The Wicker Man (1973)

Long before Nicholas Cage's career was a twinkle in God's eye, there was the original Wicker Man. The 2006 remake is rife with meme-tactic moments in what could be Cage's most insane role to date. NOT THE BEES! Indeed. But the 1973 film it was based upon does such an incredible job in unsettling it's viewers, it's a wonder that it was ever remade in the first place, let alone poorly. It's touted as one of the scariest films of the 70's. To compare this to a film of late, definitely refer to Midsommar by Ari Aster. A devotedly catholic police sergeant goes on a mission to find a missing girl in a remote village on an island off the coast of Scotland. This island, unbeknownst to him, is inhabited by a pagan death cult. What starts as a routine investigation turns into a hostage situation as the pagans of the island entrap our protagonist into their web of harmonious chaos, culminating in a virgin sacrifice inside of a male effigy, literally, made out of wicker. I came out of this understanding it as a metaphor for the loss of organized religion and morals in the modern age. I came into it knowing it was a horror classic, but not expecting the large array of original songs. Technically, The Wicker Man could be classified as a musical. Lots of singing, and dancing.. oh, and nudity. The climactic ending is truly an epic feat in psychological horror, and if anything, will make you look at Burning Man a whole lot differently. 3 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars.