Incredible Horror Movie Facts - The Wicker Man (1973)

The Wicker Man (1973 – Directed by Robin Hardy)

(UPDATED)

There was a sequel-of-sorts made in 2011 called The Wicker Tree, which had experienced many financial setbacks before finally going into production in July 2009 – it had been conceived back in 2002. Christopher Lee was set to have a much larger role in the film but due to a back injury he incurred on the set of The Resident (2011) his participation was reduced to a small cameo.

Before his recent death on 1st July 2016 at the age of 86, Robin Hardy was prepping a third Wicker Man movie entitled The Wrath of the Gods. The same financial setbacks seemed to plague the production – filming was originally set to begin in 2011. An unsuccessful crowdfunding campaign was launched in 2015, with filming intended to start in October of the same year. The last update by Hardy on the Indiegogo page ten months ago stated that they were to start filming early 2016.

A number of different versions of the film have been released over the years. When the original film was edited and presented to British Lion Films they weren’t sure exactly what to do with it, being slightly baffled by its morbid content and tone. The filmmakers were ordered to cut it down in the hope that they could at least distribute it as part of a double-bill package with Don’t Look Now (1973). Many years later a Director’s Cut version was released that contained previously excised footage that had been thought to be lost but was obtained from legendary American Producer Roger Corman, who had been sent an earlier cut of the film in the 70’s. In 2013 Robin Hardy re-edited the movie creating something of a hybrid of the earlier releases – calling it The Final Cut, which used a print of the film that had recently been unearthed at the Harvard Film Archive. Even though he says it’s not quite the same as his lost original version Hardy says, “It crucially restores the story order to that which I had originally intended.” The long-standing rumor is that Robin Hardy’s original version of the movie was used as landfill and is buried under the M3 Motorway in England but no one has ever been able to substantiate this claim with any evidence.

A music festival has been held every year in Scotland in the same area that The Wicker Man was shot, in Dumfries and Galloway. The Wickerman Festival has hosted an eclectic mix of bands over the years including The Scissor Sisters, KT Tunstall, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, The Human League and The Stranglers. The festival culminates with the burning of a giant wicker man statue.

The wooden remnants of the wicker man’s legs at Burrow Head, near Isle of Whithorn, were stolen in 2006 having remained encased in concrete, inscribed with WM - 1972, at the location for over 30 years.

Taken from Incredible Horror Movie Facts

Available to buy on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

SIGNED COPIES NOW AVAILABLE AT THE GORE STORE (http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/killianhgore13) ON EBAY!

Killian H. Gore presents an incredible collection of shocking true tales from over 100 horror movies. From the weird to the scary to the completely unbelievable! Discover some of the most bizarre stories in the annals of horror film history and experience a little of the mad and the macabre with each bloodcurdling entry. Read all about... The haunted history of the Evil Dead cabin. The Jaws: The Revenge actress murdered by her father. The 9/11 victim who lived in the Amityville house. The stuntman mauled to death by a shark. The fired film director who returned to the set in disguise. The UFO incident that inspired The Blob. And finally, Killian H. Gore reveals the truth behind the story of Ellen Mort - the "serial killer in the family!" PLUS! The Wicker Man inspired short story: Morning Jogger.