106: The Wicker Man

About this episode

The episode explores the 1973 horror film The Wicker Man, discussing its unique approach to horror and its cultural significance.

Just in time for Beltaine we're dropping in on the merry residents of Summerisle for a look at Anthony Shaffer's The Wicker Man from director Robin Hardy. This 1973 horror movie is a pivotal feature in the folk horror tradition and presents a daring departure from common horror movie tropes, choosing to set the movie in broad daylight with a color palette of primary colors and lush greens instead of the flashing thunder and shadows of night. The air of constant menace is replaced with a cast of common rural people who seem to be having the time of their lives in the pagan paradise of a community that celebrates the old gods. Starring Christopher Lee at his most charming and charismatic, The Wicker Man is a triumph of weird horror and is a May Day tradition in the house of Bring Me The Axe! The story follows Sgt. Howie, an English cop who drops in on the Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate a the disappearance of a young girl but he finds the strange community of heathens uncooperative in his investigation and suspects that she may have been a victim of human sacrifice. There's a sacrifice, alright, but Howie has no idea to what lengths these people will go to in order to…

People in this episode

Hosts: Bryan White, David White

Topics covered

• folk horror
• horror movie analysis
• 1970s cinema
• pagan traditions
• human sacrifice
• community dynamics

Keywords

• The Wicker Man
• folk horror
• horror movie
• 1973
• pagan
• human sacrifice
• Summerisle
• Christopher Lee

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bring Me The Axe

Books & works: The Wicker Man

Places: Summerisle, Scotland

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