You probably think you’ve seen The Wicker Man. Even if you haven't sat through the full 102 minutes of the 2006 remake, you’ve definitely seen the "Bees" clip. You know the one. Nicolas Cage, eyes bulging, trapped in a wire mask, screaming for his life as a handful of insects are poured onto his face. It is the defining image of his "mega-acting" era. It’s also one of the most misunderstood moments in modern cinema history.
Honestly, the The Wicker Man Nicolas Cage experience is a fever dream that shouldn't exist, yet it has become a cornerstone of internet culture. Most people dismiss it as a "so bad it's good" accidental comedy. But if you look closer at the production—and listen to what Cage and director Neil LaBute have actually said—there is a much weirder, more intentional layer to this disaster.
The Bee Scene That Never Happened (In Theaters)
Here is a fun bit of trivia to start: if you saw this movie in a theater back in 2006, you didn't actually see the "Not the bees!" scene.
It sounds like a Mandela Effect situation, but it’s true. The infamous bee torture was actually cut from the theatrical release to maintain a PG-13 rating. It only surfaced later in the "Unrated" DVD version. Think about that for a second. The single most famous thing about this movie—the part that launched ten thousand memes—wasn't even in the version that originally bombed at the box office.
The movie cost around $40 million to make and barely cleared $38 million globally. It was a certified flop. People hated it. Critics tore it apart. It even earned a rare "F" CinemaScore, meaning audiences didn't just dislike it—they felt personally insulted by it.
📖 Related: Colin Macrae Below Deck: Why the Fan-Favorite Engineer Finally Walked Away
Why the Remake Flipped the Script
To understand why the 2006 version feels so unhinged, you have to look at the 1973 original. That film is a masterpiece of British folk horror. It’s about a clash of religions: a devout Christian policeman versus a group of playful, seductive pagans.
Neil LaBute, the director of the remake, decided to throw all of that out. Instead of a religious war, he made it a gender war.
- The Setting: Moved from a Scottish island to a private island in Washington State.
- The Cult: Changed from a sun-worshipping community to a matriarchal "hive" society.
- The Leader: Christopher Lee’s iconic Lord Summerisle was replaced by Ellen Burstyn’s Sister Summersisle.
The men on the island are literally "drones." They have no tongues. They do the heavy lifting while the women run the show. It’s a bizarre, aggressive creative choice that turns the movie into a strange misogynistic fable—or a satire of one. It’s hard to tell which.
Was Nicolas Cage In on the Joke?
This is the million-dollar question. Cage has been very vocal about this in recent years. During the press tour for The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, he claimed that he and LaBute knew exactly how ridiculous they were being.
👉 See also: Cómo salvar a tu favorito: La verdad sobre la votación de La Casa de los Famosos Colombia
"Neil and I both knew how funny it was," Cage told IndieWire. He even mentioned that he wanted to wear a handlebar mustache while being burned in the bear suit to make it even more absurd, but the producers wouldn't let him.
Whether you believe him or not is up to you. Some people think it’s a "Tommy Wiseau" situation where an artist claims intentionality only after being laughed at. But look at the performance. Cage is punching women while wearing a bear suit. He’s stealing bicycles at gunpoint. He’s screaming at a little girl about how a doll got burnt. It feels too operatic to be a mere mistake. It feels like performance art.
The Legacy of the Bear Suit
The 2006 The Wicker Man Nicolas Cage remake didn't just fail; it transformed. It became the blueprint for the modern "Cage Rage" meme. Without this movie, we might not have the specific internet appreciation for his later, more stylized work like Mandy or Pig.
It also paved the way for "Folk Horror" to return to the mainstream. You can see the DNA of the original Wicker Man in films like Midsommar, but you can also see the influence of the remake's sheer, unapologetic weirdness.
✨ Don't miss: Cliff Richard and The Young Ones: The Weirdest Bromance in TV History Explained
What to Watch Next
If you want to actually "understand" the chaos of this movie, don't just watch the clips. Do a double feature. Watch the 1973 original (The Final Cut) to see the genuine horror and incredible soundtrack. Then, watch the 2006 remake (The Unrated Version) to see the absolute breakdown of logic and tone.
- Check the Rating: Make sure you find the Unrated version, or you'll miss the bees.
- Watch the Face: Pay attention to Cage’s eyes in the scene where he’s looking for the "missing" girl. He is dialed up to 11 from the first frame.
- Look for the Symbolism: The bee/hive metaphors are everywhere—in the architecture, the costumes, even the way the women move.
The 2006 remake is a failure as a horror movie, but as a piece of surrealist comedy starring one of the most fearless actors in Hollywood history, it’s basically essential viewing.
Don't just take the internet's word for it. Go see the bear suit in context. You might find that it's even weirder than the memes suggest. Just remember: stay away from the honey.