1h 34m
Director: Robin Hardy

The locals don't like having police sergeant Howie poking around on Summerisle looking for a missing girl. He doesn't seem very comfortable with the freedoms their community enjoys either. He is most certainly a prude compared to them and their open views, being used to Christian values.

It's almost May day which is called Beltane in the Pagan world and is the celebration of Spring, this is strongly associated with fertility and reproduction so everyone's got their kit off and there's lots of sex going on.

Young Christopher Lee seems like he's in his element here as he plays the stoic and wise cult leader bringing his usual epic gravitas and Edward Woodward does a stand up job of portraying the rather prudish Neil Howie who challenges Lord Summerisle about his value system which he considers to be blasphemous.

Sergeant Howie reports that he can't believe that this community has dated Pagan values and he classes them as barbaric heathens. He is conflicted though and we have a scene where he is resisting a naked Willow (Britt Ekland) who is dancing next door because he is engaged to be married. It's worth mentioning that if Howie had submitted to Willow's flirtations he'd no longer be a virgin and probably ineligible for later sacrifice.

After failing to start his plane, the sergeant makes quite a nuisance of himself searching the village. He spots the missing girl during the May day festival and tries to free her but it's all a ruse to lure him in as a sacrifice. It doesn't end well for Sergeant Howie.

If you've ever been to a Pagan festival then you'll realise that the way they're depicted in this film isn't far from the truth minus of course the killy bits.

This film is beloved by the Wiccan community because of all the obvious references throughout. The soundtrack has numerous folk songs too which captures the Pagan tone.

There's a few grainy shots in the darker moments but they were fairly unavoidable given the locations they were filming in - you don't really want to light a church with studio lamps for example, it would look a bit odd.

This film feels a bit like the recent film Midsommar tonally because of the obvious Pagan vibes. They did a remake in 2006 with Nick Cage but I don't remember it being a patch on this one. Maybe Ari Aster should have a go at it!

It's worth a watch just to see Christopher Lee prancing around at the May day festival! (might take the edge off his portrayal of Saruman for you though!)

"You'll simply never understand the true nature of sacrifice..." - a chilling line...



Trailer: