The Wicker Tree (2011)

Charmed by the residents of Tressock, Scotland, two young missionaries accept the invitation to participate in a local festival, fully unaware of the consequences of their decision.

Director:

Robin Hardy

Writers:

Robin Hardy, Robin Hardy (novel)

Stars:

Brittania Nicol, Henry Garrett, Graham McTavish

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brittania Nicol	...	Beth Boothby
Henry Garrett	...	Steve Thomson
James Mapes	...	Reverend Moriarty
Lesley Mackie	...	Daisy
Clive Russell	...	Beame
Graham McTavish	...	Sir Lachlan Morrison
Jacqueline Leonard	...	Lady Delia Morrison
Bill Murdoch	...	Rev. McLeod
Kirstin Murray	...	Celebrity Interviewer
Christopher Fosh	...	Trailer Trash Video Dancer
Graham Wadsworth	...	Trailer Trash Video Dancer
Honeysuckle Weeks	...	Lolly
David Plimmer	...	Jack
Iain Stuart Robertson	...	Peter McNeil
Ailidh Mackay	...	Anthea

Storyline

Young Christians Beth and Steve, a gospel singer and her cowboy boyfriend, leave Texas to preach door-to-door in Scotland . When, after initial abuse, they are welcomed with joy and elation to Tressock, the border fiefdom of Sir Lachlan Morrison, they assume their hosts simply want to hear more about Jesus. How innocent and wrong they are.

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Plot Keywords:

sex scene | female nudity | folk horror | supernatural horror | bare breasts | 

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Taglines:

Accept our sacrifice

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality, nudity and violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robin Hardy had originally written the part of Sir Lachlan Morrison for Sir Christopher Lee. However, while filming The Resident (2011), Lee injured his back after tripping over power cables on set. Although extremely disappointed, Hardy cast the actor who was originally playing Beame, Graham McTavish in Lee's role, with actor Clive Russell taking over the part of Beame. Still wanting to include Lee, Hardy quickly wrote a cameo role for him. He appeared as Sir Lachlan's mentor in a flashback.

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Goofs

When Steve is laying in bed his shorts are white with red and blue plaid pattern. When we see him through the eyes of the raven, they are dark blue overall, and after the raven leaves they are back to the red, blue and white plaid shorts.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Old Gentleman: But can fate be altered? This is a question that every religion has tried to answer, and the answer is almost certainly no. But we keep trying...
Old Gentleman: Poor wee laddie... catching him is a game of chance!

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Connections

References The Simpsons (1989)

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Soundtracks

Trailer Trash Love
Music by Keith Easdale, Robin Hardy and Stuart Glasgow]
Performed by Brittania Nicol and Stuart Glasgow

User Reviews

The Wicker Tree (2010)

The Wicker Man is one of the greatest and most original films you will ever see. For years I have anticipated this spiritual sequel, and so it's no surprise that I was very disappointed. It seems as though, despite years of rumours and hard work, once Hardy got around to making it, all the life had been sucked from him and the film. The Wicker Tree sees two born again Christians travel from America to Scotland to preach the word of Jesus. Unbeknownst to them, this is a place of pagan rituals and sacrifice. This film was certainly trying to parody moments from its predecessor at times. With some heavy handed moments of comedy. Unfortunately, The Wicker Man is one of those films where you laugh nervously at it. It may be easy to lampoon, but it also has fear interlaced with the weird. Here, everything seems slightly amateur and repetitive. The score has nothing on the original, and the songs are barely memorable. We are also given two protagonists that we don't care about. They are comedic clichés of how super American Christians are. All they want to do is spread the word of Jesus in a cheesy cornball manor. Unlike Howie, who was a devote Christian fighting to find a missing girl. The Wicker Man seemed to triumph despite its flaws. Those are what added to the memorable quirks which happened organically. Here they are forced into the film, which means that some actors seem unsure as to whether this is a comedy, horror, satire, or thriller. It's none of these. I may revisit it one day without the expectations, but it makes me want to watch The Wicker Man again.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Wicker Tree

Filming Locations:

Arniston House, Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$7,750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Lion Film Corporation, Euro Center Productions, Tressock Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1