![]() ![]() "It is ironic that a film that was intended to acerbically dissect the power structures and beliefs of cults should have gained a cult following," observed Dr Benjamin Franks of Glasgow University. In 2003, thousands of devotees converged on Galloway for a two-day celebration of "punks, pagans, and pyromaniacs", featuring live rock music and a bonfire of an eight-metre effigy. The tortured production and distribution process only helped to burnish the film's cult credentials among its more dedicated fans, dubbed "Wicker-heads" by the British tabloid press. That it did not sink into obscurity was largely down to Robin Hardy's and Lee's promotion efforts, which eventually took Hardy to New Orleans to work on a new, director-approved cut. ![]() ![]() It was finally released as the B-feature on a double bill alongside Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now. The managing director of British Lion judged it unsaleable and demanded severe cuts to the total running time. Though Christopher Lee, who played the island's community leader, regarded the film as his best work, early reaction was mixed. The glossy magazine Cinefantastique described it as "the Citizen Kane of horror movies". ![]()
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