Customer Reviews:
Thought provoking and at times amusing folk yarn.......2007-09-26
I remember this film coming out in the summer of 1970 and the reaction the film received from the general public. There were protesters outside my local theatre, some even holding banners and plaques demanding the movie be banned. 'The work of satan' a lot of them were saying.
I could not see what all the fuss was about as I found the film rather mild and in some places quite comedic.
The basic plot is that of a Scottish detective travelling to the Isle Of Man to investigate a murder. While on the island, he gets involved with some shady locals and becomes fascinated by their odd folklore and rituals. It isn't long before the detective is soon corrupted and falls under their spell...
Undertaking the lead role is stage actor Edward Woodworm, a likeable if not slightly effeminate choice for the lead. He is pitted against the great Christopher Lee. Lee had just finished filming the Ealing comedy 'A Taste Of Honey' when production started and was not in the best of moods throughout the shoot. Rumour has it he would frequently walk off set halfway through scenes, complaining of migraines or blaming bad acting from his co-stars. The scene where Lee dances in just his riding boots in the graveyard is a must see.
The soundtrack, provided by legendary UK MOR band Marillion is questionable and does not really lend itself to the pace and flow of the film.
The ending which many people find shocking, I actually found quite amusing. The director's pastiche ending was hilarious and the way the island folk dance round in their skirts and robes was a stroke of brilliance. I must admit it was only me laughing in the cinema while Woodworm was slowly burning alive, I fear a lot of the audience may have missed the comedic undertones in the end finale.
On an interesting note, 'The Wicker Man' was not actually made of wicker, but of vine branches. But the producers felt 'The Vine Man' didn't have the same resonance.
say hello to our ancestors !.......2007-07-28
the wicker man is the daddy of all cult films.
edward woodward plays sgt howie , a devout and pious christian , investigating the disappearance of a girl on summerisle after an anonymous tip off. what he finds is a close knit community revelling in the old religion and polytheism of our ancestors before the christians came to europe and spoiled the party.
as his investigation proceeds a dark and terrible secret unfolds and he unwittingly is at the heart of it.
the wicker man mixes genres - murder mystery, fantasy , comedy and musical - with a deft enchantment. the shocking ending however places this film firmly within the canon of great horror movies.
panned pre-release by movie executives , butchered down to 84 minutes to fill a supporting slot for another eerie classic 'dont look now' , this movie survived despite a conspiracy to keep it from the viewing public in any meaningful way. and it's reputation has grown over the decades .
see what all the fuss is about and immerse yourself in the merryment of the pagan hedonism and sexual freedom of summerisle . the culture portrayed is part of the northern european collective unconscious but such joys and freedom come with a terrible price in the wicker man !
Cult Classic Fearful of Faith.......2007-07-16
The Wicker Man is a film about a pious Catholic sergeant's visit to a small island off the coast of Scotland called the Island of Summerisle. His name is Neil and he is there to investigate the disappearance of a girl. His investigation reveals that the island is enamored with a neo-pagan religion. They worship the sun instead of Jesus. They engage in pagan fertility rituals instead of Neil's proud pre-marital chastity. They believe in reincarnation where the Christian canon Neil is devoted to does not. As if the islanders are telepathically connected, Neil receives absolutely no help from anyone in his investigation. He gradually puts together more and more details about the inhabitants' practices and is suspicious of everyone.
A May Day festival approaches and Neil becomes concerned that the girl who is missing may indeed be the latest sacrifice to appease nature. But as the Island owner Lord Summerisle reveals, Neil too is a virgin and is both wise and foolish. He comes as a king representing Her Majesty's government. He also arrives to a place of sacrifice by his own free will. The final sequence of the Wicker Man is the ultimate warning toward blind faith. Anyone who misses the point here, like the makers of the 2006 remake of the Wicker Man did, will clearly find little resolution in the end but others willing to enjoy and exercise their imagination a little bit will have much to mull over.
The film's music is one of its strengths and the detail of the pagan references and how they are convenient roots to many Christian traditions (i.e. Easter icons and Beltane or May Day) help to make the overall vision of the Wicker Man even more compelling. All of the elements within the film melt together and everyone working it must've understood these ideas in perspective.
The funny thing about the Wicker Man is it is often referred to as a Horror film. There really isn't anything else to call it but it is almost too unique and exceptional to be deemed a horror film. It isn't scary like a typical horror film is. It doesn't elicit fear and disgust the way all other horror films have. There are no zombies, vampires or murdering sociopaths. There are no supernatural forces and there is little blood to be spilled. It isn't characterized by that one note creepy music or menacing Hitchcockian suspense. It doesn't rely on knives and masked killers stalking in the night. It doesn't even need a seemingly indestructible villain. The Wicker Man is a film that relies exclusively on its all encompassing atmosphere and it also relies on our own understandings of religion and faith. It is sunny, it is bright, it is cheerful, but for all of the wrong reasons to many of us. It is compelling all throughout. Somehow on this island paganism resurfaced and the worshippers are fiercely and irrationally devout. That point's layers of commentary aside, the Wicker Man is very much a horror film and it is probably more intelligent than any other movies within its genre.
A Haunting Classic!.......2007-04-14
The Wicker Man is an amazing film! This release gives you the opportunity to see the Director's Cut, compare the different versions and learn more -which is great!
I personally love the scene where there is a big close-up of two snails squelchingly intertwined in the moonlight whilst Willow McGregor and Ash Buchanan are having sex! Very symbolic, and very clever.
