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The Wicker Man

Updated: 12/10/2025, 8:58:07 PM Wikipedia source

The Wicker Man is a 1973 British folk horror film directed by Robin Hardy and starring Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt and Christopher Lee. The screenplay is by Anthony Shaffer, inspired by David Pinner's 1967 novel Ritual, and Paul Giovanni composed the film score. The plot centres on the visit of a police officer, Sergeant Neil Howie, to the fictional, isolated Scottish island of Summerisle in search of a missing girl. Howie, a devout Christian, is appalled to find that the inhabitants of the island have abandoned Christianity and now practise a form of Celtic paganism. The Wicker Man is well regarded by critics. Film magazine Cinefantastique described it as "The Citizen Kane of horror movies", and in 2004, Total Film magazine named The Wicker Man the sixth-greatest British film of all time. It also won the 1978 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. The final scene was number 45 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments, and during the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, it was included as part of a sequence that celebrated British cinema. The film brought the wicker man into modern popular culture. In 1989, Shaffer wrote a script treatment for The Loathsome Lambton Worm, a direct sequel with fantasy elements. Hardy had no interest in the project, and it went unproduced. In 2006, a poorly received American remake starring Nicolas Cage was released, from which Hardy and others involved with the original have dissociated themselves. In 2011, a spiritual sequel written and directed by Hardy, The Wicker Tree, was released; it featured Lee in a cameo appearance. In 2013, the original U.S. theatrical version of The Wicker Man was digitally restored and released.

Infobox

Directed by
Robin Hardy
Screenplay by
Anthony Shaffer
Based on
Ritualby David Pinner
Produced by
Peter Snell
Starring
mw- Edward WoodwardBritt EklandDiane CilentoIngrid PittChristopher Lee
Cinematography
Harry Waxman
Edited by
Eric Boyd-Perkins
Music by
Paul Giovanni
Productioncompany
British Lion Films
Distributed by
British Lion Films
Release date
6 December 1973 (1973-12-06) (UK)
Running time
88 minutes
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Budget
£471,600–500,000
Box office
$885,371

Tables

· Reception › Accolades
1974
3rd Paris International Festival of Fantastic and Science-Fiction Film
Role(s)
Golden Licorn (Best Film)
Notes
The Wicker Man
Year
Award / Film Festival
Category
Recipient(s)
Result
1974
3rd Paris International Festival of Fantastic and Science-Fiction Film
Golden Licorn (Best Film)
The Wicker Man
Won

References

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