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Movies / On DVD / The Wicker Man
The Wicker Man

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The Wicker Man (1973)

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Reviews Counted:45

Fresh:41

Rotten:4

Average Rating:7.7/10

Consensus: This intelligent horror film is subtle in its thrills and chills, with an ending that is both shocking and truly memorable.

Rated: 18

Runtime: 3 hrs 7 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:24-08-2007

Synopsis: A notoriously troubled production notwithstanding, the controversial cult classic THE WICKER MAN is now regarded as a classic of British cinema. Edward Woodward stars as Sergeant Howie, a naive... A notoriously troubled production notwithstanding, the controversial cult classic THE WICKER MAN is now regarded as a classic of British cinema. Edward Woodward stars as Sergeant Howie, a naive young police officer sent to Summerisle, a secluded island off the coast of Scotland, to investigate the disappearance of a young girl named Rowan. When he arrives there, he finds a very tight-knit community that is mistrustful and hostile to outsiders. No one is willing to even acknowledge Rowan's disappearance. Soon, Howie begins to realize that the town might, in fact, be a strange pagan cult, one given to unbridled sexuality and possible human sacrifice. Seeking an audience with the oddly civilized Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), Howie hopes to get to the bottom of the mystery, but instead he finds something more shocking than he could have ever imagined. Written by Anthony Shaffer (SLEUTH, DEATH ON THE NILE), Robin Hardy's eerie film paints a disturbing portrait of an almost prehistoric, multi-deity worshipping society given to bizarre rituals and Bacchanalian excess. Though recognition may have been a long time coming, THE WICKER MAN stands as a strikingly original achievement that is equal parts horror, drama, comedy, and musical. [More]

Starring: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento

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

Director: Robin Hardy

Director: Robin Hardy
Screenwriter: Anthony Shaffer
Producer: Peter Snell

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Reviews for The Wicker Man

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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You can't help smiling at the audacity of it all and shivering a little at the feelbad ending.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
08/24/07
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

The tension occasionally goes slack, but hardly anything surpasses that clifftop finale for freakish terror.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
08/24/07
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

Part folk musical, part occult chiller, and quite mad.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
08/24/07
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A British golden-oldie worthy to be placed alongside classics such as Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives or Rosemary's Baby.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
08/24/07
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Devised by its star Christopher Lee, director Robin Hardy and writer Anthony Shaffer as a meditation on the rise of New Age spiritualism, the movie is now, of course, gleefully camp and a tad reactionary.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
08/24/07
Kevin Maher
Kevin Maher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The ultimate British cult classic - a unique film that straddles genres, features Christopher Lee in a dress and builds toward one of cinema's most memorable climaxes.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/24/07
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It’s a heady brew, but Hardy keep the mystery simmering, while his staging of several merrie pagan songs – and of course the chilling climax – is truly memorable.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
08/24/07
Total Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/24/07
Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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’.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A movie that'll burn its way into your unconscious and give you nightmares for many years to come.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
12/18/01
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A mordant study of theological anxiety

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
10/10/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
10/29/08
Steven D. Greydanus
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide

It remains a fine example of occult horror that remains with the viewer well past its conclusion.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
10/07/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/07/08
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Robin Hardy's 1973 cult horror film passed through several distributors, several versions, and several bankruptcies, picking up a powerful reputation along the way.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
10/07/08
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

It envelops you in a time and space that is unfamiliar, fascinating, exotic, and frightening all at once.

Full Review Source: DVD Review | comment Comment
07/10/07
Felix Gonzalez Jr.
Felix Gonzalez Jr.
DVD Review

The premise is quite intriguing and is certainly sinister, but it's undermined by a too-leisurely pace and musical numbers that are straight out of an x-rated fetish-fantasy as imagined by Walt Disney.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment 4 Comments
12/16/06
Staci Layne Wilson
Staci Layne Wilson
About.com

One of best horror films ever made.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment 1 Comment
09/10/06
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

They deliberately cast horror icons to help them break the mold... if you keep in mind its original context, it can be a very interesting film.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
08/31/06
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

The Wicker Man's genre-bending, thematic daring, and tortuous history have made it the U.K.'s definitive cult movie.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
08/29/06
Graham Fuller
Graham Fuller
Village Voice
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for The Wicker Man

April 08, 2008: Wicker Man Sequel Scrapped
Turns out there is a sequel that can't get made. More...

December 27, 2007: Clive Barker and Guillermo del Toro Are Being Born
Clive Barker and Guillermo del Toro are getting ready to explore the dark side of Claymation. More...

August 31, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Crank" Is Well-Ranked; "Illusionist" Is Magic, "Crossover" Is An Air-Ball, "Wicker Man" Gets Burned
This week at the movies, we've got hoopsters with big dreams ("Crossover," starring Anthony Mackie), scary goings-on on remote islands ("The Wicker Man,"... More...

June 19, 2006: Check Out the New "Wicker" Pics
Color me very curious regarding Neil LaBute's upcoming "The Wicker Man." Here we have an indie filmmaker venturing into a new genre, while also remaking one of the... More...

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