DVD Review – The Wicker Tree
The belated sequel to The Wicker Man is finally due out on on general release but has it been worth the wait or does it tarnish the memory of the original? Here is Tom’s review of The Wicker Tree
Robin Hardy had such a tough time directing his feature debut The Wicker Man that it nearly put him off returning behind the camera for good. Despite Hardy’s troubles, it is rightly revered as a horror classic that still retains the power to shock with its depiction of a religious cult who partake in human sacrifices, and he did a commendable job of bringing Anthony Schaffer’s screenplay to the big screen in style.
Nearly fourty years later Hardy has returned to a familiar theme with his latest film The Wicker Tree which was initially billed as Cowboys For Christ until studio pressure led to a name change, presumably to attract audiences longing for a return to Summer Isle, the infamous isolated setting of The Wicker Man. This time around the newcomers to a deeply religious community are invited to take part in a local festival in the Scottish village of Tressock, and although a Wicker figure does return, this lacklustre sequel of sorts has none of the charm of his debut.
Although their performances are enthusiastic, the main actors fail to provide the story with any likeable characters, and the villains lack a certain unlikeability factor, in fact I was ambivalent about every person in this film. One of a horror films main aim is for the audience to sympathise with the victims and despise the villains and The Wicker Tree fails at both. With no-one to root for, I was left waiting for the appearance of Christoper Lee to rescue the film but the two minutes of screentime he had in which to mutter some mumbo jumbo about mysticism and religion was very disappointing.
It is not often I spot continuity mistakes in films as it is not something that grabs my attention when I am deeply entranced in a film’s story but there was a glaring error in The Wicker Tree that did make me chuckle. The main character falls asleep in checked boxer shorts only to awake in striped boxer shorts of a different colour, even worse is the fact that the shot is set up identically and follows in sequence but all present, including the actor, failed to realise he was wearing a different outfit! This is not the result of meticulous first rate film-making, and when a man is bleeding profusely but fails to leave a bloody stain on a table he has laid down on for some time, it gave the impression that I was watching a film where its creators were half-arsed about the end result. It may sound like I am nitpicking but if the film was more captivating I would be far less likely to be noticing mistakes such as these.
Hardy does show some promise, with a brutal murder in an ruined castle standing out as a highlight, it is just a shame that The Wicker Tree is essentially a retread of his finest hour but without the foreboding atmosphere of doom that left audiences on the edge of their seats the first time around. Completists will no doubt seek out The Wicker Tree on its release and if you don’t go in expecting another Wicker Man you may be pleasantly surprised. However, I have a feeling that most fans of the original will regret watching this sequel, as it is not the return to form from Hardy I was hoping for.
The Wicker Tree is on general release from Monday 30th April through Anchor Bay Entertainment
Are you a fan of The Wicker Man? Does the idea of a sequel leave you uncertain? Let me know your thoughts below…
Tom Bielby
Nice review Tom. I agree with most points having caught this at the Prince Charles cinema on Wednesday.
I did enjoy some of the script and it was certainly engaging but I think Hardy placed far too much focus on the humour in this one. There was little time to build atmosphere, as you pointed out, and the ending felt far too rushed – and aside from the castle scene you mentioned, not nearly horrific enough.
Hardy came onstage before the film to tell us that he felt The Wicker Man and The Wicker Tree could be described more as ‘black comedies’ than horrors, but he definitely went overboard with this one.
Thanks for your comments Chris, I think even as a black comedy the wicker tree missese its mark. I would have loved to have seen Hardy talk about the film beforehand, I’m quite jealous!
Well that’s a much more positive review than the last one I read. I don’t think I’m going to take the risk on seeing this. Those continuity errors sound like pretty amateur or half-assed mistakes. I think I’ll just cherish the memory of the original.
You’ve made the right decision Pete!
It’s sad when sequels don’t live up to their predecessors but I guess an effort had to be made somewhere, even though they fell short. I never even heard of The Wicker Man, let alone this one so if anything…both films are getting some exposure, which is a good thing. My guess is that more people who may be disappointed in The Wicker Tree will likely seek out the first one to compare the two, so it gets a second life as a rental.
If it brings more attention to The Wicker Man then I suppose it’s not a bad thing, although I can’t imagine people new to the wicker Man wanting to seek out the original after watching this.
I haven’t seen The Wicker Man, yet but I must say I’m not too intrigued by that nor this one, sorry Tom.
Not to worry Ruth, the original is a classic but it is quite grim and depressing as well.
Sounds disappointing but The Wicker Man is one of those films that never needed a sequel.
Exactly Dan, there are too many unneccesary sequels these days.