The Wicker Man

The Wicker Man

From FolknHell by Andrew Davidson, Dave Houghton, David Hall

April 30, 2026 · 54 min · Season 1 · Episode 21

About this episode

The hosts discuss the film 'The Wicker Man', exploring its themes of folk horror, belief systems, and its iconic ending.

Bright sunshine, folk songs and communal sex should not feel this menacing. The Wicker Man still manages the neat trick of looking almost cheerful while marching straight towards one of horror’s most unforgettable endings. A policeman, a pagan island, and one of the most famous endings in horror cinema. Andy, Dave and David head to Summerisle for The Wicker Man and get into its strange musical spell, its battle of belief systems, and the question of whether this is still the defining folk horror film or simply the most iconic. Andy finally gets to bring his favourite film to the table, which means The Wicker Man gets both passionate defence and a bit of healthy resistance. The conversation digs into the film’s odd balancing act as mystery, musical and folk horror landmark, with all three hosts agreeing that its horror is less about constant dread and more about the awful certainty of where it is heading. They get stuck into Sergeant Howie as a devout Christian outsider blundering into a community whose beliefs he cannot understand and cannot tolerate. That clash between rigid authority and pagan ritual becomes the heart of the discussion, alongside the film’s use of masks…

People in this episode

Hosts: Andrew Davidson, Dave Houghton, David Hall

Topics covered

  • folk horror
  • film analysis
  • musical elements
  • belief systems
  • community isolation
  • horror endings

Keywords

  • The Wicker Man
  • folk horror
  • horror cinema
  • musical film
  • pagan rituals
  • community beliefs
  • film review

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Wicker Man

Places: Summerisle, Summerisle

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