the things we find hilarious.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: Yours, bringing in just a completely unrelated movie.
Ryley: Uhhuh.
Kat: Me, having very vivid imagery for a point that is not accurate. This movie does not feel like having wicker inprinted into your skin when you get up from a wicker chair in the summer.
Ryley: I don't think it's a corn filled turd. I like this review, not because I agree with them, but they made it entertaining.
Kat: They did.
Ryley: This next one's my favorite, five stars. "A C A V, all cops are virgins," and like, it took me a minute to realize that this movie, like they kept calling him a virgin. I was like, is he?
Kat: Did you ask?
Ryley: And then I realized he used to [00:46:00] be, I think I would read it somewhere too. He used to be a priest.
Kat: Oh, I think he, he mentions it briefly.
Ryley: Mm-hmm. But yeah, that makes sense why he's, Like a literal virgin, so.
Kat: I didn't even think of that. I just thought like, yeah, he looks like a virgin.
Ryley: You were like fine to accept it, but I was like sitting there going like, is that like a metaphor or? I didn't know.
Kat: He's like, new here? Or?
Ryley: I didn't know. I was like, what? What does that mean? And then.
Kat: Yeah. He's just new here, I guess.
Ryley: I guess. This next one's two stars from letterboxd. "Midsummer 2019, if it was a horny musical,"
Kat: Which makes it better.
Ryley: It- Yep. This next one, the one outta 10 IMDb. Why are people so easy to scare? Wait, sorry. No, that's not what it says. It goes. 'Why are people so easy to scary?' It's written in 2015. The cop goes to an island to look for a missing girl. He end up finding an evil cult the worship a sun god. The movie is not scary at all. The storyline is awful. And the ending is awful. Good actors [00:47:00] wasted their talent being in this awful movi., the sequel, the Wicker Tree is better. And this is a very bad movie. Christopher Lee has made some great films, and this is not one of them. I cannot believe people like the movie. This is one of the worst horror movies from the seventies. It is so slow and the ending is just awful. I can believe the man who write Frenzy wrote this crap. This movie is overrated. It is just pooh pooh. Do not waste your time. Do not waste your money. Do not see this awful movie." I feel like it's a big warning sign when you say the sequel, the Wicker Tree, which everyone absolutely does not like you say, is better.
Kat: You know, it's bad if it's only available on plex tv. I don't even know what that is. Um, but it has a, this movie has a 3.8 out of 10.
Ryley: Wow. Yeah. It's bad.
Kat: That is really bad.
Ryley: This is our last review with a 10, outta 10 from IMDb. The title is 'Burn Baby Burn.' Written in 2003. "Definitely one of Britain's best movie. It's a simple plot. Policeman searches for missing girl enters town full of strange people. [00:48:00] Scary things happen. But the undertones are complex and thought-provoking. It deals with religion and morality, right and wrong, good and evil. It works on several levels. The part jaunty part atmospheric soundtrack works brilliantly with the images, making it more memorable and more disturbing. Edward Woodward plays christianity devoted policeman who enters this pagan oriented Scott town led by Christopher Lee in intelligently chilling mode. And when the two clash heads during the later scene, your eyes cannot be unstick themselves from the screen. It's evil, pure evil, and it makes Edward Woodwards quest into darkness, endlessly watchable, and then some."
Kat: I agree.
Ryley: I agree too.
Kat: And this was written before the Descent came out. So , I understand saying that this was the best.
Ryley: Just wait a few more years.
Kat: I, this makes me wanna like do more British horror.
Ryley: Yeah. Cause I feel like that's a genre I really haven't explored that
Kat: much.
And the ones that we like, we seem to really like.
Mm-hmm.[00:49:00]
But yeah, I, I a hundred percent agree with this.
Ryley: Yeah, I do too. I, I think it's very accurate.
Kat: Was this the only other short positive one you got?
Ryley: Yeah. The other ones were essays.
Kat: Mm-hmm.
Ryley: Yeah, exactly.
Kat: I hate on imdb when you go to expand it, thinking it'll just be a few more lines and then it like.
Ryley: Mm-hmm. literally like a paper and you're like, no.
Kat: It's the same with letterboxd too. I'm like, guys, guys, guys, come on, come on. Go create a blog.
Ryley: Yeah.
