History Film / TheWickerMan1973

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: For FolkHorror on film in general. Despite being the TropeCodifier (especially for American audiences), it has a few twists that might be surprising to people familiar with how the genre has been passed down over the years.
** Summerisle is about as modern as any other rural Scottish village of the era would be. The people wear ordinary clothes for the early 70s and are very open about their paganism. There is no secret society dictating their actions, either. It's just their way of life, however sinister it may be.
** [[spoiler:The occasionally human-sacrificing religion practiced on Summerisle isn't a long-standing ancient practice at all. Lord Summerisle's grandfather started the cult more or less by accident only about 120 years ago. When Howie tries to track down any record of Rowan's death, he finds only death certificates for two of her ancestors, a Rebecca and Benjamin Morrison. As he points out, these are Hebrew names from the Bible, in contrast to the plant-themed names of the current residents, and the librarian shrugs and says they were very old when they passed. The viewer can piece together that they were born before the current religion took hold.]]
** [[spoiler:In many later folk horror stories- see, for example, ''{{Film/Midsommar}}''- human sacrifice is a regular necessity for a pagan cult's activities, at every major celebration. In this film, the island just got really, ''really'' unlucky with their apple harvest, and decided to make Howie even unluckier over it- though Howie's dying curse predicts they'll have to do the same thing next year, too. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard With Lord Summerisle.]]]]

* TargetedHumanSacrifice: [[spoiler:Sergeant Howie is slated to be the sacrifice because he is a virgin, because he is acting as a representative of the Crown, and because of he is a fool (for he was manipulated all along, in addition to which he dressed up as Punch, the fool character in the May Day ritual).

* AllForNothing: Stated by Howie, who tells them that the reason their apple trees are failing is because the soil on the island simply is not suitable for agriculture. So sacrificing him will not solve their problems.
* AllThereInTheManual: Many viewers have wondered if Willow [[spoiler:was actually trying to save Howie's life by seducing him.]] The extended version reveals that it only mattered that [[spoiler:Howie ''came'' to the island a virgin.]] As this explanation is removed in the extended cut, it remains a mild SchrodingersCanon situation where it is a valid, if not intended, explanation for her behaviour.

* AristocratsAreEvil: Lord Summerisle again. He sees himself as an enlightened ruler, [[spoiler:but regularly offers human sacrifices to the gods. He also manipulates Howie for much of the film. ]]

* SexAsARiteOfPassage: Ash Buchanan's night with Willow is effectively a priestess initiating a novice, and is explicitly a part of the May Day festivities. Ash takes a leading role in several May Day events afterward (placing the wreath on top of the maypole, for example), and it is strongly implied that his initiation by Willow is what made him worthy for a ceremonial leadership role.
* SexIsEvil: PlayedStraight, in that the straight-laced Christian Howie is shocked at the depraved sex and immorality surrounding him on the island, believing that they were evil heathens—and he was proven right.
* SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny: One of the main themes, if not the main theme is the conflict between the stuck-up, virginal, devoutly religious Sgt. Howie and the sexually liberal, promiscuous pagan islanders. The filmmakers have stated that Howie's decision of whether or not to have sex dictates what happens to him in the end.

* StealthPun: Since the rest of the score is acoustic folk, "Cave Chase," an electric rock and roll instrumental that plays as Howie is fleeing the villagers through a cave near the end of the film, stands out. According to score composer/arranger Paul Giovanni, this was meant as a pun on "rock music".

* TargetedHumanSacrifice: [[spoiler:Sgt. Howie is slated to be the sacrifice because he is a virgin, because he is acting as a representative of the Crown, and because of his firm religious beliefs which are so different than the island's.]]

* NoAnimalsWereHarmed: Britt Ekland claimed that some of the animals inside the wicker man died when it was burned. Robin Hardy has repeatedly assured that the animals were in no danger; the wicker man was completely empty when it was set on fire, and fires were built in front of the animals to make sure that they were not hurt. He also said that the animals were repeatedly placed in and taken out of the structure.

* MyCarHatesMe: Howie's hydroplane breaks down, aborting his attempt to go back and get more officers. It is ''heavily'' implied that [[spoiler:the villagers sabotaged it.]]

