X
- 1974
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 28 m
- 1974
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 28 m
Summary A police sergeant is sent to a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl whom the townsfolk claim never existed. Stranger still are the rites that take place there.
Directed By: Robin Hardy
Written By: Anthony Shaffer, David Pinner
- 1974
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 28 m
- 1974
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 28 m
The Wicker Man
7.5
Where to Watch
Summary A police sergeant is sent to a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl whom the townsfolk claim never existed. Stranger still are the rites that take place there.
Directed By: Robin Hardy
Written By: Anthony Shaffer, David Pinner
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
87
94% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
87
94% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
It’s an offbeat masterpiece that reveals the dark heart of Britain through the perennial tension between social progress and the burden of the past.
There is genuine fear in its nightmarish tableaux: the breast-feeding woman holding an egg in the ruined churchyard is like a detail from Hieronymus Bosch. And that final sequence, with the eponymous Wicker Man, is inspired.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 61 User Ratings
7.5
80% Positive
49 Ratings
49 Ratings
11% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
8% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 61 User Ratings
7.5
80% Positive
49 Ratings
49 Ratings
11% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
8% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
There was a vendetta against this movie when first released which you can read about online, some people tried to ruin the film by removing key scenes the entirety of it has still not been recovered and Christopher Lee (who considers it his greatest film and I agree) loved the movie so much he did it for free, he says the complete version is 10 times better, which if true would make it the greatest film ever made, there's urban legends about it being under a motorway in London and the backstory is more interesting than a lot of films. The film itself has a Beautiful atmosphere and soundtrack, great performances from all involved and one of the greatest endings in the history of film, a movie that has stayed with me for years.
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The Wicker Man is influential not just on subsequent horror cinema, but on the thriller genre in general in the way it sets an artfully composed series of traps for its unwitting protagonist, expertly wrong-footing both him and the audience until the devastating ending.
Anthony Shaffer penned the screenplay which, for sheer imagination and near-terror, has seldom been equalled.
A film that defies categorization, The Wicker Man can be considered to be a horror film, a psychological thriller, a musical, or a melodrama. In reality, since it includes elements of each of those types, it literally has something for just about everyone.
The Wicker Man is intelligent entertainment that takes its subject seriously without resorting to gratuitous effects to make a point. It remains a fine example of occult horror that remains with the viewer well past its conclusion.
What accounts for the curious appeal of such a pretentiously amateurish scare movie? Surely not the raggedy direction of Robin Hardy, obviously struggling with his first feature. It must be the softcore sex, the illusion that Summerisle is an out-of-the-way paradise where you can get all the action you crave. [26 Nov 1980, p.B9]
This 1973 mystery, drama horror film was directed by Robin Hardy and starred Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland.... Some girl goes missing and some police sergeant named Howie (Woodward) searches for clues and stuff on an island called Summerisle.. Strange rituals and stuff are going on on the island and Christopher Lee gives an excellent performance and so does Britt Ekland because she's naked and I only regret not being there to sleep with her because she's sexy!!!! Hahaha! THE WICKER MAN is a good film.
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Playing on our fears of "the other", this 1973 film has attained classic status. I don't think it is quite a classic, there are parts that do move slowly and others that feel somewhat stilted. Regardless, it is still extremely good, with a brilliant script and impressive locations and cinematography. The story is also very effective, and the ending is another great strength, being quite shocking. That is the thing about the Wicker Man, it is bizarre and it is disturbing but that works in the film's favour in alternative to against it. The acting is very well done, as is Robin Hardy's direction. Edward Woodward does a good job as the prudish Sergeant Howie and Britt Ekland is beautifully seductive as the pub landlord's free spirited daughter. But in my opinion, it is the magnificent Christopher Lee who walks away with the film as the mysterious Lord Summerisle. Overall, while not quite a classic, it is still a very effective psycho-sexual horror-thriller, that was **** by a completely unnecessary remake with Nicolas Cage. 8/10 Bethany Cox
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Es una película muy regular, para nada perturbadora o impresionante como muchos **** suelen decir, la historia es aburrida y simplona, no tiene ningún trasfondo que la haga ser revisionada más de una vez, el policía es odioso hasta el punto de decir que su destino final lo tuvo merecido, es exagerado y poco creíble y los habitantes de ese pueblo parecen más hippies que cualquier otra cosa.
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Production Company
British Lion Film Corporation
Release Date Aug 7, 1974
Duration 1 h 28 m
Rating R
Tagline From the writer of 'Frenzy & Sleuth' Anthony Shaffer's incredible occult thriller
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Win & 6 Nominations
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
The Guardian's Best Films
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
