Just want to quickly share some The Wicker Man, and its spiritual companion The Wicker Tree, news with you today. Starting with a newly updated and revised book on the 1973 cult-classic film by Scottish journalist Allan Brown. “Inside the “Wicker Man”: How Not to Make a Cult Classic”, originally released in 2000, gives an inside look at the many hurdles the film faced, and how it became a cult hit despite these setbacks.

“Inside The Wicker Man is a treat for all cinemagoers, exhaustively researched and achieving a near-perfect balance between history, trivia and serious analysis. Allan Brown describes the filming and distribution of the cult masterpiece as a ‘textbook example of ‘How Things Should Never Be Done’. The omens were bad from the start, and proceeded to get much, much worse, with fake blossom on trees to simulate spring, actors chomping on ice-cubes to prevent their breath showing on film, and verbal and physical confrontations involving both cast and crew. The studio hated it and hardly bothered to distribute it, but today it finds favour with critics and fans alike, as a serious – if flawed – piece of cinema.”

The revised and expanded edition also talks about the plans for the film’s “spiritual sequel” The Wicker Tree, which has just released a teaser trailer at its web site.

There’s also a collection of photos and videos available on the film’s media page. Sadly, we still don’t have a release date for the film, but hopefully the teaser means we don’t have to wait too much longer. It remains to be seen if The Wicker Tree will be able to withstand the weight of expectation, especially after the unintentionally comic and misguided 2006 remake of the original Wicker Man. Regardless of how well the “sequel” does, the original continues to be a hugely popular phenomenon, inspiring countless tributes and new contexts.

Tags: Allan Brown, film, Inside the Wicker Man, movies, The Wicker Man, The Wicker Tree