The Wicker Man (1973)

1973

Director: Robin Hardy

Cast: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Britt Ekland, Lindsay Kemp, Ingrid Pitt

Words: Adam Janicki.

Characterised by conflicting belief systems, Folk Horror is in a current resurgence with Midsommar (2019), The VVitch (2015) and Men (2022) among some of the best recent examples. The Wicker Man, alongside The Witchfinder General (1968) and Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971), is one of the first examples of the folk horror sub-genre.

Costing only $750,000 to make over 7 weeks, The Wicker Man was an independent production with a disastrous distribution history, only making $180,000 worldwide. During the editing of the film the studio changed hands and the creative team lost control, the directors’ 102 minute cut was chopped to 87 minutes on the advice of legendary producer, Roger Corman, the remaining footage was presumed lost. Over the years some footage from Corman’s print has been released, providing further character context and rearranging events over an increased period of time. The longer cuts also include a sex scene between two snails serenaded by Christopher Lee, who believed the ‘Snail Cut’ to be too short, suggesting a further 25 minutes were missing from the intended theatrical release.

The plot of The Wicker Man is simple; Sergeant Howie, a puritanical police officer from the Scottish mainland flies to Summerisle to investigate an anonymous report of a missing local girl named Rowan Morrison. Howie’s investigation becomes increasingly frustrating as the islanders, amidst their May Day festival preparations, withhold information from the Sergeant.
Summerisle is a pagan community famous for its bountiful produce, the locals, in Howie’s estimation, live a sinful lifestyle in service of false gods, all to ensure their produce continues to grow.

First time feature director, Robin Hardy, gives a simple visual style to the film. Hardy’s early career saw him directing hundreds of television documentaries, and The Wicker Man has the documentary feel of a hidden community being explored by outsiders. Aside from a handful of odd moments involving snails, questionable dancing and Scooby Doo chases, the style works.
The thanks given to the fictional Summerisle community in the opening credits furthers the realism, and as a result Howie becomes an immediate sympathetic character and safety net for the viewer. Summerisle is so colourful and eye-catching that showing the island as it appears – with help from set dressers stapling flowers to bushes and shipping palm trees to Scotland – is an effective presentation.

Sergeant Howie, stoic and god fearing, exudes all that is good, irremovable from his police uniform, he is a source of authority that gives us a feeling of normalcy. Although Howie’s strict beliefs may be less prevalent in 2023, he is recognisable and relatable in comparison with the residents of Summerisle, and as a result we also feel his frustration.
Edward Woodward is so perfect as Howie it is hard to imagine him in another role, there is never any doubt that Howie is a real person, fed up with the islands’ nonsense and who wants to get the hell out of there. And the best part about Howie is that he never budges an inch, there is no character arc, Howie is tied to the logic that there is an easy and obvious answer just out of view, devout and steadfast to a fault.

Ruler of the island and namesake of the community founder, Lord Summerisle, played by Christopher Lee with charm and humour is the direct counter to the stuffy police officer. Summerisle, with his manor house, towering frame and aristocratic English accent is elevated far from the other locals and, similar to Howie, feels like a fish out of water in many ways. He is the definition of the charismatic leader present in all cult communities, but with a self-awareness that adds some satirical humour and raises questions around motivations. Summerisle and Howie as figureheads of opposing ideologies are what make the ideas raised by The Wicker Man work so well, and make it such an interesting horror movie.

The other notable characters exist to lend colour to the community of Summerisle, or to test Howie’s resolve. The school teacher, Miss Rose, and the landlords’ daughter, Willow, have the most memorable scenes of Howie’s peaking frustration.
It’s these encounters that test Howie, pushing him from relatable and sympathetic to blind and self-righteous; with his disregard when wiping a lesson from a blackboard, your frustration with him begins to equal his own with the town. The rituals we see, along with the music, inspired by historical songs and accounts are equally pleasant and ominous, helping build a world with fun bawdy pub songs, but also with a beetle tied to a pin; strangling itself as it walks a shrinking circle.

The Wicker Man is a fascinating and horrifying film that generates fear through real social anxieties. Script writer, Paul Shaffer, used Nazis as a reference point for what people can do when controlled by an ideology and the script is perfect, simple and open-ended enough to posit questions that linger with the viewer.
In 2023 The Wicker Man has a punk rock, anti-establishment feel, the dominant message being to question authority and deny ideologues. Existential fear and nihilism are also present in how any behaviour can be justified under a philosophy.
The ending is an all-time great; iconic, shocking and genuinely scary, “Oh, God! Oh, God, no!” Is etched into the the mind of any viewer.
Standing strong 50 years later, The Wicker Man is one of the most unnerving and realistic horror films ever made.

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A new 4k restoration of The Wicker Man will be released in UK cinemas on June 21st.

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