Robin Hardy was clearly a very talented director and I wonder why he did not do more. His direction gives this film a lingering, quiet creepiness which is more unnerving than a full-on horror film. The creepy imagery is often quite subtle - like that creepy, swaying woman in the graveyard with the egg in one hand and the baby in the other, and that weird candle shaped like a hand that Willow uses to put Howie to sleep. The climax of the film is particularly chilling and visually very effective. Like many good films (including Get Carter) The Wicker Man only got the recognition it deserved after many years. Great cast. Great music. A film stains your brain. A film that is hauntingly poignant and far more than the sum of its parts.
Excellent package.......2006-10-07
I won't bother reviewing the film itself, as I'm sure most of you reading this are already fans, so I'll just stick to describing this new 3-disc release.
As many of you probably know, the film was considered too long for a commercial release by the typically clueless studio execs of the time, and was summarily hacked-down by about 15 minutes. In a depressing turn of events, the original negative of the film was lost, leaving no high quality method of restoring the missing footage.
Luckily for us, they were able to clip the missing footage into the main print, via the only full, unedited version in existence...a print owned by Roger Corman, the American king of exploitation pictures no less!
The quality of the missing scenes is not nearly as good as the rest of the film, making a list of "restored scenes" entirely unnecessary (you'll be able to tell), but it's probably the best we will ever get.
The package contains both the edited and newly restored versions of the film. The edited theatrical version has a very good transfer and 5.1 dolby sound mix. The Director's cut is presented in the aforementioned spotty video and mono audio.
The excellent commentary from the previous U.K. version is also included here (even if Christopher Lee comes off a bit cranky), as well as the original 35 minute featurette "The Wicker Man Enigma".
What's new is the freshly produced 60 minute documentary hosted by Mark Kermode. It's a wonderful and informative documentary, that suprisingly covers mostly different ground than the "Wicker Man Enigma", paying more attention to the genesis of the project and it's filming, rather than the "unfortunate fate" of the film covered in "Enigma".
You also get a soundtrack CD, which is something I've been waiting for forever. The sound quality is excellent, suprisingly so, although "The Landlord's daughter" is a different version than the one from the film. They must have lost the original. Also, there is no tracklisting for the CD, but that's a minor quibble.
This is a big upgrade for North American buyers, as we gain the new documentary as well as the soundtrack and commentary. U.K. buyers are only gaining the documentary, and soundtrack, but either way I think it's well worth the upgrade. Job well done!
Customer Reviews:
FANTASTIC.......2008-03-12
VERY VERY VERY GOOD FILM
YOU EITHER GET IT OR YOU DONT
WHAT A STORYLINE WHAT ACTING
A CLASSICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
A strange film ... but it works.......2007-10-13
This film certainly leaves its mark on you. You won't forget about it after seeing it, that's for sure. I wouldn't classify it as a horror film at all, but many people do. It has a very distinctive soundtrack (songs like 'Fire Leap') and is a curious mix of a number of genres. The last 5 minutes seem almost surreal (when compared to the rather light-hearted nature of what goes before), but they are probably up there with the great moments of British movies.
Amazon.co.uk Review
It must be stressed that, despite the fact that it was produced in 1973 and stars Christopher Lee, The Wicker Man is not a Hammer Horror film. There is no blood, very little gore and the titular Wicker Man is not a monster made out of sticks that runs around killing people by weaving them into raffia work. Edward Woodward plays Sergeant Howie, a virginal, Christian policeman sent from the Scottish mainland to investigate the disappearance of a young girl on the remote island of Summerisle.
The intelligent script by Anthony Schaffer, who also wrote the detective mystery Sleuth (a film with which The Wicker Man shares many traits), derives its horror from the increasing isolation, confusion and humiliation experienced by the naïve Howie as he encounters the island community's hostility and sexual pagan rituals, manifested most immediately in the enthusiastic advances of local landlord's daughter Willow (Britt Ekland). Howie's intriguing search, made all the more authentic by the film's atmospheric locations and folkish soundtrack, gradually takes us deeper and deeper into the bizarre pagan community living under the guidance of the charming Laird (Lee, minus fangs) as the film builds to a terrifying climax with a twist to rival that of The Sixth Sense or Fight Club. --Paul Philpott
On the DVD: The Wicker Man can finally be seen in its glorious entirety on DVD, thanks to the restoration of some 15 minutes of previously lost material. Since the original negative long ago disappeared (apparently dumped beneath the M3 motorway) the picture quality for the added scenes is dubious, but what's much more important is the regained richness in the depiction of Summerisle's society (including a wonderful deflowering ritual set to music) and the added depth to Howie's character. Almost redundantly this excellent two-disc package provides the butchered theatrical cut as well, which comes with a good new documentary explaining both the genesis of the film and its turbulent history. Christopher Lee and director Robin Hardy pop up in an archival interview from the 1970s and are also reunited with Edward Woodward in the brand-new and first-rate commentary track for the director's cut: Lee in particular remains passionate about the movie and still angry about its shabby treatment. Both versions of the film are widescreen 1.85:1; the theatrical cut is in remastered Dolby 5.1, but the director's cut remains in mono. --Mark Walker
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant.......2007-12-24
A masterpiece in so many ways. The viewer never really knows where their allegiance lies: with the humorous but suspect islanders or the straight-up, plain-talking Christian copper. In the battle of wits between Sgt Howie and the Islanders the film perfectly encapsulates the age-old battle and yin-yang synnergy between Paganism (Earthiness, fun, free love, self-expression, humour, sex, fighting, fertility, dancing, community, sacrifice) and Monotheism (Duty, honour, truth, dignity, charity, discipline, selflessness, repression, individual salvation, self-sacrifice). The hippy in you will love the islanders but you can't help respecting the straightforward dedication of the sgt in the face of the riddles and deceit all around him.
