One of the many fascinating things about The Wicker Man is that even its release date can cause confusion. There should be nothing so simple as to look up when a movie first hit theaters, but especially in trans-Atlanic efforts the dates are often different between the UK and the US. The Wicker Man had a limited UK release on June 21 (quite close to Midsummer, it turns out) of this year. It’d been released before, of course. The initial UK release date was December 6, 1973 (twenty days before the US release date of The Exorcist). Making its way to the US, it was first released on May 15, 1974—not long after May Day. One of the features of the curious history of the movie is that it lacked support from its own studio. Not surprisingly, it performed better overseas, particularly in America.
Release dates can be important, and can make a difference in a film’s success. Again, the quirkiness of The Wicker Man reveals this—although set in late April-early May, it was filmed in November. Actors had to suck on ice chips to prevent their breath from being visible. And who’s thinking about May Day when getting ready for Christmas? All of these factors swirl around in a mythology that the movie has developed. My book went to the printer yesterday. It should be out in August-September, hopefully in time to catch the interest of those who’ve gone to see it in theaters again. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen it. I’ve watched all three released versions. It feels like an old friend.
From the beginning, the plan was to release my book this year, due to the fiftieth anniversary of the movie. It’s funny how simply surviving half a century can make something interesting to people. There are plenty of 1973 movies that aren’t getting any particular boost this year. The thing about The Wicker Man is that it became a cult classic. Although it was never a mainstream hit, it has sent out its tentacles far and wide. I notice references to it is unexpected places. If you’re attuned to this you say to yourself, “that movie really made an impact.” And it did. When I first pitched this book idea to the editor of Auteur, I told him I’d do whatever I could to make a 2023 release. Of course, I started writing it before Nightmares with the Bible came out. My next book after the Wicker Man doesn’t have an anniversary release in mind. That’s good, because like a moon-shot it’s nerve-racking to aim for such a narrow target, years in advance.
