The Wicker Man (1973) User Reviews (623)

A cult film about cult practices...

[united100 · 9/10 · 19 September 2003]

The best British horror film ever made? Probably, yes. The best horror film ever made? No. The best occult thriller ever? Quite possibly.

The film was in part conceived as a vehicle for Christopher Lee to get away from his Hammer roles and give him a chance to demonstrate that, yes, he could actually act. Perversely, however, the film is in many ways homage to the films produced by the Hammer studio and is at the same time their antithesis.

Although Lee's Lord Summerisle was certainly a stronger character than his Hammer caricatures, and was suitably sincere and sinister, it was left to Edward Woodward's bumbling, pious Highland Police Sergeant to carry the film.

The rest of the cast are not as strong as the two central characters. Famously, it was always suggested that Britt Ekland's voice was overdubbed for the entire film. Robin Hardy has now denied that, stating that only her singing was dubbed. Even if the other actors' performances fail to match those of Woodward and Lee, somehow, it doesn't detract from the film.

Almost as famous as The Wicker Man itself are the stories surrounding the film. The version first released was almost completely butchered from an original, almost grandiose cut of 102 minutes to a more concise 87. Christopher Lee has always maintained that this was a crime against the greatest piece of art with which he had ever been involved. The original negatives were then accidentally thrown out!

When a fuller version finally surfaced in 2001, Lee's contentions were (at least in part) proved. The film was overall improved, and save for a couple of points of rather clumsy editing (the flashbacks Edward Woodward has as the penny drops spring to mind) and the pointless scenes before the flight to the island, it ran more smoothly and made more sense.

The film's greatest asset comes through in whichever version you actually see. The eerie sinister atmosphere never fails to be conveyed. Somehow, the fictitious Scottish island setting of Summerisle, which could so easily turn twee at any moment steers clear of the territory occupied by Brigadoon or the now happily deceased BBC TV drama 'Monarch of the Glen'.

The setting's remoteness, which could have been its worst enemy, is actually its greatest ally.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the film, however, is the way that it steadfastly refuses to fit precisely into any genre. It is all at once a horror, a thriller and even a musical! Unbelievably, these things come together and fit into the film.

The music in The Wicker Man is unique, always adding just the right tone of eeriness or bawdiness to proceedings. A strange mix of elements including traditional folk music, it's as innovative and interesting as the soundtracks to Blade Runner, or The Virgin Suicides. The opening title sequence to the tune of Corn Rigs succeeds in transporting you with the plane over the remote coastal peninsulas and out into the Irish Sea towards Summerisle.

My only criticism of the film (and I really am nitpicking here) is the way it goes about establishing Sergeant Howie's Christianity. I can't conceive of the Howie character adhering to any religion other than one of the obscure forms of Presbyterian Protestantism practised in parts of the Highlands of Scotland. These scenes contain an apparent reverence for the sacraments that appears more Catholic in nature. This distinction in religious backgrounds is important to understanding Howie's attitudes. Nevertheless, I am truly nitpicking when I make this criticism!

But what ultimately makes this film is its ending. Without giving the game away for those who have not yet seen the film, it is inevitable, and yet wholly unexpected when it finally comes.

The Wicker Man would be a classic of its genre - if it had a genre. Instead, it has to be ranked as a classic film.

Chilling insight into ancient paganistic rituals, slightly chipped

[xander-2 · 7/10 · 5 January 1999]

The bizarre and chilling tale of a fool chosen to be king for a day.

The shocking denouement of this film has stayed with me for many years, far longer than scenes or images from more famous films. A classic of its kind, it deserves the re-release it will probably never get.

Superficially a mystery thriller, this intelligent and well researched story delves into the beliefs and rituals of Ancient Britain, its folk mythologies and music, and reveals some of the un-settling fears that lie at their root. Set on a remote Scottish Island and giving the appearance of being a Whisky Galore, Local Hero type community, there is yet something off-centre about the townspeople that Edward Woodward, as Sergeant Howie, has come to investigate. The presence of Christopher Lee as the eloquent, commanding Lord of the Isle, gives the film an insidiously creepy edge suggesting a Hammer Horror lurks around the next wee wall. He is perfect in the role.

The story un-folds like a cross between Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby, as the dogged Howie gets led all over town, up one blind alley and down another. Clues are dropped all the way about what is really going on, but we don't heed them. Until it's too late. Too late to walk away.

The standard video version runs for 85 minutes, cuts many important scenes and shows others out of sequence. A BBC version shown in 1998 ran around 95 minutes. The full version ran 102 minutes but I have never found it.