Of course the music is great throughout. Both the Islanders' songs and the background score fit perfectly with the mood of each scene and when the inhabitants burst into song it doesn't seem forced, it's just the way they are!
Finally a great twist and truly horrifying finale. No Hollywood happy ending here.
In a way everyone gets what they want - the ultimate sacrifice...
Critical moment in film making........2007-11-01
The 4 stars I have given this version is almost unjustly harsh, for the movie itself and the characterisation of the actors is pure genius. The 4 stars are simply because some of the old film quality kept in for obvious reasons and I'm guessing beyond restoration, is very poor indeed. I accept that this couldn't be altered and thus as a product it is less than perfect. The movie itself though is truely magnificent. Whilst watching the heroes of other horror films you may jump with them and dive for cover when they do if no one else is watching, with this one you share every ounce of Edward Woodwards revulsion and disbelief as the mask of Summerisle is gradually lifted. Take the maypole dance. I watched and listened agog to the children and their teacher as they performed their annual rite. This fantastic bewilderment continues through to the very shocking climax where your skin will prickle with sympathy. Don't watch alone.
Almost unclassifiable film, it is so brilliantly different.......2007-07-27
If I was nitpicking at the inventive plot, I'd say what the hell was Woodward doing on his own there? When it takes two policemen to give you a parking ticket these days, our fearless sergeant pilots his own aircraft to a virtually unknown island to look for a missing person! That aside, it is a most tantalising, off-centre story with a mystery that gets harder and harder for the policeman to solve. It builds beautifully to the excellent climax, with Woodward on scorching form all the way. He acted the pants of everyone, including Christopher Lee, and this gives the film real depth. The folksy score adds to the strange flavour and the smart screenplay is choc full of pagan references and little surprises that add to the mystery and the atmosphere. Exceptionally well made small budget film that can't easily be called a horror or a even a thriller, it is just a one off.
Totally daft but BRILLIANT!.......2007-03-14
This film has that likeable quality of being totally ridiculous but totally entertaining. Edward Woodward is a straitlaced cop searching for a missing girl on an island where all the inhabitants just happen to be pagans. He plays the part as straight as a die, unlike the rest of the cast who are having a great time hamming it up like crazy. Christopher Lee is hilarious as the bizarre Lord Summerisle, egging on the islanders in their unholy pursuits. There's bucketloads of sexual symbolism-phallic topiary, women stroking penis-shaped statues and so on. Britt Ekland treats us to a nudie dance around the bedroom and the rest of the islanders hold fertility rituals and sing suggestive songs. The ending, of course, is deadly sinister, but the project as a whole is a real hoot. Watch it-you'll love it.
Unsettling and Disturbing British Classic.......2007-02-22
The Wicker Man is one of the best horror films I have ever seen but there isn't actually that much typical horror in it. Instead of sheer terror, The Wicker Man makes the viewer uncomfortable and carefully cranks up the tension until the gripping finale.
A Scottish policeman (Edward Woodward) flies to Summerisle to investigate the dissapearance of a local girl. He discovers a strange place where the local people have rejected Christianity and formed some kind of pagan society with Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) at the centre of the mystery. The policeman is angry and frustrated to find that the locals are wierd and deny the girl ever existed even though he finds plenty of evidence to the contrary. He begins to suspect she may be the centre of a bizarre ritual to appease the pagan god of harvest and that Lord Summerisle knows exactly where she is.
The Wicker Man is clearly the inspiration for The League of Gentlemen and they do a pretty good job of exaggerating the perculiarities of close knit, isolated communities like the people of Summerisle. The Wicker Man is extremely effective at making the viewer feel isolated and vunerable and therefore afraid. The strange behaviour of the people and the obvious fact that there is something very sinister under their smiling facade builds the tension nicely until we are actually introduced to the wicker man in the final horrifying scene.
Like This? Try: Straw Dogs
Amazon.co.uk Review
It must be stressed that despite the fact that it was produced in 1973 and stars both Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland, The Wicker Man is not a Hammer Horror film. There is no blood, very little gore and the titular Wicker Man is not a monster made out of sticks that runs around killing people by weaving them into raffia work. Edward Woodward plays Sergeant Howie, a virginal, Christian policeman sent from the Scottish mainland to investigate the disappearance of young girl on the remote island of Summer Isle. The intelligent script by Anthony Schaffer, who also wrote the detective mystery Sleuth (a film with which The Wicker Man shares many traits), derives its horror from the increasing isolation, confusion and humiliation experienced by the naïve Howie as he encounters the island community's hostility and sexual pagan rituals, manifested most immediately in the enthusiastic advances of local landlord's daughter Willow (Britt Ekland). Howie's intriguing search, made all the more authentic by the film's atmospheric locations and folkish soundtrack, gradually takes us deeper and deeper into the bizarre pagan community living under the guidance of the charming Laird of Summer Isle (Lee, minus fangs) as the film builds to a terrifying climax with a twist to rival that of The Sixth Sense or Fight Club. --Paul Philpott
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant.......2007-12-24
A masterpiece in so many ways. The viewer never really knows where their allegiance lies: with the humorous but suspect islanders or the straight-up, plain-talking Christian copper. In the battle of wits between Sgt Howie and the Islanders the film perfectly encapsulates the age-old battle and yin-yang synnergy between Paganism (Earthiness, fun, free love, self-expression, humour, sex, fighting, fertility, dancing, community, sacrifice) and Monotheism (Duty, honour, truth, dignity, charity, discipline, selflessness, repression, individual salvation, self-sacrifice). The hippy in you will love the islanders but you can't help respecting the straightforward dedication of the sgt in the face of the riddles and deceit all around him.
Of course the music is great throughout. Both the Islanders' songs and the background score fit perfectly with the mood of each scene and when the inhabitants burst into song it doesn't seem forced, it's just the way they are!
Finally a great twist and truly horrifying finale. No Hollywood happy ending here.
In a way everyone gets what they want - the ultimate sacrifice...
Critical moment in film making........2007-11-01
The 4 stars I have given this version is almost unjustly harsh, for the movie itself and the characterisation of the actors is pure genius. The 4 stars are simply because some of the old film quality kept in for obvious reasons and I'm guessing beyond restoration, is very poor indeed. I accept that this couldn't be altered and thus as a product it is less than perfect. The movie itself though is truely magnificent. Whilst watching the heroes of other horror films you may jump with them and dive for cover when they do if no one else is watching, with this one you share every ounce of Edward Woodwards revulsion and disbelief as the mask of Summerisle is gradually lifted. Take the maypole dance. I watched and listened agog to the children and their teacher as they performed their annual rite. This fantastic bewilderment continues through to the very shocking climax where your skin will prickle with sympathy. Don't watch alone.
Almost unclassifiable film, it is so brilliantly different.......2007-07-27
If I was nitpicking at the inventive plot, I'd say what the hell was Woodward doing on his own there? When it takes two policemen to give you a parking ticket these days, our fearless sergeant pilots his own aircraft to a virtually unknown island to look for a missing person! That aside, it is a most tantalising, off-centre story with a mystery that gets harder and harder for the policeman to solve. It builds beautifully to the excellent climax, with Woodward on scorching form all the way. He acted the pants of everyone, including Christopher Lee, and this gives the film real depth. The folksy score adds to the strange flavour and the smart screenplay is choc full of pagan references and little surprises that add to the mystery and the atmosphere. Exceptionally well made small budget film that can't easily be called a horror or a even a thriller, it is just a one off.
Totally daft but BRILLIANT!.......2007-03-14
This film has that likeable quality of being totally ridiculous but totally entertaining. Edward Woodward is a straitlaced cop searching for a missing girl on an island where all the inhabitants just happen to be pagans. He plays the part as straight as a die, unlike the rest of the cast who are having a great time hamming it up like crazy. Christopher Lee is hilarious as the bizarre Lord Summerisle, egging on the islanders in their unholy pursuits. There's bucketloads of sexual symbolism-phallic topiary, women stroking penis-shaped statues and so on. Britt Ekland treats us to a nudie dance around the bedroom and the rest of the islanders hold fertility rituals and sing suggestive songs. The ending, of course, is deadly sinister, but the project as a whole is a real hoot. Watch it-you'll love it.
Unsettling and Disturbing British Classic.......2007-02-22
The Wicker Man is one of the best horror films I have ever seen but there isn't actually that much typical horror in it. Instead of sheer terror, The Wicker Man makes the viewer uncomfortable and carefully cranks up the tension until the gripping finale.
A Scottish policeman (Edward Woodward) flies to Summerisle to investigate the dissapearance of a local girl. He discovers a strange place where the local people have rejected Christianity and formed some kind of pagan society with Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) at the centre of the mystery. The policeman is angry and frustrated to find that the locals are wierd and deny the girl ever existed even though he finds plenty of evidence to the contrary. He begins to suspect she may be the centre of a bizarre ritual to appease the pagan god of harvest and that Lord Summerisle knows exactly where she is.
The Wicker Man is clearly the inspiration for The League of Gentlemen and they do a pretty good job of exaggerating the perculiarities of close knit, isolated communities like the people of Summerisle. The Wicker Man is extremely effective at making the viewer feel isolated and vunerable and therefore afraid. The strange behaviour of the people and the obvious fact that there is something very sinister under their smiling facade builds the tension nicely until we are actually introduced to the wicker man in the final horrifying scene.
Like This? Try: Straw Dogs
Amazon.co.uk Review
It must be stressed that despite the fact that it was produced in 1973 and stars both Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland, The Wicker Man is not a Hammer Horror film. There is no blood, very little gore and the titular Wicker Man is not a monster made out of sticks that runs around killing people by weaving them into raffia work. Edward Woodward plays Sergeant Howie, a virginal, Christian policeman sent from the Scottish mainland to investigate the disappearance of young girl on the remote island of Summer Isle. The intelligent script by Anthony Schaffer, who also wrote the detective mystery Sleuth (a film with which The Wicker Man shares many traits), derives its horror from the increasing isolation, confusion and humiliation experienced by the naïve Howie as he encounters the island community's hostility and sexual pagan rituals, manifested most immediately in the enthusiastic advances of local landlord's daughter Willow (Britt Ekland). Howie's intriguing search, made all the more authentic by the film's atmospheric locations and folkish soundtrack, gradually takes us deeper and deeper into the bizarre pagan community living under the guidance of the charming Laird of Summer Isle (Lee, minus fangs) as the film builds to a terrifying climax with a twist to rival that of The Sixth Sense or Fight Club. --Paul Philpott
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant.......2007-12-24
A masterpiece in so many ways. The viewer never really knows where their allegiance lies: with the humorous but suspect islanders or the straight-up, plain-talking Christian copper. In the battle of wits between Sgt Howie and the Islanders the film perfectly encapsulates the age-old battle and yin-yang synnergy between Paganism (Earthiness, fun, free love, self-expression, humour, sex, fighting, fertility, dancing, community, sacrifice) and Monotheism (Duty, honour, truth, dignity, charity, discipline, selflessness, repression, individual salvation, self-sacrifice). The hippy in you will love the islanders but you can't help respecting the straightforward dedication of the sgt in the face of the riddles and deceit all around him.
Of course the music is great throughout. Both the Islanders' songs and the background score fit perfectly with the mood of each scene and when the inhabitants burst into song it doesn't seem forced, it's just the way they are!
Finally a great twist and truly horrifying finale. No Hollywood happy ending here.
In a way everyone gets what they want - the ultimate sacrifice...
Critical moment in film making........2007-11-01
The 4 stars I have given this version is almost unjustly harsh, for the movie itself and the characterisation of the actors is pure genius. The 4 stars are simply because some of the old film quality kept in for obvious reasons and I'm guessing beyond restoration, is very poor indeed. I accept that this couldn't be altered and thus as a product it is less than perfect. The movie itself though is truely magnificent. Whilst watching the heroes of other horror films you may jump with them and dive for cover when they do if no one else is watching, with this one you share every ounce of Edward Woodwards revulsion and disbelief as the mask of Summerisle is gradually lifted. Take the maypole dance. I watched and listened agog to the children and their teacher as they performed their annual rite. This fantastic bewilderment continues through to the very shocking climax where your skin will prickle with sympathy. Don't watch alone.
Almost unclassifiable film, it is so brilliantly different.......2007-07-27
If I was nitpicking at the inventive plot, I'd say what the hell was Woodward doing on his own there? When it takes two policemen to give you a parking ticket these days, our fearless sergeant pilots his own aircraft to a virtually unknown island to look for a missing person! That aside, it is a most tantalising, off-centre story with a mystery that gets harder and harder for the policeman to solve. It builds beautifully to the excellent climax, with Woodward on scorching form all the way. He acted the pants of everyone, including Christopher Lee, and this gives the film real depth. The folksy score adds to the strange flavour and the smart screenplay is choc full of pagan references and little surprises that add to the mystery and the atmosphere. Exceptionally well made small budget film that can't easily be called a horror or a even a thriller, it is just a one off.
Totally daft but BRILLIANT!.......2007-03-14
This film has that likeable quality of being totally ridiculous but totally entertaining. Edward Woodward is a straitlaced cop searching for a missing girl on an island where all the inhabitants just happen to be pagans. He plays the part as straight as a die, unlike the rest of the cast who are having a great time hamming it up like crazy. Christopher Lee is hilarious as the bizarre Lord Summerisle, egging on the islanders in their unholy pursuits. There's bucketloads of sexual symbolism-phallic topiary, women stroking penis-shaped statues and so on. Britt Ekland treats us to a nudie dance around the bedroom and the rest of the islanders hold fertility rituals and sing suggestive songs. The ending, of course, is deadly sinister, but the project as a whole is a real hoot. Watch it-you'll love it.
Unsettling and Disturbing British Classic.......2007-02-22
The Wicker Man is one of the best horror films I have ever seen but there isn't actually that much typical horror in it. Instead of sheer terror, The Wicker Man makes the viewer uncomfortable and carefully cranks up the tension until the gripping finale.
A Scottish policeman (Edward Woodward) flies to Summerisle to investigate the dissapearance of a local girl. He discovers a strange place where the local people have rejected Christianity and formed some kind of pagan society with Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) at the centre of the mystery. The policeman is angry and frustrated to find that the locals are wierd and deny the girl ever existed even though he finds plenty of evidence to the contrary. He begins to suspect she may be the centre of a bizarre ritual to appease the pagan god of harvest and that Lord Summerisle knows exactly where she is.
The Wicker Man is clearly the inspiration for The League of Gentlemen and they do a pretty good job of exaggerating the perculiarities of close knit, isolated communities like the people of Summerisle. The Wicker Man is extremely effective at making the viewer feel isolated and vunerable and therefore afraid. The strange behaviour of the people and the obvious fact that there is something very sinister under their smiling facade builds the tension nicely until we are actually introduced to the wicker man in the final horrifying scene.
Like This? Try: Straw Dogs
Amazon.co.uk Review
It must be stressed that despite the fact that it was produced in 1973 and stars both Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland, The Wicker Man is not a Hammer Horror film. There is no blood, very little gore and the titular Wicker Man is not a monster made out of sticks that runs around killing people by weaving them into raffia work. Edward Woodward plays Sergeant Howie, a virginal, Christian policeman sent from the Scottish mainland to investigate the disappearance of young girl on the remote island of Summer Isle. The intelligent script by Anthony Schaffer, who also wrote the detective mystery Sleuth (a film with which The Wicker Man shares many traits), derives its horror from the increasing isolation, confusion and humiliation experienced by the naïve Howie as he encounters the island community's hostility and sexual pagan rituals, manifested most immediately in the enthusiastic advances of local landlord's daughter Willow (Britt Ekland). Howie's intriguing search, made all the more authentic by the film's atmospheric locations and folkish soundtrack, gradually takes us deeper and deeper into the bizarre pagan community living under the guidance of the charming Laird of Summer Isle (Lee, minus fangs) as the film builds to a terrifying climax with a twist to rival that of The Sixth Sense or Fight Club. --Paul Philpott
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant.......2007-12-24
A masterpiece in so many ways. The viewer never really knows where their allegiance lies: with the humorous but suspect islanders or the straight-up, plain-talking Christian copper. In the battle of wits between Sgt Howie and the Islanders the film perfectly encapsulates the age-old battle and yin-yang synnergy between Paganism (Earthiness, fun, free love, self-expression, humour, sex, fighting, fertility, dancing, community, sacrifice) and Monotheism (Duty, honour, truth, dignity, charity, discipline, selflessness, repression, individual salvation, self-sacrifice). The hippy in you will love the islanders but you can't help respecting the straightforward dedication of the sgt in the face of the riddles and deceit all around him.
