It tops the poll of the 50 greatest British horror films, according to readers of Horrified Magazine, while the Guardian pitches it at number four in its list of the 25 greatest horror films.
David Bartholomew of Cinefantastique magazine described The Wicker Man as “the Citizen Kane of horror films”. Bizarrely, it even has its own rollercoaster ride in the British theme park Alton Towers. Made of wood, naturally.
But when the film was released back in 1973, the studio behind it – British Lion – tried to bury it with a limited release. It was briefly tacked on as the supporting feature in a double bill with Nicolas Roeg’s atmospheric psychological thriller Don’t Look Now.
