The Wicker Man follows Seargant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) as he investigates the mysterious disapperance of a girl in a remote Scottish island. He’s disturbed by the paganism practiced by the locals and shocked to find almost everyone denying the existence of the missing girl. Things get even weirder the more he investigates, eventually leading to the film’s utterly horrifying and iconic ending. Before Midsommar, The Wicker Man was the prime example of folk horror: it was odd but intelligent, simple yet truly surprising. The supporting cast may lean towards campy, but the two central performances by Woodward and Christopher Lee, who plays the island’s cultish leader Lord Summerisle, give the film the gravitas it needed to become the horror classic that it is today.
Police sergeant Neil Howie is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. The investigation is further complicated as Howie’s religious views clash with those of the island’s residents.
