10 Horror Movies That Take Themselves Way Too Seriously

Nicolas Cage's turn in the 2006 iteration of The Wicker Man is the stuff of legend.

While the 1973 outing on which the film is based is regarded as a folk horror masterpiece, the remake is arguably the most accidentally hilarious movie of all time. Numerous elements of Cage's over-the-top performance have inspired memes that are still doing the rounds of the internet to this day.

There's none of the dark humor that can be found in the original this time around - any laugh-worthy moments are of the unintentional variety. The Wicker Man fails to comprehend its own inherent absurdity, meaning that efforts to add a sense of gravity to proceedings fizzle out like a damp squib.

Juxtaposed against the sombre tone of the film's narrative, audiences are treated to sights including Cage stealing bicycles at gunpoint or frolicking around in a bear costume. These farcical moments undermine any attempts to nurture a chilling atmosphere. Even the simple act of the actor diving off a pier lives in infamy for how ridiculous it looks on screen.

It would have made a spectacular comedy in an alternate universe. Unlike the titular effigy, The Wicker Man's mission to package itself as a serious horror movie goes up in flames long before the film's climax.