The Wicker Man was released in 1973 and, over time has become a British cult classic, directed by Robin Hardy and written by Anthony Shaffer. Edward Woodward stars as Sergeant Howie, a naive young police officer sent to Summerisle, a secluded island off the coast of Scotland, to investigate the disappearance of a young girl named Rowan. When he arrives there, he finds a very tight-knit community that is mistrustful and hostile to outsiders. No one is willing to even acknowledge Rowan's disappearance. Soon, Howie begins to realize that the town might, in fact, be a strange pagan cult, one given to unbridled sexuality and possible human sacrifice. Seeking an audience with the oddly civilized Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), Howie hopes to get to the bottom of the mystery, but instead he finds something more shocking than he could have ever imagined. Shaffer's script depicted an almost prehistoric worshipping society that followed strange rituals and incantations.

Upon it's release the film did reasonably well taking first prize in the 1974 Festival of Fantastic Films in Paris.

But over the years The Wicker Man has finally got the recognition that they deserved as Hardy produced a film that was part horror, drama, comedy, and musical.

It's not a film about monster or aliens it's a film about human nature The Wicker Man is, more than anything else, a film about what people can do in the name of religion or, more generally, belief.

The concept of religion and the threat of another human being is something that isn't an alien concept to us that Dracula or Frankenstein and perhaps packs that greater punch of fear and disturbance as they are not outside the realms of possibility.

In 2006 a re-make, starring Nicholas Cage as Edward Malus, was released. Instead of being set in Scotland events took place on a small island off the coast of Washington.

Christopher Lee's role as Lord Summerisle was replaced instead by a woman. And Malus is not overtly religious, conflicts between Howie's beliefs in the 1973 version and the islanders' religion was a driving force of the film, in the remake Malus has a dislike of their matriarchal society and its repression of men.

Upon release the film was not met well critically or commercially.

They say that the original is always the best and in this case it is definitely so. The Wicker Man may not have done well on initial release but over the years it has become a British gem.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw