It is somewhat strange that some of the best British films of all time are not very well known outside movie-buff-dom. The Wicker Man is certainly one of them (another is Get Carter).
The Wicker Man is not just technically very well made, with an excellent cast, a glorious cinematography and a gripping script, it goes beyond that. It is one of those rare treats that manage to question your belief system. It lures you into a foreign system of beliefs, it seduces you into sympathising with an act that is - legally speaking - a murder.
It is impossible to categorize the film into a genre. Some have described it as a horror film, which in a strict sense is completely wrong as there are no shock elements here, no gore whatsoever, and just one killing; but in a more relaxed sense this is not such a bad characterisation after all, because the film uses the language of horror films, e.g. permanently hinting at that something mysterious and horrific is going on. Similarly flawed are characterisations as a fantasy film (nothing supernatural) or sci-fi (no science), but the film takes a little bit each from the flavour of these genres.
The Wicker Man is not just technically very well made, with an excellent cast, a glorious cinematography and a gripping script, it goes beyond that. It is one of those rare treats that manage to question your belief system. It lures you into a foreign system of beliefs, it seduces you into sympathising with an act that is - legally speaking - a murder.
It is impossible to categorize the film into a genre. Some have described it as a horror film, which in a strict sense is completely wrong as there are no shock elements here, no gore whatsoever, and just one killing; but in a more relaxed sense this is not such a bad characterisation after all, because the film uses the language of horror films, e.g. permanently hinting at that something mysterious and horrific is going on. Similarly flawed are characterisations as a fantasy film (nothing supernatural) or sci-fi (no science), but the film takes a little bit each from the flavour of these genres.