The Wicker Man: Robin Hardy

I wonder if it's possible to get a film like The Wicker Man made anymore.  Certainly, a brief description of the film doesn't sound like anything that any modern Hollywood studio would make: a Christian policeman is murdered by an island of pagans as part of a May Day ritual.  Not only that, but the battle between the faiths is the heart and soul of the film.  Throw in the fact that The Wicker Man is essentially a psychological drama that relies on atmosphere more than shock thrills and you have a film that most Hollywood studios would avoid like the plague.  The only other film that I can think of to compare The Wicker Man to is Rosemary's Baby, another film where a vulnerable protagonist is subjugated to a secret cult's machinations against their will.  The real horror in both films is the slow realization that behind the smiles and happy faces of the masses, there are terrible, murderous secrets.  The Wicker Man is more than happy to remind jaded audiences that the true horrors in life rarely lurk in the shadows, but live out in the open in the sunshine.

8/10