Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, and Nicholas Ridley, all were burned at the stake by the Catholics. The Anglican Ugandan martyrs, teenagers to middle-aged men, died less than 100 years before this film, burned alive for refusing to take part in Bugandan religious rituals and the King's sexual advances. These burned boys and men were fresh in the memory of the entire Church of England. The novel being written in the late 60s, right before the General Synod being established in 1970 (a step in the direction of separation between church and state, and generally loosening of the grip COfE had on English religion) and in the light of growing secularisation, lowering church attendance as well as a small resurgeance of Celtic paganism in the light of the hippie movement, mirrors this clear shift in Anglican fears: No longer a faith losing to Catholics, but a faith losing to pagans. And quite recently, hunted down and killed by them. A deeply Anglican horror, all things taken into account.. Saint Neil Howie... My feelings on the film is that it's intriguing, and visually interesting, but it's always clear what will happen which can make it a tiny bit tedious at times. I think it would've benefited from not using the ending as it's marketing, even though knowing the inevitable and that hopelessness being the point. But I like being given a sliver of hope in my horror before its ripped away. I'm also not a fan of the music, predictably. But otherwise it's a good classic and a great start to a wonderful tradition of folk horror, one of the GOAT genres... <b>part of: </b> <i><a href="https://boxd.it/UNTtK">1973 releases</a> <a href="https://boxd.it/2VQVG">top 250 horror </a> <a href="https://boxd.it/2JIM">1001 movies to see before you die </a> <a href="https://boxd.it/502LY">edgar wright’s 1,000 favorites </a> </i>

This movie is so random and I love it! "The Room" from the seventies.

the wicker man walked so midsommar could run WHATTTT AN ENDING THO

I absolutely hated the sergeant. I feel like this movie is just Christian propaganda. The atmosphere is great throughout and I really like the concept - I just didn't vibe with it.