The Wicker Man (2023)

The Wicker Man, Devil’s Advocates, Auteur, ISBNs: 978-1-83764-388-2 (paperback); 978-1-83764-466-7

What Others Say

“With a thorough walk through the film and its content, while comparing with an overview of Beltane and real May Day celebrations, the book is packed with valuable insight. This is a wise and intelligent study, with the author’s background in faith – he majored in studies of religion and had intended to be a minister – certainly lending credence to the book’s theories and understanding of the film’s religious content.

“The Wicker Man is a long-awaited entry in the Devil’s Advocates book series – now over 50 books and counting, including entries on everything from Halloween and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to Ju-on: The Grudge and The Blair Witch Project – and it was worth the wait.”—Samuel Love, FilmJuice

“Wiggins proves an engaging, erudite commentator on assorted interlinked elements, with the recurring holiday horror themes (notably, sacrifice) running parallel to an examination of the origins of what we know as ‘holidays’ / ‘vacations’ and a consideration of religion’s transformation through the centuries… Wiggins’ highly perceptive and refreshing study will provide yet another excuse to revisit and celebrate one of Britain’s greatest achievements in the genre.”—Steven West, FrightFest

“Altogether, like other Devil’s Advocates entries, Wiggins’ The Wicker Man would be at home within an undergraduate or continuing education course on religion and film and perhaps a creative social-science course (first-year seminar?) on holidays. The background information is not detailed enough to earn a place in an introductory religion course or one on new religious
movements, but it could make a fun, supplemental text in a course on horror films or Folk Horror more specifically.”—Laurel Zwissler, Journal of Religion & Film

“I feel this is an original take on the film, and has put it in a new light for me so that it feels less like old material and more something I should re-appraise from other perspectives. I feel this—particularly alongside the existing Devil’s Advocates on Witchfinder General and The Blood on Satan’s Claw—offers a dynamic springboard from which to approach what might feel like over-familiar texts.”—Anonymous reviewer

For a video introduction see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AKPLq-oXqk&t=2s

For an interview with John W. Morehead see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqwsQReStJE

About the Book

Book page: https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781837644667

The hook for this short book will be the treatment of The Wicker Man as “Holiday Horror.” This is an idea that stems from my work on various projects concerned with holidays over many years.

The Robin Hardy and Anthony Shaffer classic, The Wicker Man was released in 1973. This little book in the Devil’s Advocates series is being released on the 50-year anniversary of the film.

The book is now available, so start weaving your wicker, and get ready for May Day. Head on over to Bookshop.org, Amazon, or have your local independent bookstore order it for you. Also, there are several blog posts about the book, easily found by putting “Wicker Man” in the search box and clicking away. Since this is a short book, I won’t say too much here but I’m glad to discuss it with any interested parties.