The Wicker Man; The Folk Horror Flame

by Fionn Morris

Inspired by David Pinner’s 1967 novel, “Ritual,” Robin Hardy’s 1973 folk horror film, “The Wicker Man,” has been critically acclaimed for decades. Penned by playwright Andrew Schaffer and starring then Hammer Studios veteran Sir Christopher Lee, the film's depiction of Summerisle and its residents was as surreal as it was challenging, with their raunchy Pagan lifestyle directly conflicting with the Protestant and neo liberal British mindset that possesses Edward Woodward’s character Sargant Howie. These differences rear up frequently throughout the film, from Howie’s shrewd judgment over the discovery of the promiscuity and sexual impulsiveness that Summer Isle embraces, to their religious beliefs such as aspects of reincarnation and sacrifice that outright reject the Protestant teachings of our protagonist. This all culminates in the climax of the film, which centres around the “sacrifice of the willing king-like virgin fool,” as stated by Lord Summerisle. We witness such a display, with Howie consumed by flames within the belly of the titular beast, a sacrifice to one God, and a martyr to another. The film became a staple of the folk horror genre, a tent pole that many would compare later entries into the genre to. To demonstrate this films adherence to the subgenre, I will be using the concept of the Folk Horror Chain as created by Andrew Scovell, who breaks the genre’s conventions into four separate categories.

Step one of this chain is the landscape, and in particular how the landscape is both used aesthetically and narratively to isolate the outsiders who remain inside. In the case of the Wicker Man, the aesthetical qualities of this sort of small hamlet being slowly consumed by a luscious greenery doesn’t only reflect the thematic dichotomy of the natural world against the civilised, es this concept, but also transform throughout the narrative from a point of charm to a omnipresent threat. To start, inherently, the natural aesthetic is isolating to a character such as Howie, a man who grew up within urban life. But too, does the naturalistic aesthetic also imply a vacancy of human life and civilisation, again reinforcing this sense of isolation by placing Howie within a world he is unfamiliar and not suited for. The fact the film is set on a small British isle also intrinsically enforces a sense of isolation, quite literally a physical manifestation of the islands' disconnect from what is deemed contemporary Britain. The first shot of the isle fully embraces this isolation through landmass and nature as we take a long POV shot from inside the plane with Howie, as we can see the Isle’s vast fields, completely vacant and seemingly untouched by humans, reinforcing not just Howie’s unfamiliarity with the folkish land, but too, by being aligned with him, the audiences. Throughout exploring the village, we are able to witness how not only is the village surrounded by this fantastical vegetation, but also how this natural world has almost eroded the urban environments. The setting of the church is the most prominent display, as this once holy man made construction has become a husk for the plants to sprout up. Narratively, the destruction of these manmade constructions to the natural world both encapsulates the conflict between Howie and the residents of Summerisle, while also directly challenging Howie’s beliefs in the concept of being civilised. To this extent, not only does the landscape naturalistic aesthetic isolate the urbanised Howie within an unfamiliar territory, but also does its presence within previously inhabited urban areas become a threat to Howie beliefs, an illustration of a civilised society that has been doomed and destroyed by an outside, ancient force.

Next in Scovell’s folk horror chain is the concept of groups that inhabit these areas and how, socially, they have been cut off from the rest of the world and how their ways of life have adapted to their situation. For The Wicker Man, this concept takes form in the residents of Summerisle and its history. As Lord Summerisle explains in his speech to Howie about the Isle, “like their neighbours today they were scratching at sheep and sea.” Already, this portrays an image of struggle and pain that the Isle suffered under while adhere to the then standards of British society, a fact summarised in Lord Summerisle description of the Islands condition as, “wretched.” It is important to note that the period Lord Summerisle is talking about is during the industrial revolution, a period which saw mass exploitation of the working class and an increase in class divide. Already, we can witness how these Islanders were isolated due to their economic situation and were seemingly left and ostracised due to their poverty. Their cultural tradition also reinforces this sense of isolation but, oddly enough, also a sense of affinity to the supposed audience, as while they’re customs are foreign to a contemporary viewer, it is also equally British. Many examples can be used here, from the symbol of Punch and Judy and it’s continued relevance within British folklore, to the intertextual references to classical pieces such as Romeo and Juliet balcony scene that are twisted and given a new meaning within the context of the film. However, it is the sound which I wish to explore. The performed Scottish accents of the actors is one of the best illustrations of this concept, as while their clear artifice dialect is easy for the audience to pick apart, especially those done by Sir Christopher Lee and Brit Ekkland, it is still recognizable enough to the audience to be deemed as a concept of British origin despite the clear alterations. The music, too, is both audibly alien but at the same time cultural British, with the diegetic band using instruments such as the concertina being almost irrelevant within the modern landscape of music, but has unmistakable Celtic and Britannic origins. The track, “Searching for Rowan,” fully incorporates this subject, with the psychedelic guitar lead song sharing the same melody as an old Jacobite piece, “Hey, Johnnie Cope, are Ye Waking Yet?” While this isolated group may be framed as some sort of anarchist native commune that is completely alien to our contemporary Britain, it is still important to note that they are at the whims of the capitalist imperial system.

This idea of morality leads onto the next link in the chain; the skewed moral and beliefs system. Within the Wicker Man there exists a dynamic between two different moral systems; that of the Paganist islanders and the Protestant Howie. However, the audience is made to feel sympathetic to both sides, as the vile attitude of Howie and the extreme hostility of the Pagans becomes a point of contention on both sides. In terms of Howie, while his intentions are virtuous, that being to save a girl he believes is lost, his extreme callousness comes off as dismissive and almost vain superiority when he compares himself to the citizens of the Island. We witness such during the Landlord’s Daughter scene, as while the customers of the pub sing along with exaggerated expressions of joy, dancing and swaying to the lyrics of the song, Howie stands solemnly in the middle, gazing at those around him voyeuristically and stoically, becoming a burden and haughty as he sticks his nose in the air becoming quite literally the tallest in the frame. Howie’s lordliness even stops the music at some point, with the diegetic sounds of the singing and instruments being overshadowed in the mix by the loud bell, as if Howie’s presence in the room demands more respect than the rest of the patrons. His costume even suggests this, with the dark, sharp edges of Howie’s police uniform standing tall in between the dancers, as if he were some monolith. Compare this cold sense of superiority to the other characters on the Island, such as that of Miss Rose, whose softer appearance, with light curved hair and a white dress, along with Ingrid Pitt’s performance as she joins in unison with the students, banging her ruler against the desk, instantly displays her as a kinder character, who is similarly respected and welcomed by the members of Summerisle. Other residents of the Island follow along with this example, all being openly welcoming and soft spoken.

This battle between ideologies comes to a conclusion in the final part of the chain; the titular sacrifice. A violent climax to the conflict that has been present throughout the film. Here, many conflicts take place and end in a violent display. One example is that of the Pagan and Christian values, with religious symbols being constantly present throughout the scene and can be interpreted as either of Christian or Pagan origin. Costumes, for example, invoke both Pagan and Biblical imagery, with Howie’s pure white robes being reflective of both Pagan ritual clothes and Vestments. Similar ideas of Paganism and Christianity uniting can be seen in the music, which has qualities of both cultish chanting through the repetition and steady rhythm, but also choral music in it’s use of unison singing and the accompanying trumpets, an instrument itself related to the idea of the Biblical apocalypse. By having these symbols that are so malleable to interpretation, the films sacrificial scene takes on two meanings depending on the audience's interpretation. The first being a Pagan ceremony, where Howie, an invader to this land, is defeated and reincarnated as part of the Islands tradition, while the other a creation of a Christian martyr, who is murdered by the residents for upholding his moral beliefs which drove him to the island.

by Fionn Morris, April 2023

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