Kat: And just promote it here.
Ryley: Exactly. Uh, what would you rate this movie?
Kat: Um hmm. Well it is the Citizen Cane of Horror movies.
Ryley: Yeah. So you gotta rate it.
Kat: Accordingly.
Ryley: Correctly. Accordingly.
Kat: It's, I would definitely watch it again.
Ryley: Maybe with a group of people or something, cuz it is a very.
Kat: It's goofy.
Ryley: Yeah. It's a wacky movie. It's a fun, wacky movie to show to people. I, I feel like, I mean, as long as people are fine with a little bit of nudity.
Kat: I agree. Like this is definitely a movie the next time I watch it, I'll definitely watch it with other people. It's fun. It's a fun [00:50:00] time, like it's. It's not to keep talking about midsummer, but like that movie is hard to watch sometimes. It's a lot. It's emotionally heavy. And this one like, yeah, you're talking about difficult things. Like you think like, wow, these people are hiding a murder. And then you think, oh my God, they're about to sacrifice this girl. Or maybe they already did and oh my God. But then it's like fun still, like.
Ryley: Yeah. Yeah.
Kat: Keeps, especially when you figure out like, no, she didn't die, she's she's right there. It gives you a bit of a moral question as well at the end, and I think it, it has a lot of really good things to say and things that will forever be relevant too. And it's accomplishing a lot more than I think some of these negative reviews are giving it, uh, credit for.
Ryley: Same. Same. Mm-hmm.
Kat: And that was a very long winded way to say that. I think I'm gonna give it a seven out of 10.
Ryley: Yeah, I would also probably give it a seven outta 10.
Kat: I'm gonna give it a six actually.
Ryley: Okay.
Kat: I'll give a six.
Ryley: I think a six is fair too, cuz I was debating between a six or a seven.
Kat: I'll just [00:51:00] even us out. I'll do six.
Ryley: I I think I'm gonna stick with a seven just because first off, the citizen Kane of horror and it's, I genuinely like this movie. It's odd, it's quirky, but interesting. It's tense. The ending is really like crazy and just a crazy wacky movie. Yeah. I, I I would give it a, a seven.
Kat: Alright.
Ryley: I think a good, good solid seven.
Kat: Alright.
Ryley: Good grade.
Kat: And I thank you for picking this cuz I don't, I had, I had no idea what this movie was about and um, all I'd ever heard about it was like comparisons to Midsummer. But before that I had never really heard of it. I would confuse it with the movie Them or no not Them. The thing I would confuse it with the movie, the thing somehow.
Ryley: Oh, that's a very different movie. Have you seen the thing?
Kat: No, but I know it's like one of them's like they're trying to figure out, it's like playing Mafia, but it's a movie.
Ryley: Yes. And we need to watch that soon cause I love that movie. That movie is so much fun to watch. We need to watch that soon.
Kat: Yeah, like it sounds very interesting. It sounds like [00:52:00] something I'd enjoy but for some reason I confuse the two. I don't, I have no idea why. I just always have.
Ryley: They are very different movies. They're both in the seventies though, so I understand if.
Kat: I'm glad I liked it. I'm glad you showed it to me. It's a fun movie and I appreciate it.
Ryley: I'm glad you liked it.
Kat: Yeah.
Ryley: I was a little nervous cuz this movie, I feel like this movie could go either way, but I'm glad you liked it.
Kat: But do you have anything else you wanna say?
Ryley: No, I think I've said everything I wanna say about this movie.
Kat: Okay. So if you have any feedback or you want to suggest movies to us, I think we're gonna be doing Winter Horror Next, so.
Ryley: Mm-hmm.
Kat: But yeah, so suggest movies like that to us. Maybe you can suggest some movies for us to do after the The Winter Horror, and you can do that on our Instagram. You can DM us at Easy Bake Takes. We also have a TikTok at Easy Bake Takes. The transcripts for all our episodes are on our website easy Bake Takes podcast.com, as well as review overviews that are also on letterboxd. You can find us easy at Easy Bake takes on there. And don't forget to rate and follow, and thank you so much for [00:53:00] listening. My name is Kat.
Ryley: And I'm Ryley.
Kat: This has been Easy Bake Takes. Easy watching out there.
Ryley: Bye.
Kat: Bye.