‘The Wicker Tree’ takes another journey around the maypole

The Wicker Man, Robin Hardy’s seminal horror film from the 1970s, has attained a cult status among avid moviegoers. Throughout the years, it has gained the applause of so many, simply because it featured an eerie story effectively told by the filmmaker and his actors. Almost 40 years later, Hardy returns to the same material with The Wicker Tree, a thriller that can’t earn as much respect as the original.

Newcomer Brittania Nicol plays Beth Boothby, a singer from Texas who has plans to spread her born-again Christianity around the world. Helping her with that goal is her fiancé Steve Thomson (Henry Garrett), an American cowboy who has agreed to save himself for marriage. The two Texans, chastity rings intact, head over to Scotland so Beth can perform a concert and they both can spread the gospel. Why Scotland is chosen as the location for their mission is not made apparent. After one quick scene in “Texas,” the action shifts across the pond to a small hamlet in the Lowlands called Tressock.

Almost immediately the townsfolk seem a bit strange. Sir Lachlan Morrison (Graham McTavish) wields a lot of power, and there are no children in the village. Lolly (Honeysuckle Weeks) is the siren of the town, turning heads with her come-hither glances. Like the original, the locals are interested in pagan rituals, which stand in opposition to the Christianity of the newcomers.

It doesn’t take long for Beth and Steve to get wrapped up into the mystery of Tressock, and who knows whether they will make it out alive.

Although the cover art for the film makes The Wicker Tree look like a horror movie, the story is fairly conventional for 80 percent of the 96-minute duration (the sequel is based on Hardy’s novelization Cowboys for Christ). It’s only in the final minutes that the village unleashes its fury, and Beth and Steve realize what they’ve gotten themselves into. It’s a slow-burn thriller that eventually fizzles out. The promised finale doesn’t make sense and also doesn’t grab our attention. The characters never give any energy to the story, and the whole exercise grows mundane after a while. A subplot involving a nuclear plant is especially jarring.

The visuals of the film are vivid, mostly because of the inherent beauty in the Scottish countryside. Hardy knows how to capture the qualities of a majestic setting. The problem is that the characters all feel manufactured, especially Beth and Steve. The assembled actors are also hit or miss. Nicol is unable to carry the weight of the story on her shoulders, but at least Weeks and McTavish have fun with their odd, odd roles.

Christopher Lee, star of the original The Wicker Man, turns up for an all-too-brief cameo. His presence is a diversion, reminding us of the original and taking us away from the ineptitude of the sequel.

The Wicker Tree is not awful, but the sacrifice of watching this movie doesn’t seem worth it.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• The Wicker Tree

• 2012

• Written and directed by Robin Hardy

• Starring Brittania Nicol, Henry Garrett, Graham McTavish and Honeysuckle Weeks

• Running time: 96 minutes

• Rated R for sexuality, nudity and violence

• Rating: