DVD Review: THE WICKER TREE (2010)

    
 
THE WICKER TREE
Written & Directed by:  Robin Hardy
Distributed by:  Anchor Bay Entertainment

  Fans of Robin Hardy's 1973 classic, THE WICKER MAN, will be glad to hear that he is back with a new film called THE WICKER TREE.   THE WICKER TREE is Hardy's newest film and comes almost 40 years after his original cult classic.   THE WICKER TREE is a not a sequel, nor is it officially a remake of THE WICKER MAN.  The back of the DVD describes it as a "re-imaging" of Hardy's original classic.  I'm not really sure what that means, and I'm not sure how close in story this film is to THE WICKER MAN. 
 
 I saw THE WICKER MAN years ago, when I was probably too young to be watching it, probably sometime back in the 80's.  So, needless to say I don't remember much about it at all.   Here is the plot of THE WICKER TREE from the Anchor Bay website:

 When two young missionaries (Brittania Nicol, Henry Garrett) head to Scotland, they are initially charmed by the locals in the town of Tressock, and agree to become the local Queen of the May and Laddie for the annual town festival. But the couple is not prepared for the frightening consequences of their decision, and the very disturbing secrets they are about to discover about Tressock’s seemingly friendly townspeople.

  It is probably a good thing that I have not seen THE WICKER MAN in over 30 years, as it made it impossible to compare the two films.  I'm sure those who have seen TWM recently, will not be able to keep from comparing the two films.  If TWM is as great of a movie as most people say, then it might not be in THE WICKER TREE's best interest to be compared to it.

 Now, for those like me that haven't seen TWM in years or even ever, I think you will enjoy this film.  I know I sure did.    The film is very well made and has some very beautiful scenery courtesy of the Scotland filming location, including beautiful countryside and some impressive mansions and castles.

 One thing you will have to get past is the acting.  The main two characters of Beth and Steve are a little hard to get used to at first, especially Steve.  He talks with a way over exaggerated Texas accent (or what is supposed to be a Texas accent) and his lines just come out really corny sometimes because of it.  He also sounds like he has a Scottish accent from time to time mixed in with his Texas accent, which can be a little distracting at first.   You get used to it, though...or at least, I did.    The part of Beth is played by newcomer Brittania Nicol, and I will let her acting slide since this is her first film.  It is not horrible, and I'm sure it will get better with each addition film she is in.   She could be one to keep your eye on in the future.

 The film is not a very gory film, so fans looking for that might be disappointed, but there is a scene of a human sacrifice that basically turns into the group of townsfolk stripping naked and eating the sacrificial human, all while worshiping the sun.   That is a very strange sentence, I know, but it is a very strange film for sure!  There is also a man burned alive and women being turned  into human statues!   Very weird and creepy stuff!  

 THE WICKER TREE will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 24th.  You can pre-order your copy now by clicking the purchase links below.  The DVD and Blu-ray will both contain the following special features:

*  The Making of The Wicker Tree
*  Deleted Scenes
*  Trailer


CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website and watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray