In cinemas 21 June 2023

A puritan Police Sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl, who the Pagan locals claim never existed.

Welcome to Summerisle for a one-night-only cinematic screening of Robin Hardy’s cult folk horror, to celebrate its half-century.

Of the three different cuts currently available of the movie, the director’s 95-minute Final Cut has wisely been chosen for the big screen. Scanned in 4K from the original 35mm negative, a second generation 35mm internegative is used to replace damaged sections. And apart from these cosmetic fixes and the different quality of footage in the new intro, it looks absolutely stunning.

As is par for the course with HDR 4K scans, there’s a new richness to the detail, with the rural daytime scenes bursting with colour, while there’s more to see in the nighttime sequences.

The film itself is of course a classic, influencing so much of the folk horror genre. Edward Woodward gives a career-best performance as a police officer investigating a missing girl, finding a wall of silence in the community, and unaware just how deep the conspiracy goes. Christopher Lee frequently cited Lord Summerisle as one of his favourite roles, and it’s a wonderful, colourful performance that hides a sinister underbelly. Britt Ekland, Ingrid Pitt and Aubrey Morris also provide memorable supporting roles, and those kids with the masks are just… scary!

A special multi-disc 4K edition will be released on 4th September.

Verdict: ‘Hail the Queen of the May!’ If you’ve never seen it before, or not given it a spin for a while, this is the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to a front row seat to The Wicker Man – the hottest ticket in town. 10/10

Nick Joy