The Quest for the Wicker Man: Historical, Folklore and Pagan Perspectives

by Benjamin Franks (Editor), Jonathan Murray (Editor), Lesley Stevenson

One of the greatest films ever to be made in Scotland, The Wicker Manimmediately garnered a cult following on its release for its intense atmosphere and shocking denouement. This book explores the roots of this powerful, enduring film. With contributors including The Wicker Man director Robin Hardy, it is a thorough and informative read for all fans of this indispensable horror masterpiece.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction

187 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2007

Reviews

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wicker Man is a fascinating movie. I watched it sometime between 2006 and 2010, I don’t remember exactly when, and then several times more since. I’m not the only one to do the latter. This particular book contains the essays from a conference held on the movie at about the time I was first becoming aware of it. Getting on two decades later, I’m interested to learn more.

There are many angles from which to view a movie (quite apart from which seat you select in the theater). This book (which I unfortunately had to read as an ebook) takes several. Many articles focus on the religion of the film. It is a horror flick that engages religion directly and unwaveringly. This is probably the reason it had such an impact on yours truly. The book looks at paganism and wicca, as well as how the film interacts with Christianity. There are helpful articles on the music of the movie as well.

For those interested in a more academic approach to a cult film, this book will be a valuable resource. Unfortunately, as I noted in my blog post (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World) it is apparently out of print except for in ebook form.

[Bill Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essays about the Wicker Man and its place in British film history and culture, mostly written by experts who participated in a conference about the movie in the early 2000s. Some of the essays are surprisingly academic in tone but the various ways of approaching the film are mostly effective. Of course, in the years since this volume was assembled, the film's reputation as a cornerstone of folk horror has been even further elevated and a great deal more has been written about it.

I like the movie well enough but am inclined to agree with those who say its influence is greater than its actual quality. By the end of this book, and the interview with director Robin Hardy, I had reinforced my general belief that the film's creators had no clue what they were doing and more or less stumbled into their classic status. Hardy's subsequent work in cinema is further evidence of this.

[Kristian Dobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wicker Man is one of my favourite movies so reading a bunch of essays on its themes and influences was a pleasure.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting collection of academic essays on paganism and 'The Wicker Man'.

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice Essays,that unfortunately will mean nothing to any non fan of the movie. I want to own this,but I can't reccomend it to anyone that is not a Wicker Head like me.