The Wicker Man

Name: The Wicker Man
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Released: August 7, 1974
Duration: 88 min
Rating: 87
Cast: Aubrey Morris, Britt Ekland, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Edward Woodward

1974

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 15 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 54 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	Your Score
7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 54 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

British Lion Film Corporation | Release Date: August 7, 1974 | R

Starring: Aubrey Morris, Britt Ekland, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Edward Woodward, Ingrid Pitt, Irene Sunters, Lindsay Kemp, Russell Waters, Walter Carr

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.

Director: Robin Hardy

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 88 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

David Fear

It remains a how-to model for making something that fancies itself a slow-burn thriller—until it isn’t slow-burning whatsoever. Read full review

100

The Guardian Anne Billson

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. Read full review

100

Empire Adam Smith

The Wicker Man is, more than anything else, a film about what people can do in the name of religion or, more generally, belief. Its power comes not from appeals to the supernatural but from a deep understanding of our own undeniable nature. Horror doesn't get much closer to home than that. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Anthony Shaffer penned the screenplay which, for sheer imagination and near-terror, has seldom been equalled. Read full review

James Berardinelli

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. Read full review

John Haslett Cuff

This excellent British film is an eerie, thoroughly engrossing thriller about the disappearance of a youngster and the events that follow when a policeman goes to a small, privately owned island to investigate. [23 Jan 1988]

Gary Arnold

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]

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User Reviews

imthenoob

Sep 17, 2018

It's such a brilliant movie, It really is. The cast, especially Christopher Lee, does a great job at turning what started off as a basic missing person's case into a suspenseful mystery that keeps you interested until the very end. And my lord, What an ending.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Everybody-

Jun 9, 2020

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 muchThere 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.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Jemonov

Sep 6, 2018

It's a weird and uncanny horror musical. It has some pagan sex appeal and Christopher Lee in a skirt. What's not to love?

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Honestcritic19

Jun 25, 2020

A classic cult film with a deep, provocative story. Christopher Lee was superb in here.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

kyle20ellis

Mar 26, 2022

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 andPlaying 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 bastardised by a completely unnecessary remake with Nicolas Cage. 8/10 Bethany Cox… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLau

Sep 23, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A police officer is lured to an island to look for a missing child but is instead, sacrificed for being a virgin and not taking the opportunity to sleep with the inn-keeper's daughter.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Panchogul

Oct 19, 2020

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, esEs 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.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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