First of all, don’t watch this if you’ve never seen The Wicker Man because it spoils everything.
Second of all, don’t watch this if you have a fear of creepy animal masks or bare buttocks.
Director Robin Hardy’s original vision for the horror story about a policeman searching a remote island for a missing girl while going haircut-to-haircut with the charismatic town leader (played by Christopher Lee) is finally going to see theaters. The release that became a cult classic will have 14 never-before-seen minutes added to it (or re-attached really), and it’s of course been restored.
It’s sort of a strange sensation to see a trailer for a 40-year-old film and get excited by it like it was brand new, but even though they’ve kept the newer footage hidden here, there is a fresh sense of urgency here that’s infectious.
Check it out for yourself, and just for fun, here’s the original 1973 trailer for comparison:
And, yeah, I know: Bees! Got it.
Hardy is currently trying to complete the trilogy with a film called Wrath of the Gods, but this definitive version of the first flick will see UK theaters this month with a limited US release September 27th (followed by more screenings this Fall) and a DVD/Blu-ray release very soon.