A puritan police sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl, who the pagan locals claim never existed.A puritan police sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl, who the pagan locals claim never existed.A puritan police sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl, who the pagan locals claim never existed.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 6 nominations
Irene Sunters
- May Morrison
- (as Irene Sunter)
Barbara Rafferty
- Woman with Baby
- (as Barbara Ann Brown)
Juliet Cadzow
- Villager on Summerisle
- (as Juliette Cadzow)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSir Christopher Lee said that he considers this to be one of his greatest ever roles.
- GoofsMost of the "naked" girls dancing in the stone circle and jumping over the fire are wearing flesh-colored body stockings. (The film was shot in autumn and not in spring as it was set, and thus was very cold.)
- Quotes
Lord Summerisle: Do sit down, Sergeant. Shocks are so much better absorbed with the knees bent.
- Crazy credits[Short Version only] A message from the producers thanks "The Lord Summerisle and the people of his island" for co-operating in the making of the film. This is despite both the lord and the island being totally fictitious.
- Alternate versionsA dual DVD set in a burnt wooden box was released in 2001 by Anchor Bay. It has the standard 88 (or 87) minute Theatrical Version. It also has a 99 minute Extended Version. This also has the events in chronological order (unlike the 88 min version). Unlike the 95 minute version it does have footage prior to Sgt. Howie's arrival on Summerisle, including him as a Preacher.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Scream Greats, Vol. 2: Satanism and Witchcraft (1986)
- SoundtracksCorn Rigs
Written by Paul Giovanni
Performed by Paul Giovanni
[played over the latter half of the opening credits]
Featured review
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.
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.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Anthony Shaffer's The Wicker Man
- Filming locations
- Culzean Castle, Maybole, South Ayrshire, Scotland, UK(Exteriors ofLord Summerisle's island mansion)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $810,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $148,882
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,493
- Sep 29, 2013
- Gross worldwide
- $528,514
- Runtime1 hour 28 minutes
- Sound mix
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