The Wicker Man (1973)
The Wicker Man (1973)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: This intelligent horror film is subtle in its thrills and chills, with an ending that is both shocking and truly memorable.
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Movie Info
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Cast
as Sgt. Howie
as Willow
as Miss Rose
as Librarian
as Lord Summerisle
as Broome
as Old Gardener/Gravedigger
as Schoolmaster
as May Morrison
as May Morrison
as Girl on grave
as Ash Buchanan
as Villager on Summerisle
as Dr. Ewan
as Communicant
as Harbour Master
as Fishmonger
as Oak
as Communicant
as Musician
as Villager on Summerisle
as Musician
as Villager on Summerisle
as Daisy
as Butcher
as Alder MacGregor
as Daisy
as Old Fisherman
as Rowan Morrison
as Constable McTaggart
as T.H. Lennox
as Mrs. Grimmond
as Myrtle Morrison
as Hairdresser
as Woman with Baby
as Landers
as Gillie
as Sgt. Howie's Fiancee
as Baker
as Holly
as Brian
as Postman
as Villager on Summerisle
as Musician
as Musician
as Musician
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Critic Reviews for The Wicker Man
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (5) | DVD (16)
Anthony Shaffer penned the screenplay which, for sheer imagination and near-terror, has seldom been equalled.
Robin Hardy's 1973 cult horror film passed through several distributors, several versions, and several bankruptcies, picking up a powerful reputation along the way.
The Wicker Man's genre-bending, thematic daring, and tortuous history have made it the U.K.'s definitive cult movie.
Essentially, it's an insane guilty pleasure, still enjoyable for its delightfully eccentric casting and for the funniest, creepiest pub scene in British movies outside of next week's reissue, Withnail & I.
Like many of the best horror/thrillers, The Wicker Man works because it surprises audiences, relying on carefully-nurtured suspense rather than cheap, theatrical shocks.
Christopher Lee, who plays the lord of the island, thinks it's one of the finest films he's ever made -- and he's right.
Audience Reviews for The Wicker Man
Extremely audacious for the time it came out, this creepy cult classic should be remembered for the many intelligent questions it raises about religious intolerance and blind faith, while offering us also a memorable performance by Christopher Lee and a terrifying, unforgettable ending.
Super Reviewer
Unusual to be sure. An unsettling drama with mystical overtones, excellent performances.
Super Reviewer
It's very difficult to have anything incisive to say about this horror film, because it is so strange and otherworldly. An English policeman, who has rigorous moral and religious attitudes, arrives at a secluded island where a town of people celebrates public sex and nudity, sexual education, and unconventional methods of communication and discourse. The policeman finds these heathens wanting and tells them so at every opportunity. He is looking for a missing child, who he believes has been murdered by this island of cultists, and so he has little patience for them. Throughout the movie there are interspersed scenes of sexual congress in the fields of the lush isle, and gleeful pagan music. There's no religion, which chafes the officer, and lends to outbursts aimed at all manner of people. It's strange that he has no patience for these people, when they exist throughout England, but it does lend to a tension that keeps us guessing throughout the entire film. The twist was obvious from the outset, and the symbolism of these pagans leans more towards fanatical Christianity's worst fear, but otherwise it was definitely an unsettling film.
Super Reviewer
The Wicker Man Quotes
| Lord Summerisle: | It is time to keep your appointment with the Wicker Man |
| Lord Summerisle: | It is time to keep your appointment with the Wicker Man. |
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