The Wicker Man Making-Of Book Excerpt Reveals Never-Before-Seen BTS Images Of Classic British Horror Movie [EXCLUSIVE]

Take a trip back to the mysterious island of Summerisle with exclusive images from The Wicker Man: The Official Story of the Film. Partially inspired by the David Pinner novel Ritual, the 1973 British horror movie centered on a police officer heading to an isolated island community after learning of a young girl who’s gone missing, only to be shocked by the pagan rituals conducted by the locals and learning of a darker game at play. Led by Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee, The Wicker Man was initially a commercial failure, despite strong reviews, but has since amassed a strong cult following.

Ahead of its release, Screen Rant is proud to present exclusive images from The Wicker Man: The Official Story of the Film. Penned by filmmaker John Walsh and releasing in time for the movie’s 50th anniversary on November 7, the novel offers an in-depth chronicling of the movie’s journey from development to cult popularity, including the various hardships it faced behind the scenes. The exclusive images, as seen in the gallery below, offer never-before-seen behind-the-scenes looks from The Wicker Man, including various concept art sketches by director Robin Hardy, and photography from the day the eponymous structure was burned:

The Wicker Man’s BTS Troubles Are Just As Fascinating As The Movie

As explored in Walsh’s making-of-book, The Wicker Man endured a wide array of troubles both during its production and during post-production. One of the biggest issues plaguing the movie was that production company British Lion Films was in the midst of financial trouble during the British film industry crisis, pushing the project to shoot as soon as possible, resulting in a Fall 1972 shoot rather than the spring, when the story is set. This resulted in his cast and crew suffering through colder conditions while acting as though in the midst of celebrating May Day.

The movie’s post-production is one of the more infamous chapters in its legacy, with EMI Films, the studio that bought out British Lion Films, frequently requesting cuts to the movie in contrast to Hardy and Lee’s goals for the atmosphere and story. These cuts eventually led to it releasing as a “B” picture on a double bill with fellow horror classic Don’t Look Now, coming in at just 87 minutes, well short of Hardy’s estimated 99-minute cut. Lee has largely been outspoken against these cuts, eventually working with Hardy and writer Anthony Shaffer to restore the original version, though much of the footage was unable to be found, with the star accusing then-new British Lion heads Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings of destroying the materials.

Despite these setbacks, the cult classic potential of The Wicker Man would ultimately prevail in the movie’s favor, with Canal+ eventually releasing a remastered Director’s Cut and Final Cut via StudioCanal, including the upcoming 50th Anniversary 4K Collector’s Edition. The movie has also gone on to not only spark the infamous Nicolas Cage-led remake, but also influence a variety of other efforts in the folk horror genre, the more notable being that of Ari Aster’s Midsommar.