The Wicker Man (2006) is a horror film remake starring Nicolas Cage which, after 15 years, has infamously been remembered by its unintentional comedy, including Cage’s three-worded wail: ‘Not the bees!’
The film follows police officer Edward Malus (Nicolas Cage) who embarks on a search for his ex-fiancé’s missing daughter on an island where she was last seen. When Malus arrives on the island, he quickly picks up on a malevolent aura emitted by the neo-pagans who inhabit there.
Thus, the not-so-horror-as-much-as-it’s-comedy begins.
For most of the movie, Cage wanders around the island totally perplexed. It’s not until the end, however, when the bee scene erupts.
First, the inhabitants break Cage’s legs, then they cover his head with a screened-in cage, pouring a hive of bees inside. Cage proceeds to scream out, ‘What is that, what is it? Oh no, not the bees! Not the bees! My eyes, my eyes!’
Although it was promoted as a horror film, the underlying humor did not escape Cage’s knowing. In 2013, Cage admitted, ‘Even though I am dressed in a bear suit, doing these ridiculous things… how can you not know that Neil [LaBute] and I knew that this was absurdist humor?’
Whether Cage is condemning bees with a preposterous wail, or punching a woman dressed in a bear suit, you can’t help but laugh at the man.
The Wicker Man (2006) can be seen on-demand.