Of course the music is great throughout. Both the Islanders' songs and the background score fit perfectly with the mood of each scene and when the inhabitants burst into song it doesn't seem forced, it's just the way they are!
Finally a great twist and truly horrifying finale. No Hollywood happy ending here.
In a way everyone gets what they want - the ultimate sacrifice...
Critical moment in film making........2007-11-01
The 4 stars I have given this version is almost unjustly harsh, for the movie itself and the characterisation of the actors is pure genius. The 4 stars are simply because some of the old film quality kept in for obvious reasons and I'm guessing beyond restoration, is very poor indeed. I accept that this couldn't be altered and thus as a product it is less than perfect. The movie itself though is truely magnificent. Whilst watching the heroes of other horror films you may jump with them and dive for cover when they do if no one else is watching, with this one you share every ounce of Edward Woodwards revulsion and disbelief as the mask of Summerisle is gradually lifted. Take the maypole dance. I watched and listened agog to the children and their teacher as they performed their annual rite. This fantastic bewilderment continues through to the very shocking climax where your skin will prickle with sympathy. Don't watch alone.
Almost unclassifiable film, it is so brilliantly different.......2007-07-27
If I was nitpicking at the inventive plot, I'd say what the hell was Woodward doing on his own there? When it takes two policemen to give you a parking ticket these days, our fearless sergeant pilots his own aircraft to a virtually unknown island to look for a missing person! That aside, it is a most tantalising, off-centre story with a mystery that gets harder and harder for the policeman to solve. It builds beautifully to the excellent climax, with Woodward on scorching form all the way. He acted the pants of everyone, including Christopher Lee, and this gives the film real depth. The folksy score adds to the strange flavour and the smart screenplay is choc full of pagan references and little surprises that add to the mystery and the atmosphere. Exceptionally well made small budget film that can't easily be called a horror or a even a thriller, it is just a one off.
Totally daft but BRILLIANT!.......2007-03-14
This film has that likeable quality of being totally ridiculous but totally entertaining. Edward Woodward is a straitlaced cop searching for a missing girl on an island where all the inhabitants just happen to be pagans. He plays the part as straight as a die, unlike the rest of the cast who are having a great time hamming it up like crazy. Christopher Lee is hilarious as the bizarre Lord Summerisle, egging on the islanders in their unholy pursuits. There's bucketloads of sexual symbolism-phallic topiary, women stroking penis-shaped statues and so on. Britt Ekland treats us to a nudie dance around the bedroom and the rest of the islanders hold fertility rituals and sing suggestive songs. The ending, of course, is deadly sinister, but the project as a whole is a real hoot. Watch it-you'll love it.
Unsettling and Disturbing British Classic.......2007-02-22
The Wicker Man is one of the best horror films I have ever seen but there isn't actually that much typical horror in it. Instead of sheer terror, The Wicker Man makes the viewer uncomfortable and carefully cranks up the tension until the gripping finale.
A Scottish policeman (Edward Woodward) flies to Summerisle to investigate the dissapearance of a local girl. He discovers a strange place where the local people have rejected Christianity and formed some kind of pagan society with Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) at the centre of the mystery. The policeman is angry and frustrated to find that the locals are wierd and deny the girl ever existed even though he finds plenty of evidence to the contrary. He begins to suspect she may be the centre of a bizarre ritual to appease the pagan god of harvest and that Lord Summerisle knows exactly where she is.
The Wicker Man is clearly the inspiration for The League of Gentlemen and they do a pretty good job of exaggerating the perculiarities of close knit, isolated communities like the people of Summerisle. The Wicker Man is extremely effective at making the viewer feel isolated and vunerable and therefore afraid. The strange behaviour of the people and the obvious fact that there is something very sinister under their smiling facade builds the tension nicely until we are actually introduced to the wicker man in the final horrifying scene.
Like This? Try: Straw Dogs
Amazon.co.uk Review
It must be stressed that despite the fact that it was produced in 1973 and stars both Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland, The Wicker Man is not a Hammer Horror film. There is no blood, very little gore and the titular Wicker Man is not a monster made out of sticks that runs around killing people by weaving them into raffia work. Edward Woodward plays Sergeant Howie, a virginal, Christian policeman sent from the Scottish mainland to investigate the disappearance of young girl on the remote island of Summer Isle. The intelligent script by Anthony Schaffer, who also wrote the detective mystery Sleuth (a film with which The Wicker Man shares many traits), derives its horror from the increasing isolation, confusion and humiliation experienced by the naïve Howie as he encounters the island community's hostility and sexual pagan rituals, manifested most immediately in the enthusiastic advances of local landlord's daughter Willow (Britt Ekland). Howie's intriguing search, made all the more authentic by the film's atmospheric locations and folkish soundtrack, gradually takes us deeper and deeper into the bizarre pagan community living under the guidance of the charming Laird of Summer Isle (Lee, minus fangs) as the film builds to a terrifying climax with a twist to rival that of The Sixth Sense or Fight Club. --Paul Philpott
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant.......2007-12-24
A masterpiece in so many ways. The viewer never really knows where their allegiance lies: with the humorous but suspect islanders or the straight-up, plain-talking Christian copper. In the battle of wits between Sgt Howie and the Islanders the film perfectly encapsulates the age-old battle and yin-yang synnergy between Paganism (Earthiness, fun, free love, self-expression, humour, sex, fighting, fertility, dancing, community, sacrifice) and Monotheism (Duty, honour, truth, dignity, charity, discipline, selflessness, repression, individual salvation, self-sacrifice). The hippy in you will love the islanders but you can't help respecting the straightforward dedication of the sgt in the face of the riddles and deceit all around him.