However, whilst uneven in parts and certainly flawed this is one of the most intelligent and interesting stories I have ever seen on film. See it yourself and you too will have many meetings with 'The Wicker Man', in your dreams, in the dark, where you cannot escape.

A quite unique Pagan-mystery-horror-thriller

[james-macleod-1 · 8/10 · 31 December 2004]

A quite unique and very creative mystery horror.

Superb acting from Edward Woodward as the prim Seargant Howie, and Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle. Fascinating from start to finish and a real twister of a plot that keeps you hooked right until the final twenty minutes, what appears at first sight to be an innocent search for a missing girl turns into a fascinating exploration of pagan rituals on a remote and sex obsessed Scottish island.

One of the best elements of the film is the classic early 70's folk soundtrack which gives indication of how the era in which this was filmed influenced the subject matter.

Definitely not a 'horror' in the true sense of the word, but more mysterious and chilling than any gore-fest. A quality piece of cinema!

Creative, entertaining and tragic. A beautiful picture.

[Snake-666 · 10/10 · 27 September 2003]

‘The Wicker Man' follows the story of Sgt. Howie (Edward Woodward) who travels to the Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. However, the entire population of the island, including the girl's own mother (Irene Summers), denies that such a girl ever existed and as the righteous Howie investigates further he learns the terrifying truth of Summerisle.

Famed for an exceptional yet short performance from the legendary Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle, ‘The Wicker Man' is a textbook example of how to create a virtually seamless horror/thriller. Director Robin Hardy at one point thought this low-budget movie would never be made as he was forced to work with a very small budget, a short shooting schedule and a studio on the verge of bankruptcy that was in fact declared bankrupt just a few short months after filming was completed. However, ‘The Wicker Man' was made and nowadays is accepted as one of the finest horror/thrillers of all-time despite not receiving the praise it so deserved back in the Seventies. ‘The Wicker Man' was brilliantly written by Anthony Shaffer who chose to add very subtle clues as to what would happen that are made more apparent on further viewings. With the added advantage of obvious research into the pagan rituals ‘The Wicker Man' sought to portray the movie is left with a chilling feel of realism.

An enchanting soundtrack is blended marvellously into ‘The Wicker Man' which seems to lull the viewer into a false sense of security. Despite the constant foreboding feeling created by the intricate plot and top notch acting, there is a certain playful feeling that is brought about by the elegant soundtrack making it difficult to actually envisage any evil events occuring. One could be forgiven for wondering on a first viewing just where this bizarre little movie is going but the story has a quality about it that can grab the viewer and keep their interest all the way to the bitter and awfully haunting ending. The final scene as the credits roll is an image that is now engrained on my mind with all its emptiness and despair. As the curtain falls on this performance (so to speak) it becomes hard not to question the events leading up to the end and the humanity of these islanders. In some ways ‘The Wicker Man' is an unsettling history lesson that makes itself seem all too real.

Edward Woodward gives a tremendous performance as the increasingly baffled Sgt. Howie. He played his character convincingly and Howie's eventual realisation of what is going on around him is portrayed so well that it adds more realism to the movie. Woodward was able to take a character that may be a figure of loathing in another type of horror movie and make the audience feel empathy towards him. The strong religious beliefs within Howie thoroughly clash with the free-loving pagan society which adds humour and distress at the same time. However, as mentioned before, Christopher Lee somehow stole the show playing the relatively small part of Lord Summerisle. His magnificent onscreen presence seems so powerful that one forgets that he is only in the movie for a short amount of time. Added to this great mix was Britt Ekland as Willow, the beautiful landlord's daughter. Her seductive, nude dance (though a double was apparently used in parts) was one of the most erotic moments in horror and helped to contribute further realism to the movie. The scenes featuring the clashing characters of Howie and Willow are both amusing and tense making for some interesting character interaction.

‘The Wicker Man' is undoubtedly a cult classic of the horror genre which I recommend to all fans of horror/thrillers. Visually pleasing with some superb acting and direction as well as a fine screenplay. My rating for ‘The Wicker Man' – 9/10.

Beware Shortened Versions

[drednm · 26 November 2005]

On an island off the Scottish coast is a very strange community that Sgt Howie (Edward Woodward) ventures to in search of a missing teenaged girl. On landing he is astonished to find that the crowd of old men has never heard of the girl. His quest will be stranger yet.

The island is "ruled" by Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) who is the descendant of a scientist who introduced exotic cultivars of fruits and re-introduced druidic or pagan beliefs. As the island prospered with its exported fruits the paganism became more deep rooted. The Sgt finds more and more mystery as he continues his quest for the girl.

