The Fantasist (1986)

Robin Hardy's second film after The Wicker Man (and last for a couple of decades), The Fantasist, has mostly wallowed in obscurity. Critics have not been kind to it by any means, and the few reviews on IMDb are mostly negative. While it is by no means as original, terrifying, or thrilling as The Wicker Man, The Fantasist is a cheeky and unique thriller of a distinctly Irish variety. Set in Dublin, the plot focuses on Patricia Teeling, a recent university graduate who has rejected her uncle's offer to head the family farm for a teaching job in the city. But Dublin is being choked by the hands of a sadistic serial killer, one who leaves women flattering phone calls in order to lure them into his arms, and ultimately, the grave. Most of the film, however, focuses on Patricia's friendship with the married American writer Danny Sullivan. Perhaps this is why so many are turned off by this film, because it is, at least for the first hour or so, a screwball comedy. The horror/suspense portions of the movie are sorely lacking, but Hardy certainly finds the macabre within the absurd. When Patricia finally catches up with the killer, instead of trying to kill her, he uses her buttocks as bongos. It is humorously sinister. But, again, as a thriller, the movie just does not work, and it winds up overstaying its welcome.