This has been a good week for cult-’70s fans. Over in Venice, William Friedkin is presenting his freshly restored thriller “Sorcerer,” and news arrived just a couple of days ago that “The Wicker Man: The Final Cut” would be headed to U.S. cinemas via Rialto Pictures. And while we wait for the campaign to mount on this side of the ocean, over in the U.K. StudioCanal have already started reminding everyone that they have to see it, whether it’s for the first time or again.
A new trailer has landed for the restored film by Robin Hardy, and it’s reminder of just how brilliant the picture is. If for some reason you haven’t seen it (and be sure to fix that situation when this plays nears you, because you have no idea what you’re in for), the film centers on a devoutly Christian cop played by Edward Woodward, who heads to a remote Scottish island to investigate the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl. But when he gets there, his world is turned upside down. He’s greeted by no less than what appears to be a pagan cult, and soon his mission to find the girl takes some seriously twisted and dark turns.
The movie has been restored to its original 102-minute run time after being hacked by British distributors to 88 min so they could cram it onto double bills. What else can we say, except that’s it not like that Nicolas Cage version—this is a horror classic with more than good reason. Meanwhile, Hardy is continuing to try to milk the golden goose, with plans for a third and final chapter in the trilogy. You may have forgotten about 2011’s not very well received sequel “The Wicker Tree,” well one more is coming with “Wrath Of The Gods.”
“The first two films are all (about) offers to the Gods. The third film is about the Gods. I use the vehicle of the final act of Götterdämmerung (the last of Wagner’s Ring cycle),” Hardy told Screen Daily about the movie he’s putting together financing for. No word yet on when it might lens.
As for the original, it opens on September 27th at IFC Center, New York City, hitting Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington and other cities in the fall. Watch below.