Pitting Christianity against early pagan druidic rituals is just one of the intellectual pleasures of this cult film. As the local teacher (Diane Cilento) tells the Sgt, it's easier for a child's mind to understand reincarnation than resurrection. It gets them past all those rotting bodies.

Part mystery story, part horror, The Wicker Man blends several genres into one fascinating film. The May Day Festival is a throwback to pagan rites of a thousand years ago (a bit of which continues today in Morris dancing) and are a highlight of this film. The bizarre procession to the sea to offer sacrifices to the sea gods and sun god is historically accurate and sets up a surprise ending not to be forgotten.

Woodward is splendid as the pompous officer who clings to his religion. Lee is terrific as the eccentric lord. Cilento is a hoot as the teacher. Britt Ekland is the landlord's daughter Willow and Ingrid Pitt is the librarian. Blending folk and Enya-like music (by Paul Giovanni), director Robin Hardy creates a bawdy pagan world in the midst of the 20th century. The Celtic symbolism (Nuada the Sun God) is beautiful and helps set the tone.

A visual treat with great music, this film really gives the viewer something to think about. Highly recommended.

The Missionary Position...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 29 October 2022]

A girl has disappeared without a trace, so you head off to investigate the place, it's an island far away, the culture's different you might say, but you're overflowing faith, and full of grace. When you arrive, you find denial all around, there's no knowledge of the girl, no sight nor sound, still there's something not quite right, but with your knowledge and insight, you cover bases, meet lots of faces, but nothing's found.

It's not about good verses bad, it's more about what makes you mad, when you're confronted by those, who wear different clothes, and you find that you've always been had. There's a game that's perpetually played, by those who keep us, all afraid, that they all know better, that you are their debtor, it's a cascade, of decades crusades.

Interpretation is clearly the key!

What you should expect

[vijaythepro · 6/10 · 4 September 2019]

A 1 hour setup of the island of pagan worshippers and a last 20 minute pay off which is only shocking if you've never seen anything like it. Nevertheless its a fun movie of weird.

A film that you never forget - a genuine cult classic.

[tonypendrey · 10/10 · 15 August 2000]

There is an enormous amount of interest in this film, and rightly so.

It defies a low budget production to deliver that rarest of things in film - atmosphere.

The apparently simple plot-line belies a truly astonishing climax. I have seen this film reduce an entire cinema audience to stunned silence on several occasions.

Edward Woodward gives a performance of such understated power it is difficult to envisage anyone else in the role of Sgt. Howie.

The whole production just weaves its magic spell - music - location - cinematography and direction all combine into a masterpiece.

The Sleep of Reason

[JamesHitchcock · 6/10 · 20 January 2005]

Although "The Wicker Man" is sometimes classified as a horror film, it starts off like a standard police detective drama. Neil Howie, a sergeant with the West Highland Constabulary, arrives on Summerisle, a small Hebridean island, to investigate the case of a young girl named Rowan Morrison who has been reported as missing. To his surprise, however, the local people prove to be unhelpful to him in his search, either evading his questions or deliberately misleading him. An even greater surprise to Howie is the discovery he makes about the religious beliefs of the locals. They have abandoned Christianity and, encouraged by Lord Summerisle, the local laird, adopted a form of paganism. Howie starts to suspect that Rowan may have been murdered as a sacrifice to the island's pagan gods.

The film raises some interesting philosophical issues about the nature of religious belief. Howie is a devout Christian, and is shocked by the paganism of the islanders. He is shocked partly by their open attitude to sex which conflicts with his own puritanical views, but mostly by their callousness about human life. Although the film was made in the hippy era of the early seventies, with its growing interest in alternative forms of religion, it is not a celebration of paganism. The faith of the islanders is not a benign nature-worship but rather a cruel, superstitious, mechanistic fertility cult, devoid of any genuine spirituality.

The view one takes of the religious issues raised by the film will probably depend upon one's own religious views and also upon how one sees the ambiguous character of Howie. On the one hand he comes across as deeply unsympathetic- narrow-minded, dogmatic and priggish. On the other, he is the only representative we see not only of law and order but also of decency and morality. He may be a prig, but he is also the only character in the film who objects to human sacrifice on moral grounds. It seems to me that two quite different interpretations of the film are possible. On the one hand, it could be seen as a humanist critique of religion. On this reading, Howie's Christianity could be seen as merely a watered-down variety of the islanders' fierce paganism, more socially respectable but no more rational. When Howie challenges him about his beliefs, Lord Summerisle retorts with some sharp comments about the Christian doctrine of the Virgin Birth.

