The Wicker Man Trilogy
Encyclopedia
The Wicker Man trilogy is a series of three horror films
(the third of which remains unproduced) by British
author
and director
Robin Hardy
. Hardy announced plans for the trilogy in a 2007 interview with The Guardian
newspaper, though the first film in the trilogy, The Wicker Man, was originally made 35 years before, in 1973.
The films are not directly linked to one another, but form a thematic trilogy, akin to the Three Colours film trilogy of Krzysztof Kieślowski
. All three films deal with the theme of paganism
in the modern world. The first two films feature Christopher Lee
, albeit in different roles.
The 2006 American remake of The Wicker Man
is not a part of the trilogy, and Hardy has dissociated himself from it.
The story synopsis follows a Scottish police officer, Sergeant Neil Howie, visiting the isolated island of Summerisle, in the search for a missing girl. The inhabitants of Summerisle all follow a religion loosely inspired by Celtic paganism, which shocks and appalls the devoutly Christian
sergeant.
The Wicker Man is generally very highly regarded by critics. Film magazine Cinefantastique
described it as "The Citizen Kane
of Horror Movies", and in 2004 the magazine Total Film
named The Wicker Man the sixth greatest British film of all time. It also won the 1978 Saturn Award
for Best Horror Film
. A scene from this film was #45 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments
.
, Beth and Steve, who leave Texas
to spread Christianity
in Tressock, Scotland
. They are welcomed by Sir Lachlan Morrison and his wife, Delia Morrison; unbeknown to Beth and Steve, they are in grave danger from a Celtic pagan community in the village.
A film adaptation, entitled The Wicker Tree, was produced in 2009, with Hardy directing from his own screenplay. It had a film festival showing in 2011; a wide release is still pending.
and is to be set in Iceland
. The name of the film is based upon Richard Wagner
's opera based upon Germanic mythology
, Twilight of the Gods. Hardy has said of the plot, "I'm very keen on it, actually."
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
(the third of which remains unproduced) by British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Robin Hardy
Robin Hardy (film director)
Robin Hardy is an English author and film director. His most famous directorial work was The Wicker Man, and his latest project is a film adaptation of his book Cowboys for Christ, which has been retitled as, The Wicker Tree...
. Hardy announced plans for the trilogy in a 2007 interview with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper, though the first film in the trilogy, The Wicker Man, was originally made 35 years before, in 1973.
The films are not directly linked to one another, but form a thematic trilogy, akin to the Three Colours film trilogy of Krzysztof Kieślowski
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Krzysztof Kieślowski was an Academy Award nominated influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for The Double Life of Veronique and his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
. All three films deal with the theme of paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
in the modern world. The first two films feature Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
, albeit in different roles.
The 2006 American remake of The Wicker Man
The Wicker Man (2006 film)
The Wicker Man is a 2006 American remake of the 1973 British film of the same title. It was written and directed by Neil LaBute, based on a screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, and stars Nicolas Cage and Ellen Burstyn....
is not a part of the trilogy, and Hardy has dissociated himself from it.
The Wicker Man
The Wicker Man was made in 1973 by Robin Hardy and Anthony Shaffer.The story synopsis follows a Scottish police officer, Sergeant Neil Howie, visiting the isolated island of Summerisle, in the search for a missing girl. The inhabitants of Summerisle all follow a religion loosely inspired by Celtic paganism, which shocks and appalls the devoutly Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
sergeant.
The Wicker Man is generally very highly regarded by critics. Film magazine Cinefantastique
Cinefantastique
Cinefantastique was a horror, fantasy, and science fiction film magazine originally started as a mimeographed fanzine in 1967, then relaunched as a glossy, offset quarterly in 1970 by publisher/editor Frederick S. Clarke...
described it as "The Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
of Horror Movies", and in 2004 the magazine Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
named The Wicker Man the sixth greatest British film of all time. It also won the 1978 Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
for Best Horror Film
Saturn Award for Best Horror Film
The following are a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Horror Film:-References:...
. A scene from this film was #45 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments
100 Scariest Movie Moments
The 100 Scariest Movie Moments is a television documentary miniseries that first aired in late October 2004 on Bravo. Aired in five 60-minute segments, the miniseries counts down what producer Anthony Timpone, writer Patrick Moses, and director Kevin Kaufman have determined as the 100 most...
.
The Wicker Tree
In 2006, Robin Hardy published a follow-up novel to The Wicker Man storyline entitled Cowboys for Christ. It follows two young AmericansUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Beth and Steve, who leave Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to spread Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in Tressock, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. They are welcomed by Sir Lachlan Morrison and his wife, Delia Morrison; unbeknown to Beth and Steve, they are in grave danger from a Celtic pagan community in the village.
A film adaptation, entitled The Wicker Tree, was produced in 2009, with Hardy directing from his own screenplay. It had a film festival showing in 2011; a wide release is still pending.
Twilight of the Gods
Twilight of the Gods, the only of the three films that has not yet appeared in either literary or theatrical form, is based upon Norse paganismNorse paganism
Norse paganism is the religious traditions of the Norsemen, a Germanic people living in the Nordic countries. Norse paganism is therefore a subset of Germanic paganism, which was practiced in the lands inhabited by the Germanic tribes across most of Northern and Central Europe in the Viking Age...
and is to be set in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. The name of the film is based upon Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's opera based upon Germanic mythology
Germanic mythology
Germanic mythology is a comprehensive term for myths associated with historical Germanic paganism, including Norse mythology, Anglo-Saxon mythology, Continental Germanic mythology, and other versions of the mythologies of the Germanic peoples...
, Twilight of the Gods. Hardy has said of the plot, "I'm very keen on it, actually."