* INeedAFreakingDrink: After failing to start his plane or find Rowan, Howie returns to the Green Man for a "big glass of whisky." He downs it in one gulp.

* BadBadActing: Most of the isle's residents uphold a convincing masquerade, as their task ''requires'' them [[spoiler:to raise Howie's suspicions as to Rowan's intended fate, but the [=MacGraegors=] lay it on pretty thick when it's their task to spur the sergeant to action on May Day. Rowan herself is disconcertingly merry for a purported HumanSacrifice; although Howie is too harried to register such oddities until too late.]]

* CueCard: In the climax, Edward Woodward used one for his lines. Looking at [[http://i2.wp.com/www.retronaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Wicker-Man-Cue-Cards.jpg?resize=500%2C739 this photo]], it seems Christopher Lee used it, as well. Woodward and the prop department opted to use the card, because [[spoiler:the burning of the wicker man]] had to be shot when the weather was good, and he had yet to really learn Howie's lines for the scene. According to director Robin Hardy, the climax was shot on a day late in the year when the weather was getting progressively worse day-by-day.

* DaylightHorror: Many of the events in the movie take place during the day, with the climax happening at dusk. It lets the audience admire the SceneryPorn and also makes the bizarre behavior of the townspeople even more unsettling.

** [[spoiler:In many later folk horror stories- see, for example, ''{{Film/Midsommar}}'', human sacrifice is a yearly necessity for a pagan cult’s activities. In this film, the island just got really, ''really'' unlucky with their apple harvest, and decided to make Howie even unluckier over it- though Howie’s dying curse predicts they’ll have to do the same thing next year, too. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard With Lord Summerisle.]]]]

** [[spoiler:In many later folk horror stories- see, for example, ''{{Film/Midsommar}}'', human sacrifice is a yearly necessity for a pagan cult’s activities. In this film, the island just got really, ''really'' unlucky with their apple harvest, and decided to make Howie even unluckier over it- though Howie’s dying curse predicts they’ll have to do the same thing next year, too. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard With Lord Summerisle.]]

* CoolOldGuy: How Lord Summerisle presents himself. He is wealthy, cultured, and charismatic.

** [[spoiler:The occasionally human-sacrificing religion practiced on Summerisle isn’t a long-standing ancient practice at all. Lord Summerisle’s grandfather started the cult more or less by accident only about 120 years ago. When Howie tries to track down any record of Rowan’s death, he finds only death certificates for two of her ancestors, a Rebecca and Benjamin Morrison. As he points out, these are Hebrew names from the Bible, in contrast to the plant-themed names of the current residents, and the librarian shrugs and says they were very old when they passed.]]

* HillbillyHorrors: A pagan cult believes that the only way to ensure that its next apple harvests succeeds is through a human sacrifice. The cultists are islanders living in a remote island of the Hebrides.

* EnfantTerrible: [[spoiler:Rowan, the young innocent girl whom Howie is trying to rescue, was in on it all along, and helps seal his fate to be sacrificed. She also offers him an escape route which is actually a trap. ]]

* BookEnds: The Final Cut begins and ends with an religious ceremony (and Howie [[spoiler:sings "The Lord's My Shepherd" at both of them]]).

** A man who has come here as a fool.[[note]]He was costumed as Punch, one of the great fool-victims of history.[[/note]]

* ReCut: The original theatrical version, which is the most well-known cut, is 87 minutes in length. A 99-minute cut was sent to Creator/RogerCorman, who suggested that 13 minutes be cut in order to sell well in the United States. A few years later, Robin Hardy, now living in the US, decided to seek out a copy of the film. He obtained a duplicate of Corman's copy, and cut out the mainland scenes, while restoring some of the longer cut scenes. This version timed out to 95 minutes, and was released in the US in the fall of 1977. It was later released on Blu-Ray and DVD in October 2013 as The Final Cut. In 1988, the 99-minute version ended up being released on VHS in America, distributed by Media Home Entertainment, and later Magnum Entertainment. Hilariously, the front of the Magnum release has pictures of the film's two stars, Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee, that were obviously taken in the 1980s; in fact, the picture of Woodward is a publicity still from ''Series/TheEqualizer''[[note]]Heck, the front of the box says, "Starring Edward Woodward (''The Equalizer'')[[/note]]. In 2001, an NTSC one-inch videotape copy transferred from Corman's copy was released on VHS and DVD in America and Britain by Anchor Bay, thanks to a campaign from [=StudioCanal=], the film's worldwide owners, to try and find the full cut. Christopher Lee went to his grave believing that there exists an even-longer cut of the film, longer than the one Corman was sent. Oddly enough, there are rumors that a 17-minute version for triple and quadruple bills exists, in which Sergeant Howie is led straight to the Wicker Man; however, nothing really substantial has emerged about this one.

* ReCut: The original theatrical version, which is the most well-known cut, is 87 minutes in length. A 99-minute cut was sent to Creator/RogerCorman, who suggested that 13 minutes be cut in order to sell well in the United States. A few years later, Robin Hardy, now living in the US, decided to seek out a copy of the film. He obtained a duplicate of Corman's copy, and cut out the mainland scenes, while restoring some of the longer cut scenes. This version timed out to 95 minutes, and was released in the US in the fall of 1977. It was later released on Blu-Ray and DVD in October 2013 as The Final Cut. In 1988, the 99-minute version ended up being released on VHS in America, distributed by Media Home Entertainment, and later Magnum Entertainment. Hilariously, the front of the Magnum release has pictures of the film's two stars, Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee, that were obviously taken in the 1980s; in fact, the picture of Woodward is a publicity still from ''Series/TheEqualizer''. In 2001, an NTSC one-inch videotape copy transferred from Corman's copy was released on VHS and DVD in America and Britain by Anchor Bay, thanks to a campaign from StudioCanal, the film's worldwide owners, to try and find the full cut. Christopher Lee went to his grave believing that there exists an even-longer cut of the film, longer than the one Corman was sent. Oddly enough, there are rumors that a 17-minute version for triple and quadruple bills exists, in which Sergeant Howie is led straight to the Wicker Man; however, nothing really substantial has emerged about this one.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: It is revealed that Howie has spent the entire film being manipulated by the entire island, so that he can be sacrificed by being horribly burned alive. To make things worse, it is implied that his sacrifice is all for nothing, and the islanders will eventually descend into anarchy in a futile attempt to restore their crops]].
** [[spoiler: The villagers seem happy in the belief that the human sacrifice will restore fertility to their island. Howie has predicted that the recent crop failures are due to climatic conditions. The island is practically doomed, and the islanders are deluding themselves that their gods will save them. ]]

* EveryoneLovesBlondes: Blonde hair certainly seems to be a requirement for a female leadership role on Summerisle. The island's best seductress is Willow, and she has got golden blonde hair. In the extended cut, Lord Summerisle compares her to the Greek LoveGoddess Aphrodite, who is commonly depicted with blonde hair. Ms. Rose and the Librarian are also beautiful blonde women.

* FacelessGoons: Most of the islanders wear masks during much of the May Day celebration, though they eventually take them off in the finale.

* DeathBySex: {{Inverted}}. [[spoiler: The pious virgin is killed, and losing his virginity just might have made him an unacceptable sacrifice.]]

It was [[TheRemake remade]] in [[Film/TheWickerMan2006 2006]]. In 2011, Hardy released ''Film/TheWickerTree'', a companion piece of sorts based on his novel ''Cowboys for Christ'', with Lee making a cameo as a different character.

* DanBrowned: The fact that the beliefs and rituals practiced by the inhabitants of Summerisle are based off incomplete and inaccurate Victorian-era misunderstandings of pre-Christian Celtic religion makes perfect sense, given that the cult was founded in the 19th century when such theories were in vogue. [[https://www.academia.edu/11261692/The_Folklore_Fallacy_A_Folkloristic_Filmic_Perspective_on_The_Wicker_Man However, the filmmakers themselves claimed that Summerisle's religion was an accurate depiction of Celtic paganism that they reconstructed through painstaking research,]] when in fact they only read a single Victorian-era work, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Bough the Golden Bough,]][[note]]which, while being monumentally influential in its time, was already 80 years out of date by the time the film was released[[/note]] and accepted its claims without question. Hence, on a very meta level, the filmmakers fell victim to the same fallacies committed in-universe by the inhabitants of Summerisle.