On the other hand, it would be possible to see this as a Christian film, an exemplification of Chesterton's dictum that when men cease to believe in God, they will not believe in nothing, they will believe in anything. Summerisle and his followers do not merely reject Christianity, they also reject the entire rationalist tradition of the Enlightenment. They believe that human sacrifice will ensure the success of their harvests and that illnesses can be cured by placing a toad in the sufferer's mouth. Howie stands not only for orthodox theology but also for orthodox science. Religion and science are sometimes portrayed as being in conflict, but it can also be argued that science has had a beneficent effect upon religion; by removing material affairs such as the cure of the sick and the fertility of the soil from the hands of priests and shamans and entrusting them to doctors and agronomists, it has freed contemporary Christianity from these concerns and enabled it to concentrate more on spiritual matters.

I normally like films that tackle weighty themes and ask difficult questions without necessarily providing easy answers, so I am disappointed that I did not like "The Wicker Man" more. It seems unfortunate that so many versions exist; I have seen two on British television, both different from one another and neither the full director's cut. I will therefore reserve my comments on the direction until I have seen the definitive version, but neither of the versions I have seen flowed easily. The famous ending is genuinely shocking (as Goya said, the sleep of reason produces monsters), but what leads up to it does not always tell the story with any fluency.

The acting was too often wooden and lifeless. In the case of Edward Woodward as Howie this was presumably deliberate, as his character is supposed to be a stiff, formal individual who finds it difficult to show emotion, but none of the other characters seemed any more animated. Christopher Lee as Summerisle had too much of the urbane British gentleman about him and not enough of the religious fanatic. The worst contribution came from Britt Ekland, who wandered through the film as though she did not know what she was doing in it. Come to that, I wasn't sure what she was doing, either. A body double was used for her dance scene, her singing voice was dubbed and (according to some accounts) her speaking voice was too, apparently because she could not manage a convincing Scottish accent. She was presumably only hired because the film-makers thought that to have a glamorous international star in the cast-list would be good for the takings at the box-office.

Despite these weaknesses, the film is often thought-provoking, and there is enough of interest to make it worth watching. 6/10

Brilliantly realized but not for all tastes

[capkronos · 9/10 · 12 May 2003]

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

Weirdest film I have ever seen

[youthandyoungmanhood · 7/10 · 28 July 2018]

The wicker man is worth a watch just for it's weirdness. Some of the bits are even comical but there are a few moments of creepyness.

Proof that the British horror genre was once great?

[johnnyboyz · 8/10 · 3 June 2008]

There is a distinct air of menace flowing throughout The Wicker Man, a distinct feeling of unwelcome and unkind put across in the most brilliant of manners because everyone acts so nicely. Then there is the awful feeling you get at certain points when you realise the character of Sergeant Howie (Woodward) is in actual fact a policeman and what might happen if he hadn't been. The Wicker Man is really a mere exercise in suspense on the surface but I think it toys with other, more political ideas during the core of the film before substituting everything and just focussing very briefly on the religious aspects it raises.

For Sergeant Howie, he is bordering on the ultimate fish-out-of-water. Howie may be British and may well still be in Britain but that does not exclude him from the fish-out-of-water treatment that other film characters get when they are in that respective situation (see Doyle in 'French Connection II' and Neo in 'The Matrix' among many other examples). Howie is a man of pride; a man with ideas, discipline and rules and regulations he likes to stand by. He is a thorough man and this is partly his downfall since it is this case that is so difficult, it sees him assigned to it. Howie is on a remote Scottish isle investigating a disappearance of a young girl but while remaining within the boundaries of his own world; his own language and even his own country, Howie will find the going difficult and complicated due to several unsuspecting and eerie things.

Firstly, the location of the island is important because it obviously resembles a sort of detachment from the mainland or indeed the rest of the world. There is special care taken to tell the audience as well as Howie that the mainland is a good week or so away by boat. So within this isolated utopia for the locals develops a sub-culture, a world in which people are people but methods of teaching, governing and religion are very different. This can be read into as some sort of political statement by the writer of the film – perhaps he is bringing to attention the level of policing in Britain for the time? There is no suspicion from Howie at all in the film but I noticed very quickly there was no police station nor was there any feeling that rules were apparent. The whole island was governed by a mysterious, never seen man and look at what situation the island locals were in, in terms of mentality.

