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Main character
Sgt. Neil Howie
Played By: Edward Woodward
- Chaste Hero: To the point of resisting the charms of a naked Britt Ekland.
- The Determinator: Travels to Summerisle to find Rowan Morrison, and will not give up on his mission. Granted, it's his job, but many cops would just take the islanders' excuses at face value.
- Fish out of Water: Upon his arrival, Howie's Christian beliefs immediately clash with those of the islanders.
- Good is Not Nice: Howie is kind of a judgmental jerk, to say the least. Nevertheless, he's completely right in all his actions and investigations. He's also a righteous man trying to save a little girl.
- The Hero Dies: The film ends with Howie being burned alive inside a wicker man as a pagan sacrifice.
- Holier Than Thou: Howie's behavior is, depending on interpretation, either that of a sanctimonious prude, or that of a deeply honorable and upright officer motivated by his faith. He considers himself more ethical than the islanders, even when he resorts to threats or violence.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Howie simply wants to rescue a little girl and is staunchly ethical, but he's also an intolerant, self-righteous, and humorless prick right from the start.
- Real Men Love Jesus: His devout Christianity is a major part of his personality and is the reason why he doesn't believe in sex before marriage.
Summerisle Islanders
Lord Summerisle
Played By: Christopher Lee
"It's time to keep your appointment with the Wicker Man."
The ruler of Summerisle island.- Affably Evil: It is never clear whether Summerisle actually believes in the religion of his island, or is just playing along to keep his subjects in line. If the former, he may genuinely believe the sacrifice is necessary for the harvest. And he tries to soothe his intended sacrifice.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Lord Summerisle again. He sees himself as an enlightened ruler, but regularly offers human sacrifices to the gods. He also manipulates Howie for much of the film.
- Batman Gambit: Lord Summerisle specifically picked Sgt. Howie as the person most valuable to sacrifice and most likely to follow along the necessary route to get him to the sacrificial altar. Things could have gone very differently had Howie behaved differently, but Summerisle was right about him, and his plan goes off without a hiccup. He listed the four aspects that made Howie the perfect sacrifice:
- A man who would come here of his own free will.
- A man who has come here with the power of a king by representing the law.
- A man who would come here as a virgin.
- A man who has come here as a fool.
- Benevolent Boss: Lord Summerisle is a rare villainous example. Summerisle is a private island and effectively everyone has to obey him. But he treats them in a rather friendly way.
- Big Bad: The main antagonist of the film.
- The Chessmaster: Summerisle beautifully manipulates Howie and the island's inhabitants to ensure that his family remains in control of the island.
- Cool Old Guy: How Lord Summerisle presents himself. He is wealthy, cultured, and charismatic.
- Creepy Crossdresser: Lord Summerisle dresses as a woman for the May Day parade. It is part of a pagan ritual where the high priest has to dress as the goddess of the orchards.
- Deadpan Snarker: Summerisle definitley has his moments of dry wit.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Comes with being played by Christopher Lee.
- God Guise: Lord Summerisle describes how his grandfather introduced new crops and farming methods, as well as his Pagan faith. When the crops were incredibly successful, he had no difficulty convincing the locals that there was a connection between their survival and appeasing their Celtic deities.
- No Name Given: Lord Summerisle is only addressed by his title, with no first name shown.
- Wicked Cultured: Exemplified by Lord Summerisle; suave, eloquent and The Chessmaster behind luring an innocent policeman to his death.
Willow MacGregor
Played By: Britt Ekland
- Ms. Fanservice: Unashamedly so, although part of the naked dance scene was done by a body double.
- Token Good Teammate: Up to a point. She's the only one of the islanders who's actually nice to Howie. Although that's partly due to the fact that she's been tasked with the job of seducing him to test his purity, she does appear to respect him even though he spurned her advances.
Rowan Morrison
Played By: Gerry Cowper
The missing girl Howie is searching for.- Living MacGuffin: She's the focus of Howie's investigation and for a while the viewer could be forgiven for believing that she's already dead (as that's what the villagers tell Howie at one point). Shows up towards the end and is quickly revealed to be part of the plot to entrap Howie.
Miss Rose
Played By: Diane Cilento
The Librarian
Played By: Ingrid Pitt
- Ms. Fanservice: Is seen naked when Howie bursts in on her taking a bath during his search of the village.
- No Name Given: Her name is never revealed.