Of course the music is great throughout. Both the Islanders' songs and the background score fit perfectly with the mood of each scene and when the inhabitants burst into song it doesn't seem forced, it's just the way they are!
Finally a great twist and truly horrifying finale. No Hollywood happy ending here.
In a way everyone gets what they want - the ultimate sacrifice...
Critical moment in film making........2007-11-01
The 4 stars I have given this version is almost unjustly harsh, for the movie itself and the characterisation of the actors is pure genius. The 4 stars are simply because some of the old film quality kept in for obvious reasons and I'm guessing beyond restoration, is very poor indeed. I accept that this couldn't be altered and thus as a product it is less than perfect. The movie itself though is truely magnificent. Whilst watching the heroes of other horror films you may jump with them and dive for cover when they do if no one else is watching, with this one you share every ounce of Edward Woodwards revulsion and disbelief as the mask of Summerisle is gradually lifted. Take the maypole dance. I watched and listened agog to the children and their teacher as they performed their annual rite. This fantastic bewilderment continues through to the very shocking climax where your skin will prickle with sympathy. Don't watch alone.
Almost unclassifiable film, it is so brilliantly different.......2007-07-27
If I was nitpicking at the inventive plot, I'd say what the hell was Woodward doing on his own there? When it takes two policemen to give you a parking ticket these days, our fearless sergeant pilots his own aircraft to a virtually unknown island to look for a missing person! That aside, it is a most tantalising, off-centre story with a mystery that gets harder and harder for the policeman to solve. It builds beautifully to the excellent climax, with Woodward on scorching form all the way. He acted the pants of everyone, including Christopher Lee, and this gives the film real depth. The folksy score adds to the strange flavour and the smart screenplay is choc full of pagan references and little surprises that add to the mystery and the atmosphere. Exceptionally well made small budget film that can't easily be called a horror or a even a thriller, it is just a one off.
Totally daft but BRILLIANT!.......2007-03-14
This film has that likeable quality of being totally ridiculous but totally entertaining. Edward Woodward is a straitlaced cop searching for a missing girl on an island where all the inhabitants just happen to be pagans. He plays the part as straight as a die, unlike the rest of the cast who are having a great time hamming it up like crazy. Christopher Lee is hilarious as the bizarre Lord Summerisle, egging on the islanders in their unholy pursuits. There's bucketloads of sexual symbolism-phallic topiary, women stroking penis-shaped statues and so on. Britt Ekland treats us to a nudie dance around the bedroom and the rest of the islanders hold fertility rituals and sing suggestive songs. The ending, of course, is deadly sinister, but the project as a whole is a real hoot. Watch it-you'll love it.
Unsettling and Disturbing British Classic.......2007-02-22
The Wicker Man is one of the best horror films I have ever seen but there isn't actually that much typical horror in it. Instead of sheer terror, The Wicker Man makes the viewer uncomfortable and carefully cranks up the tension until the gripping finale.
A Scottish policeman (Edward Woodward) flies to Summerisle to investigate the dissapearance of a local girl. He discovers a strange place where the local people have rejected Christianity and formed some kind of pagan society with Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) at the centre of the mystery. The policeman is angry and frustrated to find that the locals are wierd and deny the girl ever existed even though he finds plenty of evidence to the contrary. He begins to suspect she may be the centre of a bizarre ritual to appease the pagan god of harvest and that Lord Summerisle knows exactly where she is.
The Wicker Man is clearly the inspiration for The League of Gentlemen and they do a pretty good job of exaggerating the perculiarities of close knit, isolated communities like the people of Summerisle. The Wicker Man is extremely effective at making the viewer feel isolated and vunerable and therefore afraid. The strange behaviour of the people and the obvious fact that there is something very sinister under their smiling facade builds the tension nicely until we are actually introduced to the wicker man in the final horrifying scene.