So if this island is a society without law and order; without a stone wall ruling on the most basic humane regulations, is the writer trying to bring to our attention the dangers of lack of authority in our own country? But The Wicker Man is not entirely an ambiguous text revolving around statements on our own world and society. It is a chilling and haunting horror film that predominantly falls into the 'Gothic' typecast due to its minute details on screen. There is a distinct ritualistic tone to the film and it is one that is fetishised. Several years earlier, Christopher Lee himself starred in the highly fetishised 'Dracula'. Here, shots of naked people sitting on grave stones and people having sex in graveyards, maybe to merely gross the 1973 audience out or to just make us aware that this is indeed going to be different, are included and add an ever present layer of disturbance but also one of ambiguity – why is it that people here do these things? To combine sex with a place of death can be linked with the film's overall theme. The man in the scene around the maypole sings a song about evolution and reproduction and generally about a certain circle of life. From here, it is only obvious that the act of reproduction (sex) to produce new life would take place in a location in which you bury the dead. Life goes on, it seems.

Then there is that extra evidence to suggest this is one of the great Gothic horrors. How may of the cast are actually playing themselves? There are the people in the public house and the elderly folk by the harbour. This gives off its own air of disturbance in the sense they might be playing themselves and what with the commentary on society as a whole, the two seem to bind together all the too nicely. Then there is the attention to faces early on. The chocolates in the baker's window have faces on them and the close up of the pub sign has a face on it. There is also the excessive wearing of masks later on as identity is toyed and revealed but generally kept ambiguous. Is this the future of the society circa 1973? Do we know what we believe in terms of religion? And where we are going in the future? What about the schools and the policing? Will this be the sad reality of a nation gone mad if these things are cut back on? I think these are the sorts of questions the writers are raising by making a film like this and it must've been all the more disturbing in 1973.

So if The Wicker Man succeeds as a statement then it certainly succeeds as a piece of Gothic horror. It mixes in the uncanny with the surreal and it carries a distinct atmosphere of dread all throughout. There is ambiguity all over the place but I especially liked the attention to the film's music: is it diegetic or not? Sometimes it is and others it isn't but it's such a head-trip of a soundtrack that it's difficult to notice most of the time. This surely one of the better British films ever made.

So weird

[aheaven2005 · 6/10 · 30 October 2021]

What a strange experience. Going through this I really wondered where it was going to lead me from start to finish. There's a lot of slower moments, but also some of the strangest scenes I saw ever. I'll mark this one as an experience I needed to have, but I still wonder what kind of experience it was.

Profoundly Overrated

[johnbuckville-march04 · 3/10 · 5 March 2006]

A typical late 60's/early 70's "B-Rated" late night show. I can't imagine what the fuss is about - the show is dragged out, plot is contrived and just not believable. One you've seen this show, you'll realize you've wasted your time. The story drifts and meanders, and suddenly becomes an odd musical. The situations presented are not in any way believable. Characters are thin and artificial. The entire premise of the show is the conclusion - a big 'gothcha' but it hardly merits a 1/2 hour show, let alone a 2 hour film. Overly deliberate acting and direction create a juvenile "I know something you don't know" atmosphere in nearly every scene. This show insults the intelligence with repeated use of nearly identical situations - it's sort of a perverse straight man - funny man act where the funny man is actually a deranged town. Avoid this film, it should have been left to be forgotten drivel that it is, all this hype only make more people waste their time on it.

The most original and haunting British horror movie EVER. Fascinating, chilling, and utterly unique.

[Infofreak · 17 August 2003]

I've been fascinated by 'The Wicker Man' ever since I first saw it on TV in the late 1970s. I was very young then and probably didn't completely understand it, but I knew immediately that it was a very special movie, unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Twenty five years, and literally thousands of movies later, I think even more highly of it, especially now that I'm able to see the cut available on the 30th Anniversary DVD, which is over fifteen minutes longer than the version I already own on video. And, yes, 'The Wicker Man' is still unlike any other movie I've ever seen. I think this is mainly down to the brilliant script by Anthony Shaffer, who also wrote 'Sleuth' and Hitchcock's 'Frenzy'. There hasn't been anything made remotely like it since. I think it's the greatest British horror movie ever made, but the description "horror" only gives you half the story. It's also a thriller, a mystery, a Christian morality tale, and in a weird way, a musical. Christopher Lee regards it as the best movie he's ever been involved with, and describes it as one of the three or four greatest movies ever made in Britain, and I agree with him. Lee is very good in the movie as the enigmatic Lord Summerisle, but Edward Woodward is the real star. Woodward is best know for his TV work, as either 'Callan' or 'The Equalizer', depending what generation you're from, but he's superb as the deeply religious Sgt. Howie. Apparently Peter Cushing was initially suggested for the role, as was Michael York, but I really can't imagine either of then being half as good as Woodward is. The supporting cast are all superb - Diane Cilento as the school teacher, famous mime Lindsay Kemp as the publican, and especially Britt Ekland as the publican's daughter Willow. Ekland's seduction dance scene is the second most famous scene in the movie. She claims her speaking voice was dubbed throughout , director Robin Hardy disputes this, though her singing voice certainly was, and she used a (ahem) butt double. I also get a kick out of Aubrey Morris' graveyard scene. Morris is a great Brit character actor and was also in 'A Clockwork Orange', Hammer's 'Blood From The Mummy's Tomb' and sci fi trash classic 'Lifeforce'. Another Hammer alumni Ingrid Pitt ('The Vampire Lovers', 'Countess Dracula', etc.) is also in the cast as a librarian, but sadly in underused. Still, I'm glad she was involved. Inexplicably some people seem to hate this movie. I can't for the life of me understand why. It's utterly brilliant, utterly unique, and I never tire of watching it. If you've never seen it before I envy you! It's a cliche, but believe me, you have never seen anything like it before!

