The Wicker Man (1973)
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A devout Christian police officer travels to a remote Scottish island to investigate a missing girl, only to find the inhabitants have embraced paganism.
The story
On April 29, 1973, Sergeant Neil Howie, a devout Christian, travels to the remote and verdant Hebridean island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl named Rowan Morrison. Upon arrival, Howie is shocked to discover that the island's inhabitants have abandoned Christianity in favor of practicing Celtic paganism. The local community appears to be actively concealing the truth about the girl's whereabouts. As Howie navigates the strange customs of the island and stays at the local inn, he must confront a community that views his presence and his faith with suspicion, while trying to uncover the truth behind the missing girl's disappearance.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Sergeant Neil Howie travels to the island of Summerisle to find a missing girl, Rowan Morrison. He finds the islanders practicing paganism and initially believes the girl is being hidden. After discovering that a girl's grave contains only a hare and that a human sacrifice is performed during crop failures, he realizes Rowan is alive and intended for sacrifice. On May Day, Howie attempts to rescue her but is captured. He is then revealed to be the true intended sacrifice, as he fits the criteria of a 'fool' and a 'king.' He is forced into a giant wicker man statue and set ablaze, where he dies while praying to God as the sun sets.
- First release year
- 1973
- Runtime (minutes)
- 88
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robin Hardy
- Writers
- Anthony Shaffer · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Edward Woodward · Sergeant Neil Howie; Britt Ekland · innkeeper's daughter; Diane Cilento · schoolmistress; Ingrid Pitt · town librarian and registrar; Christopher Lee · Lord Summerisle
- Genres
- folk horror; mystery; horror
- Themes
- Religious extremism; Christianity vs. Celtic neo-paganism
- Tone and mood
- macabre; folk horror
- Premise and plot tags
- human sacrifice; missing persons; paganism; religious conflict
- Source material / true-story basis
- Ritual by David Pinner
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews at release but gained critical acclaim over time, being called 'The Citizen Kane of horror movies' and ranked among the best of its genre.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 87 · scale: 100 · review count: 16
- Production trivia
- The film's title inspired the Wickerman Festival.; The film's score includes 13 folk songs.; The film's title was inspired by a description of the practice of human sacrifice by the Gauls.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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