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''The Wicker Tree'' is a 2011 British horror film written and directed by Robin Hardy. It contains many direct parallels and allusions to the 1973 film ''
The Wicker Man ''The Wicker Man'' is a 1973 British folk horror film directed by Robin Hardy and starring Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Christopher Lee. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, inspired by David Pinner's 1967 ...
'', which was also directed by Hardy, and is intended as a
companion piece ''Companion Piece'' is an original novella written by Robert Perry and Mike Tucker and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It features the Seventh Doctor and Catherine Katherine, also sp ...
which explores the same themes. The film premiered at the
Fantasia Festival Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...
in Montreal, Canada, July 2011 and was released on Blu-ray in the UK on 30 April 2012.


Plot

Beth Boothby (Nicol) is a successful
born-again Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sep ...
evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
pop singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
from
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. She and her fiancé Steve Thompson (Garrett) both wear
purity ring Purity rings (also known as promise rings, abstinence rings, or chastity rings) are rings worn as a sign of chastity. Since the 1990s, in the United States, Christian organizations, especially Catholic and evangelical Christian groups, promoting ...
s and belong to a group known as the "Cowboys for Christ", who travel to "heathen areas" of the world to preach
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
. The Reverend Moriarty sends them off to
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, hoping to save some souls there. However, they're shocked at their very negative reception, and nobody accepts their pamphlets. They are approached by Sir Lachlan Morrison (McTavish), the
laird Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in ...
of the small village of Tressock in the Scottish Lowlands, and his wife Delia (Leonard), who invite them back with them to preach. They actually intend them for a more central part in Tressock's
May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...
celebration. The villagers of Tressock have become infertile after the construction of Sir Lachlan's
nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced ...
plant. While out riding a horse, Steve has sex with female villager Lolly (Weeks), whom he finds bathing nude in a spring. Steve regrets his actions and wants to return home. During a flashback Sir Lachlan remembers a mentor (Lee) from his youth. Meanwhile, a detective named Orlando is sent to Tressock, posing as the local police officer to secretly investigate reports of a pagan cult. After having sex with Lolly on multiple occasions, Orlando discovers that the people of the village worship the ancient
Celtic goddess The gods and goddesses of the pre-Christian Celtic peoples are known from a variety of sources, including ancient places of worship, statues, engravings, cult objects and place or personal names. The ancient Celts appear to have had a pantheon ...
Sulis In the localised Celtic polytheism practised in Great Britain, Sulis was a deity worshiped at the thermal spring of Bath (now in Somerset). She was worshiped by the Romano-British as Sulis Minerva, whose votive objects and inscribed lead tabl ...
. Beth and Steve decide to begin their preaching at Tressock's May Day celebrations. To impress the locals, they agree to become the local
Queen of the May In the British Isles and parts of the Commonwealth, the May Queen or Queen of May is a personification of the May Day holiday, and of springtime and also summer. The May Queen is a girl who rides or walks at the front of a parade for May Day cel ...
and the Laddie for the festival, not realising the consequences of this decision. Steve is chased by villagers on horseback as part of a ritual and ends up being torn apart. Back in Sir Lachlan's house, the Morrisons' butler Beame (Russell) attempts to sedate Beth to prepare her for her role as the May Queen. He had tried this the night before, but the spiked milk killed the Morrisons' cat. Beth attacks Beame and flees, but is captured in town. After discovering Steve's death, Beth confronts Sir Lachlan at the wicker tree. She pushes Lachlan into the structure and sets it on fire, killing him. Beth tries to escape from Tressock with the help of one of the few children left in the village. She is captured and later killed. Her body is preserved and put on display in a room with the previous May Queens. Lolly gives birth to Steve's child and brings a new generation to Tressock for the first time in years. Delia prays to the setting sun for the gods to find more men to bring to Tressock to sire more children.


Cast

*
Graham McTavish Graham McTavish (born 4 January 1961) is a Scottish actor and author. He is known for his roles as Dwalin in '' The Hobbit'' film trilogy, Vlad Dracula Țepeș in the Netflix animated franchise ''Castlevania'', Loki in various Marvel animated ...
as Sir Lachlan Morrison *
Jacqueline Leonard Jacqueline Jackie Leonard is a Scottish actress. She is known for playing Sarah Preston in the ITV drama ''Peak Practice'' from 1993 to 1996, Lorraine Wicks in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' from 1996 to 1997, Dr. Caroline Powers in the BB ...
as Delia Morrison * Brittania Nicol as Beth Boothby * Henry Garrett as Steve Thompson *
Honeysuckle Weeks Honeysuckle Susan Weeks (born 1 August 1979) is a British actress best known for her role as Samantha Stewart (later Wainwright) in the ITV wartime drama series ''Foyle's War''. Early life Weeks was born in Cardiff, Wales, to Robin and Susan ...
as Lolly *
Clive Russell Clive Russell (born 7 December 1945) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as Chief Inspector Frederick Abberline in ''Ripper Street'', Angus O'Connor in ''Happiness'' and Brynden Tully in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones''. He also a ...
as Beame *
Prue Clarke Phoebe Fox (born 16 April 1987) is an English actress, who was nominated for Olivier and Evening Standard awards for work in theatre. She has appeared in the ''Black Mirror'' episode " The Entire History of You" (2011), '' The Woman in Black: A ...
as Mary Miller * Lesley Mackie as Daisy * David Plimmer as Jack * Keith Warwick as Donald Dee * Christopher Lee as Old Gentleman * Mark Williams as Paul * Lorna Campbell as Arabella


Production


Writing

In 2002, it was reported that Hardy was working on a film entitled ''The Riding of the Laddie'', said to be in the same genre as ''
The Wicker Man ''The Wicker Man'' is a 1973 British folk horror film directed by Robin Hardy and starring Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Christopher Lee. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, inspired by David Pinner's 1967 ...
''.
Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin (né Duke; February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Samwise Gamgee in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003), Mikey Walsh in ''The Goonies'' (1985), Daniel Ruettiger in '' Rudy'' (1993), Dou ...
had signed on as the male lead, with Christopher Lee, LeAnn Rimes and
Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, tw ...
set to play major roles. Lee had passed the screenplay on to Astin while the two were working on the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy.
Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...
also read the script, and requested a cameo appearance. Of the story, Hardy stated, "It's about a certain kind of American innocence abroad featuring two young born-again Christians. They've made a pact not to have sex before marriage, and they come over here like the Mormons and preach door-to-door. It's a thriller; they get sucked into a dark world. We hope to start in September for a 2003 release." The film was to be shot on location near
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
and in Oklahoma. Hardy was ultimately unable to secure funding, and the film was cancelled. He then adapted his screenplay into a novel, which was published as '' Cowboys for Christ''. Hardy felt that writing the novel gave him a much clearer idea of what he wanted to do, and he eventually adapted the novel into the screenplay which was used for ''The Wicker Tree''.


Casting

Originally Hardy wrote the part of Sir Lachlan Morrison for Christopher Lee, who played Lord Summerisle in ''
The Wicker Man ''The Wicker Man'' is a 1973 British folk horror film directed by Robin Hardy and starring Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Christopher Lee. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, inspired by David Pinner's 1967 ...
''. While filming the newest Hammer production '' The Resident'' in
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
, Lee injured his back when he tripped over power cables on set. Although very disappointed, Hardy gave the role intended for Lee to
Graham McTavish Graham McTavish (born 4 January 1961) is a Scottish actor and author. He is known for his roles as Dwalin in '' The Hobbit'' film trilogy, Vlad Dracula Țepeș in the Netflix animated franchise ''Castlevania'', Loki in various Marvel animated ...
, the actor who had originally been cast as Beame, the Morrisons' butler.
Clive Russell Clive Russell (born 7 December 1945) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as Chief Inspector Frederick Abberline in ''Ripper Street'', Angus O'Connor in ''Happiness'' and Brynden Tully in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones''. He also a ...
plays Beame instead. Lee is still in the film, making a brief cameo appearance as the unnamed "Old Gentleman" who acts as Lachlan's mentor in a flashback. Robin Hardy has stated that fans of ''The Wicker Man'' will recognise this character as Lord Summerisle, but Lee himself has contradicted this, stating that they are two unrelated characters.
Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primeti ...
was originally set to play Lady Delia Morrison when Lee was to play Sir Lachlan Morrison. However, when Lee injured himself and was replaced by the much younger McTavish, Collins was similarly replaced with a younger actress,
Jacqueline Leonard Jacqueline Jackie Leonard is a Scottish actress. She is known for playing Sarah Preston in the ITV drama ''Peak Practice'' from 1993 to 1996, Lorraine Wicks in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' from 1996 to 1997, Dr. Caroline Powers in the BB ...
.