Quiet unnerving n truly one of the best horror film.

[Fella_shibby · 9/10 · 7 April 2020]

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.

Interesting it is

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 5 February 2007]

If you haven't seen above, I'm making it clear here too: This comment, does include "spoiler", which means, if you haven't seen the movie yet (or the remake) stop reading this review.

An interesting story about a hunter becoming the hunted. But also a very predictable one. Even if you haven't watched that many movies, you kind of know where this one is going. To make matters worse, this guy is all alone on an island, where everybody seems to be crazy. Or indeed they are if we'd judge them by our civilized standards. So the ending is inevitable.

Although I thought the guy could at least die a hero. If you remember the ending, he (the cop) comes out of the cave with the girl. He's standing over a cliff. He should then realise that there is no way out (no escaping the island) for him. While he's on the edge and Dr. Sommerisle (Christoper Lee) is standing there with him. Now while he might have still the survival instinct in him and tries to get away from there, it has to be clear to him that there is nowhere for him to go, when he sees the town folks appear on top of that cliff. They block any way for him to escape, so where does he try to go? He should've tried to tackle/grab Dr. Sommerisle and take a fall with him down to their certain deaths ... That's at least what I think would be right for this character to do ... but then you wouldn't have this climax ending with the fire, of course.

Despite all that, this movie grabs you with the suspense that it is building (although in some parts it just is too long) and delivers very good acting performances. I've seen the 99 minutes version and the 80-something minutes version. The longer version has a more believable beginning, so I'd say it's the better one :o)

Questioning your belief system

[SMK-4 · 10/10 · 3 February 1999]

It is somewhat strange that some of the best British films of all time are not very well known outside movie-buff-dom. The Wicker Man is certainly one of them (another is Get Carter).

The Wicker Man is not just technically very well made, with an excellent cast, a glorious cinematography and a gripping script, it goes beyond that. It is one of those rare treats that manage to question your belief system. It lures you into a foreign system of beliefs, it seduces you into sympathising with an act that is - legally speaking - a murder.

It is impossible to categorize the film into a genre. Some have described it as a horror film, which in a strict sense is completely wrong as there are no shock elements here, no gore whatsoever, and just one killing; but in a more relaxed sense this is not such a bad characterisation after all, because the film uses the language of horror films, e.g. permanently hinting at that something mysterious and horrific is going on. Similarly flawed are characterisations as a fantasy film (nothing supernatural) or sci-fi (no science), but the film takes a little bit each from the flavour of these genres.

A Horror/Thriller/Musical?! Oh well, it's a damn good one.

[Pet_Rock · 7/10 · 15 September 2006]

Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) travels to a small island town run by Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) to answer a poor mother's (Irene Sunters) cry for help to find her lost daughter (Geraldine Cowper). But almost as soon as he arrives, he notices the towns people (Diane Cilento, Britt Ekland, Lindsay Kemp and more) and the town in total are way out of the usual.

Okay, written on paper, this movie should be boring, and stupid. Naked people dance in the streets, men dress as women, and more wackiness! So how does it work so well? Anthony Shaffer (One of my all time favorite writers) just makes it work, with help of course from the wonderful actors and director.

Although not mentioned on the IMDb genre list, I consider this movie to be partly... well, a musical. People randomly break out into song, usually in a sexual nature (sex and religion are the themes of this strange little masterpiece) but the music fits the movie perfectly.

So for a neat little drama/thriller/horror/musical thats VERY well done, plop down and plop in The Wicker Man!

Exceptional but NOT a horror film

[preppy-3 · 10/10 · 28 September 2004]

A police sergeant (Edward Woodward) goes to a remote island near Scotland hearing that a young girl is missing. When he gets there it seems no one has ever heard of her...and most say she never existed. He continues to search and the mystery gets deeper and deeper leading up to a very disturbing conclusion.

