The Wicker Man (1973)

• Year: 1973
• Released: 07 Aug 1974
• Country: United Kingdom
• Adwords: 2 wins & 6 nominations
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070917/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/The_Wicker_Man
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-wicker-man
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
• Runtime: 88 min
• Writer: Anthony Shaffer, David Pinner
• Director: Robin Hardy
• Cast: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento
• Keywords: based on novel or book, cult film, investigation, horror, island,

	7.5/10
	87/100
	15% – Critics
	17% – Audience

The Wicker Man Storyline

On Sunday, April 29, 1973, Sergeant Neil Howie with the West Highland Constabulary flies solo to Summerisle off the coast of Scotland. He is there to follow up on a letter addressed specifically to him from an anonymous source on Summerisle reporting that a twelve year old girl who lives on the island, Rowan Morrison, the daughter of May Morrison, has long been missing. The correspondence includes a photograph of Rowan. Upon his arrival on Summerisle, Howie finds that the locals are a seemingly simple minded lot who provide little information beyond the fact that they know of no Rowan Morrison and do not know the girl in the photo. Mrs. Morrison admits to having a daughter, seven year old Myrtle, but no Rowan. As Howie speaks to more and more people, he begins to believe that Rowan does or did live on the island, but that the locals are hiding their knowledge of her. He also begins to see that the locals all have pagan beliefs, their “religion” which centers on procreation as the source of life. That procreation does not necessarily need to be within marriage, and openly flaunts the act of sex, both in private and in public. These beliefs do not sit well against Howie’s strict Christian morals, he who regularly attends church, prays, and accepts communion. Everything that happens on the island seems to be dictated by Lord Summerisle, whose ancestors bought the island generations ago. Howie begins to believe that Rowan was murdered, she a sacrifice by the islanders to their higher power to ensure a bountiful apple crop – the main crop of the island – which did not materialize last season. With May Day approaching, Howie not only tries to find out if Rowan was indeed murdered/sacrificed, which includes trying to locate her body, but if there will be another sacrifice on this important day within the cycle of life.

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The Wicker Man Movie Reviews

Quiet unnerving n truly one of the best horror film.

I first saw this in the late 80s on a vhs. Revisited it recently. Upped the rating but won’t give it 10 cos it contains blasphemous dialogues.

The film’s twist ending gave me goosebumps during those days. Suspense is maintained throughout n the performances r top notch. The film is not at all slow n in fact very engaging. The photography is another highlight along with Lee’s performance. The definition of slow burn applies to Vvitch, Hereditary, It comes at Night, etc. and I kinda avoid films if they r compared to the above mentioned films. But Wicker Man is not at all slow, mayb lengthy but terrifying without any gore, kills or jump scares. This film is incomplete without Lee n this is one of the reason the remake starring Cage tanked. The thing I enjoyed in the remake was the cry of Nic Cage when he is beaten in a gunny bag. But the original has plenty to offer. Check out the blonde babe Britt Ekland’s naked dance against a wall which can still give men palpitations. They have used a body double for her glutes display as it was much bigger n the moves were pretty professional.

Brilliantly realized but not for all tastes

Edward Woodward (later star of “The Equalizer” TV series) is a devoutly religious police inspector who travels to the small island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. There’s a cover up to the girls whereabouts by the entire community and he finds himself equally appalled by their free-living lifestyle…simple pleasures which include drinkin’, singin’, swingin’ sex…and pagan human sacrifice. The title refers to a giant wooden idol necessary for climactic May Day ceremony.

THE WICKER MAN opens fairly slowly (and some complain it has too many musical numbers), but after the first pub scene it becomes suspenseful, creepy (without a stitch of violence) and brilliantly atmospheric, creating a seemingly authentic (and unusual) society not dependent on standard moral or religious codes. It’s safe to say that the strong and unflinching religious subject matter in this film carries with it the potential to infuriate Christians and Catholics. It’s also extremely ironic that this same close-minded worldview is perfectly reflected in the bullheaded lead character, and also helps to seal his fate. Not that the pagans in this film aren’t equally unwavering in their beliefs, but the “power of in numbers” philosophy rings true here. Imagine a small place in this world NOT adversely affected by standard organized religion and you get the gist of Summerisle.

If you want gore, you won’t find any here. If you can’t go into this film with an open mind, you simply won’t appreciate what it has to offer. And if you are looking for a standard horror film you may be disappointed (or you may be like me and be pleasantly surprised). The ending is simultaneously chilling and oddly amusing. Both Woodward and Christopher Lee (with great hair) as Lord Summerisle are excellent in their roles.

Much censored over the years, try to avoid any version running under 94 minutes.

Score: 9 out of 10

Just plain weird….and I’m cool with that.

This is a truly odd little film from Britain that in spite of a rather low budget still packs an amazing punch. Edward Woodward stars as a police inspector sent to a small island off the Scottish coast to investigate the disappearance of a girl. However, when he arrives he’s greeted very coldly and the locals all say they have never even heard of the child. However, as the film progresses, it becomes obvious that the locals are all a bunch of lying weasels, as Woodward is able to prove that the girl DID exist and that there is a massive conspiracy among everyone–but what, exactly, it is isn’t certain. At the same time, the traditional and Christian man, Woodward, is deservedly shocked to find that the locals are all pagans. The community indulges in sex outdoors, naked fertility dances for the children and nature worship–like a group of modern day Wikkans. Where all this takes Woodward and the extremely wild but disturbing ending are all parts of the plot I really can’t mention, as it would ruin the suspense, but believe me, it is REALLY, REALLY weird and haunting.

Now parents must understand that this is a very, very adult movie and comes by its R rating honestly. Not only should it receive the rating because it’s pretty scary, but there is quite a bit of nudity. Many adults will be amazed at the beauty of Britt Ekland’s body double as she dances very seductively, but most sane parents won’t want their kids watching this. If the film were only slightly edited, it would be appropriate for teens.

Also, while some might find that the movie might have an anti-Christian slant, I would disagree (though I am sure the copious amounts of nudity make it problematic for some). While the town is full of pagans and they seem to have an idyllic life, Woodward’s character is not some angry or hypocritical Christian and he doggedly stays with his convictions throughout the film.

Once you’ve seen this movie on DVD, try to watch the “making of” featurette. It has lots of great insights and information that make the movie come alive. However there is one mistake in it, as they say that THE WICKER MAN is totally unique and while it is unusual, it is strongly inspired by Shirley Jackson’s story, “The Lottery” and also is quite similar to the American made for TV film THE DARK SECRET OF HARVEST HOME (1978). If you like THE WICKER MAN, try to find another great film with similarities that also stars Christopher Lee–HORROR HOTEL, which is about a modern town of witches bent on evil.