Filming

Filming was due to start in September 2007, but the film was delayed for financial reasons. It was later announced the film would shoot from April 2008 in Dumfries and Galloway. A week before the shoot, Dumfries and Galloway Council announced the filming had been stopped due to financial reasons. Filming eventually started in July 2009 in
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, Haddington;
Gorebridge Gorebridge is a former mining village in Midlothian, Scotland. Gorebridge has an annual Gala Day which always takes place on the 3rd Saturday in June. This is much like a town fair, with rides and games. The gala day has a tradition of pickin ...
; Midlothian; and
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
. ''The Wicker Tree'' went through several title changes before its release, including ''The Riding of the Laddie'', ''May Day'', and ''Cowboys for Christ''. The film had its premiere"New Photos and Traier for Wicker Tree"
WeGotThisCovered.com
at the
Fantasia Festival Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...
in Montreal in July 2011. Anchor Bay handled U.S. distribution, and the film received a limited release on 27 January 2012. No wide theatrical release date has yet been announced, although it was released on Blu-ray in the UK in April 2012.Gingold, Michael (21 July 2011)
"''Wicker Tree'': Fantasia film review"
Fangoria.com


Reception

Initial reviews from the premiere at ''Fantasia'' festival were polarised. The '' Fangoria'' review was mildly positive with misgivings: "even as a black comedy, ''Wicker Tree'' can’t match the impact of its predecessor. Still, for those fans of ''Wicker Man'' who can open their minds to viewing, as Monty Python used to put it, something completely different, the new movie can be appreciated as an entertaining variation on its themes." The ''Starburst'' magazine review was negative, remarking that "Sometimes cult films really should be left alone", and, "Prepare to have your hopes dashed however as ''The Wicker Tree'' is awful." The film had a limited U.S. theatrical release in January 2012. In April of that year, Hardy discussed the film's mixed critical reception. "''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''’s reviewer said it wasn't as gritty as the original ''
Wicker Man A wicker man was purportedly a large wicker statue in which the druids (priests of Celtic paganism) sacrificed humans and animals by burning. The main evidence for this practice is a sentence by Roman general Julius Caesar in his '' Commentary ...
'', but it's a thousand times better than the remake. I was quite happy with that." When asked whether he preferred ''The Wicker Tree'' to the original version of ''The Wicker Man'', Hardy replied, "No, I really don't." On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
the film has an approval rating of 27% based on reviews from 15 critics.


Home media

Anchor Bay Entertainment Anchor Bay Entertainment (formerly Video Treasures and Starmaker Entertainment) was an American home entertainment and production company. It was a subsidiary of Starz Inc. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and sold feature films, television se ...
released ''The Wicker Tree'' on Region 1 and Region 2
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
and
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
in April 2012.


Proposed third film

Hardy had proposed a third film in the ''Wicker Man'' film series, ''The Wrath of the Gods'', but he died on 1 July 2016."Robin Hardy dies." BBC. 2 July 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016
/ref>


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wicker Tree, The 2011 films 2011 horror films British horror films British sequel films Films about neopaganism Films about religion Films about singers Films based on British novels Films based on horror novels Films based on thriller novels Films set in Glasgow Films set in Scotland Films shot in East Lothian Films shot in Edinburgh Paganism in Europe Folk horror films Religious horror films Films scored by John Scott (composer) 2010s English-language films 2010s British films