I saw this during it's theatrical reissue in 1980--it was the cut 88 minute version. I was disappointed. It was advertised as a horror film and the edited version leaves gaping plot holes. I just saw the extended version on the DVD and loved it!

For one thing, as I said, it is NOT a horror film. I went in expecting that and didn't get it. It's actually a thriller with strong religious and sexual overtures. There's WAY too much to get into about the religious views in this film, and the sexual element is STRONG! There's a whole circle of nude young women dancing around a fire, and an exceptional sequence in which a very erotic song is sung by a nude Britt Ekland. The mystery itself is fascinating but I really got caught up in the religious and social aspects presented in this film. Credit writer Anthony Shaffer for his script.

Also the acting is great on all counts. Woodward deserves credit for playing such an unlikable character--and STILL getting you to sympathize with him! Also Hammer stars Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt (whose part is brutally reduced in the short version) are just great! For one thing it's interesting to see them playing fairly "normal" people (instead of vampires) and they give out excellent performances. Lee especially is enjoying himself--he did the film for free! To this day he said it's his best movie--he's right.

An excellent, haunting thriller but it might be too much for some people. There's next to no blood or violence, but I do know some people who just found the ending a bit too much to handle. Still, it's a definite must-see.

A deserved cult classic.

I did not expect this to be a musical.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 23 May 2023]

'The Wicker Man (1973)' is a weird movie. It's weird by design, of course, but weird nonetheless. As soon as Sgt. Howie steps foot on Summerisle, it's obvious that he doesn't belong there. Met with a barely-hidden hostility at every turn, the pious policeman's efforts to locate a missing young girl are constantly thwarted by a series of increasingly obscure twists. The residents of the isolated island certainly are different to the stern and sanctimonious sergeant suddenly acting as an arrogant thorn in their side: they're either horny or singing, or hornily singing... about being horny. Public displays of affection are second nature to the sexually unrepressed islanders, and their pagan religion necessitates seemingly strange rituals in service of their upcoming harvest season. Naturally, Sgt. Howie is aghast at their blatantly non-Christian nature. His constant attempts to sway the citizens into acknowledging what he views as the one true God go entirely unheard, even when he threatens them with punitive action simply for their beliefs. His authority is similarly ignored during his investigative efforts, and there's a sense that he's the butt of an island-wide in-joke that may just have a killer punchline. As an audience, we can do nothing other than watch in horror - and, often, bemusement - as the cop continues to ignore every red flag in his path, heading to a seemingly inevitable destination that only he can't see. Much like the God he holds so dear, Sgt. Howie holds no power on Summerisle. What he does have, however, is an appointment to keep. As his meeting with the eponymous Wicker Man looms ever closer, the picture takes on a more frantic pace and unhinged tone. Things haven't been quite right from the very beginning, but now the oddities of the islanders are starting to seem much more sinister and much more calculated. Almost without you realising it, the piece pulls you into its offbeat little world and guides you through it like you're a marionette - a religious, uptight, sexually repressed marionette in a meaningless uniform. Through gritted teeth and weary eyes, you watch as its hero unwittingly accepts his fate and finally dresses the part, inching ever closer to one of cinema's most iconically hopeless endings. Thankfully, there's not a single bee in sight. The time is set and the Wicker Man waits. The only question is: what for?

It's unfortunate that much of the terror here comes from the blatant othering of non-Christian customs, which is an issue present in quite a bit of folk horror. I'm not too keen on the way in which it portrays the traditions of its focal community as scary simply because they're not readily understood - or, perhaps, experienced - by the core audience. Until its more sinister elements bubble to the surface, the pagan religion practiced by those on Summerisle isn't all that problematic. It's different, sure, but that doesn't make it inherently bad. The picture's eventual outcome seeks to justify its initial judgements - and, to an extent, it does - but it also sets a fairly dangerous precedent and reinforces closed-minded attitudes. However, the piece ultimately feels as though it's more about how Sgt. Howie's unflinching contempt for the non-Christian customs he encounters is what leads to his downfall. In particular, it's his steadfast belief in his own religion and his insistence that it should be accepted by all which blinds him to the danger he's surrounded by. This mitigates the movie's potentially iffy messaging, even if it doesn't totally eliminate it. Plus, the piece puts you in the perspective of its protagonist and much of its horror emerges specifically from within that perspective. If anyone else were in Sgt. Howie's shoes, the flick - and its finale, in particular - wouldn't be as scary as it is, principally because it wouldn't be directly challenging the core beliefs of its hero.

