Is The Wicker Man (1973) scary?

Not particularly — The Wicker Man (1973)'s appeal is atmospheric or thematic rather than overtly scary. As a folk horror film, it scored 2.0/10 for fear, 8.1/10 for atmosphere, and 8.0/10 overall on Watch Darkly's curator scale across 1 rating.

Is The Wicker Man (1973) streaming?

The Wicker Man (1973)'s US theatrical release date is May 15, 1974. No digital rental, streaming or physical release date has been announced.

How many jump scares are in The Wicker Man (1973)?

The Wicker Man (1973) has 4 jump scares, based on its logged jump-scare count.

What age is The Wicker Man (1973) appropriate for?

The Wicker Man (1973) is rated R. Watch Darkly does not assign its own age rating, so here is what the film actually contains. On Watch Darkly's curator scale it scored 2.0/10 for fear, 1.0/10 for gore, and 5.0/10 for intensity, where 10 is the most extreme in the catalog. It has 4 jump scares. Content warnings on file: animal death, child endangerment, and religious themes.

Who is in the cast of The Wicker Man (1973)?

Edward Woodward plays Sergeant Neil Howie, Christopher Lee plays Lord Summerisle, Britt Ekland plays Willow MacGreagor, Diane Cilento plays Miss Rose, Ingrid Pitt plays Librarian, Roy Boyd plays Broome, Lesley Mackie plays Daisy, Walter Carr plays School Master.

Does The Wicker Man (1973) have a happy ending?

The Wicker Man (1973) has a downer ending on Watch Darkly's spoiler-gated ending scale.

What are some films like The Wicker Man (1973)?

Films similar to The Wicker Man (1973) on Watch Darkly include Children of the Corn (1984), Prisoners (2013), Kill List (2011), selected by shared themes and tags plus the curator scoring across fear, gore, atmosphere, intensity, and overall quality.

Metadata and artwork from TMDB. Not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Folk horror

The Wicker Man

1973 · R · 1h 33m

Curator Score8.0/ 10

Flesh to touch...Flesh to burn! Don't keep the Wicker Man waiting!

Release & where to watch

In theaters: May 15, 1974

Where to watchUS, as of Sep 11, 2026

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Watch Darkly

Curator Certificate

8.0

Out of ten

Passed by one curator

Fear2.0

Gore1.0

Atmosphere8.1

Intensity5.0

How we score

Strongest on atmosphere, light on gore.

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Jump scares

The Wicker Man has 4 jump scares. Compare counts

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We scored it 8.0. Where do you land?

ours 8.0

—

Didn't workOne of the greats

Score it 7 or higher and we'll recommend films like it.

Tap the bar for a whole number, drag it for halves. The full scorecard — fear, gore, atmosphere, intensity — is further down.

Police sergeant Neil Howie is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. The investigation is further complicated as Howie’s religious views clash with those of the island’s residents.

Plot summary via TMDB

Genres

dramamysteryhorrorthriller

Details

Budget$810,000

Box office$885,371

Directed by

Written by

Cinematography

Music

Starring

Edward Woodward as Sergeant Neil Howie · Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle · Britt Ekland as Willow MacGreagor · Diane Cilento as Miss Rose · Ingrid Pitt as Librarian · Roy Boyd as Broome · Lesley Mackie as Daisy · Walter Carr as School Master

Production

British Lion Films

Reviews

blessedmakerCurator

May 7, 2026

Overall8Fear2Atmos.8.1Gore1

The great Christopher Lee: my introduction to him, and my huge admiration for him, came from his role as Saruman, so my joy in seeing him here no doubt elevated my experience, but suffice to say his talent would have been noticeable without that context anyway. This isn't a very frightening or scary movie, not that it ever tries to be. It's a very well-crafted film that a non-horror fan can really enjoy. Long stretches of the film serve as a documentary on cultural clashes and an exploration of different human moralities. The cinematography, the characters, the dialogue: it's all just so well done and executed with intent. Howie as the puritanical lawman does an exceptional job in his absolute search for justice, and his disdain and disgust for the "charlatan" ways of the community he explores really creates a strong and convincing character. And of course Lee as Lord Summerisle. The instantly recognizable baritone delivery of his backwards way of life almost has you believe how reasonable he and his commune are. It's jarring how wildly the finale turns from the other 90% of the film, and here the horror presented beautifully and stuck with me after the credits rolled. A great movie, with a great last act that unnerves.

Read all reviews

Children of the Corn1984

Folk horror with the same rural setting.

Prisoners2013

Procedural horror with the same slow-burn dread and rural setting.

Kill List2011

Folk horror with the same slow-burn dread.

Not yet scored

Midsommar2019

A community with their own strange beliefs and cultures and rituals that frighten and shock. The community doesn't reveal at once, or at all. Both are slow films with a finale that is shocking.