The Wicker Man

"Flesh to touch...Flesh to burn! Don't keep the Wicker Man waiting!"

1973 1h 33m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 1,748

Horror

Synopsis

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Police sergeant Neil Howie is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. The investigation is further complicated as Howie’s religious views clash with those of the island’s residents.

“Flesh to touch...Flesh to burn! Don't keep the Wicker Man waiting!”

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Cast

Edward Woodward
Sergeant Neil Howie
Christopher Lee
Lord Summerisle
Britt Ekland
Willow MacGreagor
Diane Cilento
Miss Rose
Ingrid Pitt
Librarian
Roy Boyd
Broome
Lesley Mackie
Daisy
Walter Carr
School Master

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robin Hardy
Writers: Anthony Shaffer
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

53 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robin Hardy, shot by Harry Waxman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Paul Giovanni. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Eric Boyd-Perkins shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Flesh to touch...Flesh to burn! Don't keep the Wicker Man waiting!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0070917 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robin Hardy directs. Harry Waxman behind the camera. Paul Giovanni scores. Eric Boyd-Perkins cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
253 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Robin Hardy, shot by Harry Waxman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Paul Giovanni. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Eric Boyd-Perkins shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Flesh to touch...Flesh to burn! Don't keep the Wicker Man waiting!".
8IMDB entry: tt0070917 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 26 themes, including "virgin", "island", "based on novel or book", "sacrifice".
10Released under 20 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Harry Waxman
Original score: Paul Giovanni
Editing: Eric Boyd-Perkins
Costume design: Sue Yelland
Makeup / hair: Jan Dorman
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $810,000
Box office: $885,371
Return: 109% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Wicker Man (1973)

Also by

Robin Hardy

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2016-07-10
★ 10/10
I believe in the life eternal, as promised to us by our Lord, Jesus Christ. Mainland Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) flies off to the remote Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a 12 year old girl. What he finds is a culture steeped in Paganism, presided over by Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee). Meeting static and indifference wherever he goes - and being driven to anger by the assault on his Christian beliefs - Howie is very much a man alone and most likely in grave danger? Directed by Robin Hardy and adapted to screen by Anthony Shaffer from David Pinner's novel, Ritual, The Wicker Man is very much a cult masterpiece. The back stories to it could make a film all by itself, be it censor baiting, studio cuts, body doubles or just plain offending religious groups, it's a film that is well worth looking into via the top range home format releases. From the moment Howie (a truly brilliant Woodward) lands at Summerisle everything seems off, there's a sinister atmosphere pervading the story. He is met by unnerving imagery wherever he goes, songs and rituals gnawing away at his senses, there's even eroticism deftly placed within the film's master plan. He doesn't know what's going on, and neither do we, this is a mystery right? There is after all a missing child to be found, right? But once Lord Summerisle (Lee also terrific) enters proceedings and ups his game, things unravel in edgy fashion, building up to the justifiably famous and harrowing finale. Some modern horror fans may baulk at the lack of bloody carnage et al, but this is classic horror. A horror film bulging with intelligence and pulsing away with literate smarts. 9/10
CinemaSerf2023-07-23
★ 6/10
Well the cinema was packed as we all sat though what seemed like an interminable preamble of interviews with those connected with the film - including Britt Ekland - before it all started. Was it worth it? Well, I didn't really think so. Policeman "Howie" (Edward Woodward) arrives on a remote Scottish island after reports that a girl has gone missing. He is perplexed by the seemingly indifferent attitude of the locals who claim that she never existed or her mother who claims that she is six feet under in the graveyard. He becomes even more bemused by the general attitude of the villagers - led by their laird "Lord Summerisle" (Christopher Lee) and taught by their not quite "Jean Brodie" schoolteacher "Miss Rose" (Diane Cilento) to life in cereal, and to his presence in particular. Soon, his investigation starts to lead him a merry dance as he begins to suspect something way more sinister is afoot - and boy, is he correct. Thing is, though, can he find and save the missing girl and get to the bottom of this mystery. To be fair, it does offer us a more sophisticated, almost mythological, approach to an horror movie loaded with mysticism and pagan ritual. Indeed, I don't know that it fits well into that genre at all - it's more of a psychological thriller populated by a decent cast of household names. The thing for me is the story. I just found it all a bit weak; it takes far, far too long to build up anything like an head of steam and is really rather over-scored with music that is left do too much of the heavy lifting when it comes to generating the sparing senses of peril this film elicits. Perhaps it isn't fair to look upon it critically forty years later, when so many of our sensitivities have been eroded away, but I really couldn't figure out quite what all the fuss was about. It's now a cult film - and maybe that says it all? Worth a watch, but a television leaves nothing missing, I'd say.
OuroborosSurfer2023-11-05
★ 10/10
Here Edward Woodward stars as Sgt. Howie, a Christian Scottish policeman sent to the remote island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. The horror of the Wicker Man is not the obvious kind that hits you in the face with a hammer, but quietly creeps up on you. The way the pagan villagers act indifferently or defensively to the supposed disappearance or murder of a child is disturbing, especially as everyone seems to be hiding something, including the girl's classmates. One criticism of the various heavily cut versions of the film is that not quite enough time is given to that subtle process of building up the suspense and atmosphere of the film. The Director's Cut, however, is a small masterpiece. The central idea of this closed-off pagan community, generally peaceful but indulging in the rare bit of ritual of human sacrifice, is delicious. Woodward as Howie is on top acting form, as is the legendary Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle. Economical storytelling ratchets up suspense and mystery. Additionally, the film boasts one of the best and most fitting soundtracks I've ever heard, comprised mostly of in world folk songs rather than generic "spooky" music. The ending of The Wicker Man must go down as one of the most shocking in cinema history. Since the film plays it relatively cool until that point, the payoff is all the more harrowingly believable. I also enjoyed the idea that, in terms of what may lie beyond death from the point of view of the characters, both Howie and the islanders get some kind of "reward" from the final ritual. The islanders get the reassurance that their crops will thrive in the coming year, while Howie gets his martyr's death and the expectation of a special place in heaven. The film made me think a lot about belief systems; who is to say paganism is less valid than any other system of religion? All religions are sustained by faith and passion rather than reason or evidence. Thought-provoking, strangely beautiful, and just plain creepy, the restored version of The Wicker Man deserves its cult status. Even if you're not usually a fan of horror, you're likely to take something away from this burnt offering. The word "classic" was invented for this brilliant and eccentric film.