It's worth mentioning that I watched the so-called 'final cut', which is - as I understand it - the closest the film has ever been to its director's initial vision.

One of the best British horror films ever made.

[BA_Harrison · 10/10 · 4 September 2012]

Devout Christian copper Sgt. Howie (Edward Woodward) journeys to a remote island community, located off the western coast of Scotland, to investigate the reported disappearance of a twelve year old girl; on finding that the locals follow a pagan religion, and discovering that their precious fruit crops had failed the previous year, Howie begins to suspect that the missing child has been chosen as a human sacrifice to appease the gods and ensure a successful harvest..

Unjustly ignored on its original release, The Wicker Man has since been acknowledged as a true classic of horror cinema, a status it most definitely deserves: rarely has a horror film achieved such an all-pervading aura of dread and culminated in a such a thoroughly gripping climax, leaving the viewer feeling so utterly emotionally drained as the end credits roll.

Although there is very little in the film that would qualify as 'horror' in the traditional sense (no gore, no cheap scares, no supernatural occurrences), The Wicker Man is undoubtedly a frightening experience, its increasingly unsettling moments of weirdness, which include several oddball song and dance numbers, creating a palpable atmosphere of dread that really gets under the skin. Howie is clearly being led a merry dance, the bizarre pagan rituals and occult happenings witnessed during his stay, coupled with obvious subterfuge on the part of the islanders, all indicating that something terrible is afoot.

Precisely what that is only becomes apparent in the film's final few minutes, but rest assured that it is a truly hideous revelation, one that will remain in the mind long after the sun has set on this marvellous piece of macabre cinema.

The Truth About the Wicker Man

[cliff-wade · 7/10 · 1 March 2006]

I saw this film for the first time recently, and was intrigued by the themes in the film, notably the information on pagan philosophy etc.

I will not comment on the technical aspects of the film, as they have been covered in other reviews, though I must say I thought Woodward in particular played his role very well.

I think any viewer knew "something bad" was in store for Howie when his seaplane failed to start when he wanted to return to the mainland for reinforcements ! What I do want to say is this. I am a Christian, and for me the most ironic part of the whole film was when the pagan Lord (Christopher Lee) said to Howie "you know nothing about real sacrifice." The great irony is that Howie knew more about real sacrifice than ANY of the island people, as he knew the Lord Jesus Christ had died for his sins in His sacrificial death. And that though he died a painful death, Howie ultimately had the "last laugh" as he would be with the Lord forever...whereas unless the pagans repented of their evil deeds, they would be damned forever.

I think the film makers "acknowledged" something of this when we see Howie about to die in the Wicker Man at the end of the film. Although the islanders were celebrating etc we also see Howie praying and praising God, knowing that when he died he would be with the Lord Jesus Christ. And I believe the film-makers captured something of this paradoxical hope and joy that Howie had. (Reminded me of the Protestant martyrs who were burnt at the stake under Queen Mary.) I also appreciated the tactic Howie used to try and appeal to the islanders when he was about to be taken to his death. He appealed to them that by killing him would NOT guarantee a good harvest - and then he used the tactic of saying "and if you do not get a good harvest, then next year you will have to sacrifice your leader" (referring to Christopher Lee.) For a few seconds, you could see Lee realising what Howie said was true, and had a look of fear - but quickly hid this by saying "but we WILL get a good harvest this year !" and then encouraging everyone to continue taking Howie to his death.

So, I think the real twist of this film is that though the islanders SEEM to have won, it is actually Howie who gets the real victory.

Not nearly as good as many people make out.

[MrFergushill · 5/10 · 18 April 2005]

I have just watched the "Director's Cut" version of this film, and it is tempting to play devil's advocate and ask why do so many people think that this film is anything more profound than the story of an exceptionally priggish policeman with an extremely narrow and outmoded (even for the 1970s) take on Christianity on the one hand, and a bunch of stupid weirdos singing silly songs and waving their arms about like crazed chimpanzees?

Superimposed on this core content is an excellent performance by Edward Woodward, a reasonably good one by Christopher Lee, the total irrelevance of Britt Ekland (and her admittedly beautiful nude stand-in) and the extremely irritating minor characters and (I'm a Scot) the strange variety of accents.

There is some beautiful scenery and an admittedly shocking conclusion leading one either to exclaim "So what?" or to wax eloquent about Christ's sacrifice morally inverted, or some such profound thoughts which, truth to say, the content of the film doesn't really merit.

Oh, and it is quite funny in places. I could certainly watch it again a number of times, but I suspect that it might just get funnier rather than more shocking and profound. I'll report back differently if otherwise.