The 1974 film, “The Wicker Man” directed by Robin Hardy, is regarded as one of, if not the first, folk horror film to be released into the mainstream. It is also considered one of the best folk horror films, scoring highly on sites such as IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Letterboxd.
English actor Edward Woodard plays the protagonist, Sergeant Neil Howie, who arrives on the Scottish island of Summerisle in search of a missing girl whom he received a personally addressed anonymous tip regarding. Sergeant Howie is a devout Christian and is increasingly rattled by the society on the island as his investigation progresses. The people of Summerisle are traditional pagans, and their traditions and way of life are seen as barbaric and incorrect by the sergeant.
This is the driving conflict of the movie, giving way to philosophical debate about who is at fault and who is right in this situation. Sergeant Howie’s methods of investigation are abrasive as he disregards the people of Summerisles’ traditions and beliefs for the sake of his investigation. However, the audience can still sympathize with Howie and his frustrations, as his goal is to find a missing child who the people of the island regard with vague and off putting comments.
On the other hand, the pagan followers of the island can be easily sympathized with as well. Even though their traditions are unconventional, they are not outright harming anyone, and are simply practicing and following their faith just as the sergeant is his.
In the film’s final twist it can be argued that Sergeant Howie could have left the island and avoided the festival at any point, however his self-righteousness and his idea that the pagan followers should be converted, ultimately led him to his demise.
Going along with this idea, it is up for debate that if the pagans are just following what they truly believe is right, then are they really so different from the Sergeant? The islanders are more than willing to sacrifice the Sergeant, which illustrates the danger of incredibly severe devotion to religion. This danger can exist, and also take place in all forms of organized religion, especially Christianity.
“The Wicker Man” is still regarded as one of the best films of all time and possibly the best folk horror film for its unnerving and philosophical arguments.