Like This? Try: Straw Dogs
Amazon.co.uk Review
It must be stressed that despite the fact that it was produced in 1973 and stars both Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland, The Wicker Man is not a Hammer Horror film. There is no blood, very little gore and the titular Wicker Man is not a monster made out of sticks that runs around killing people by weaving them into raffia work. Edward Woodward plays Sergeant Howie, a virginal, Christian policeman sent from the Scottish mainland to investigate the disappearance of young girl on the remote island of Summer Isle. The intelligent script by Anthony Schaffer, who also wrote the detective mystery Sleuth (a film with which The Wicker Man shares many traits), derives its horror from the increasing isolation, confusion and humiliation experienced by the naïve Howie as he encounters the island community's hostility and sexual pagan rituals, manifested most immediately in the enthusiastic advances of local landlord's daughter Willow (Britt Ekland). Howie's intriguing search, made all the more authentic by the film's atmospheric locations and folkish soundtrack, gradually takes us deeper and deeper into the bizarre pagan community living under the guidance of the charming Laird of Summer Isle (Lee, minus fangs) as the film builds to a terrifying climax with a twist to rival that of The Sixth Sense or Fight Club. --Paul Philpott
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant.......2007-12-24
A masterpiece in so many ways. The viewer never really knows where their allegiance lies: with the humorous but suspect islanders or the straight-up, plain-talking Christian copper. In the battle of wits between Sgt Howie and the Islanders the film perfectly encapsulates the age-old battle and yin-yang synnergy between Paganism (Earthiness, fun, free love, self-expression, humour, sex, fighting, fertility, dancing, community, sacrifice) and Monotheism (Duty, honour, truth, dignity, charity, discipline, selflessness, repression, individual salvation, self-sacrifice). The hippy in you will love the islanders but you can't help respecting the straightforward dedication of the sgt in the face of the riddles and deceit all around him.
Of course the music is great throughout. Both the Islanders' songs and the background score fit perfectly with the mood of each scene and when the inhabitants burst into song it doesn't seem forced, it's just the way they are!
Finally a great twist and truly horrifying finale. No Hollywood happy ending here.
In a way everyone gets what they want - the ultimate sacrifice...
Critical moment in film making........2007-11-01
The 4 stars I have given this version is almost unjustly harsh, for the movie itself and the characterisation of the actors is pure genius. The 4 stars are simply because some of the old film quality kept in for obvious reasons and I'm guessing beyond restoration, is very poor indeed. I accept that this couldn't be altered and thus as a product it is less than perfect. The movie itself though is truely magnificent. Whilst watching the heroes of other horror films you may jump with them and dive for cover when they do if no one else is watching, with this one you share every ounce of Edward Woodwards revulsion and disbelief as the mask of Summerisle is gradually lifted. Take the maypole dance. I watched and listened agog to the children and their teacher as they performed their annual rite. This fantastic bewilderment continues through to the very shocking climax where your skin will prickle with sympathy. Don't watch alone.
Almost unclassifiable film, it is so brilliantly different.......2007-07-27
If I was nitpicking at the inventive plot, I'd say what the hell was Woodward doing on his own there? When it takes two policemen to give you a parking ticket these days, our fearless sergeant pilots his own aircraft to a virtually unknown island to look for a missing person! That aside, it is a most tantalising, off-centre story with a mystery that gets harder and harder for the policeman to solve. It builds beautifully to the excellent climax, with Woodward on scorching form all the way. He acted the pants of everyone, including Christopher Lee, and this gives the film real depth. The folksy score adds to the strange flavour and the smart screenplay is choc full of pagan references and little surprises that add to the mystery and the atmosphere. Exceptionally well made small budget film that can't easily be called a horror or a even a thriller, it is just a one off.
Totally daft but BRILLIANT!.......2007-03-14
This film has that likeable quality of being totally ridiculous but totally entertaining. Edward Woodward is a straitlaced cop searching for a missing girl on an island where all the inhabitants just happen to be pagans. He plays the part as straight as a die, unlike the rest of the cast who are having a great time hamming it up like crazy. Christopher Lee is hilarious as the bizarre Lord Summerisle, egging on the islanders in their unholy pursuits. There's bucketloads of sexual symbolism-phallic topiary, women stroking penis-shaped statues and so on. Britt Ekland treats us to a nudie dance around the bedroom and the rest of the islanders hold fertility rituals and sing suggestive songs. The ending, of course, is deadly sinister, but the project as a whole is a real hoot. Watch it-you'll love it.
Unsettling and Disturbing British Classic.......2007-02-22
The Wicker Man is one of the best horror films I have ever seen but there isn't actually that much typical horror in it. Instead of sheer terror, The Wicker Man makes the viewer uncomfortable and carefully cranks up the tension until the gripping finale.
A Scottish policeman (Edward Woodward) flies to Summerisle to investigate the dissapearance of a local girl. He discovers a strange place where the local people have rejected Christianity and formed some kind of pagan society with Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) at the centre of the mystery. The policeman is angry and frustrated to find that the locals are wierd and deny the girl ever existed even though he finds plenty of evidence to the contrary. He begins to suspect she may be the centre of a bizarre ritual to appease the pagan god of harvest and that Lord Summerisle knows exactly where she is.
The Wicker Man is clearly the inspiration for The League of Gentlemen and they do a pretty good job of exaggerating the perculiarities of close knit, isolated communities like the people of Summerisle. The Wicker Man is extremely effective at making the viewer feel isolated and vunerable and therefore afraid. The strange behaviour of the people and the obvious fact that there is something very sinister under their smiling facade builds the tension nicely until we are actually introduced to the wicker man in the final horrifying scene.
Like This? Try: Straw Dogs
UK DVD:
- The Wicker Man (2 DVD + CD Collector's Edition) [1973]
- Thirteen Ghosts [2002]
- Underworld [2003]
- Underworld - Evolution [2006]
- Videodrome [1983]
- What Lies Beneath [2000]
- Wrong Turn [2003]
- 1408 [2007]
- 28 Days Later ... [2002]
- 28 Weeks Later [2007]
UK DVD List
UK DVD
![The Wicker Man (2 DVD + CD Collector's Edition) [1973]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21hy8PXdZ%2BL.jpg)
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The Quest for the Wicker Man: Historical, Folklore and Pagan Perspectives (Quest for): Historical, Folklore and Pagan Perspectives (Quest for)
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