THE WICKERMAN ANALYSIS

A police sergeant is sent to a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl whom the townsfolk claim never existed. When he arrives he notices strange celtic rituals and a lack of Christianity which builds until the end of the film. 

CHARACTERS

Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle

Edward Woodward as Sgt. Howie

Britt Ekland and Rachel Verney (voice) as Willow MacGregor

Diane Cilento as Miss Rose

Ingrid Pitt as Librarian

Lindsay Kemp as Alder MacGregor (the landlord)

Lord Summerisle

MUSIC

The music in this film was composed, arranged and recorded by Paul Giovanni and the Magnet. It is all folk music performed by characters in the film. The opening song in the main title is called The Highland Widow's Lament. The use of non diegetic music heightens the sense of mystery, as folk music is not often a style that one would associate with a horror film.

SHOT TYPES

The opening aerial shot was filmed in South Africa, as the film was set in Spring yet they filmed through Winter, and they did not have a big enough budget to create a spring-like set. The shot types vary in the opening scenes, from wide to over the shoulder to aerial.

MISE EN SCENE

The mise en Scene of the Wicker Man is very bright and colourful as opposed to normal horror films which usually stick to dark miss en scene. It is this paired with the odd nature of the characters that makes the film more mysterious. The characters in this film are dressed typically for an isolated island in the 1970's and at first glance the village seems fairly normal. None of the characters are presented as genuinely evil however we see a cult like side of them when May Day comes around. For example, the villagers all wear animal themed masks which adds to the mystery of the film.

CONVENTIONS

This film, whilst a horror, does not follow the typical conventions of a horror film. It completely contrasts to the rest of the films I have analysed. There is no villain in this film, which is something that is very common in horror films. Whilst the film is very bright and colourful, the film still has a creepy, mysterious aura. However, this film does follow the conventions of a psychological horror, so this relates to our film.

PRODUCTION

British Lion Films is a company that was founded in 1919. It has produced over 170 films.