The cursed story of ‘The Wicker Man’ has a new tragic chapter

In 1972, when Dominic Hardy was 12, he left his hometown of Montreal to spend Christmas in Britain. His father Robin Hardy had just wrapped his new film The Wicker Man and he brought Dominic along to a private screening in London’s Soho. Written by Sleuth’s Anthony Shaffer and starring Christopher Lee as the aristocratic Lord Summerisle, alongside Edward Woodward and Britt Ekland, its unique flavour left a lasting impression. “I have a memory of the sexuality and the horrific violence that closes the film,” Dominic says, matter-of-factly, over video chat. READ MORE: The best films of 2026… so far! He would hardly be the only one unable to forget what he saw. The Wicker Man’s bloodied and bruised history has been well-documented, from producers British Lion shredding the film in the edit to a belated release in America and, finally, cult fandom. After a lost stash of notes, letters and illustrations belonging to their father was discovered in an attic, Hardy and his half-brother Justin further explored the phenomenon in the 2025 book and companion documentary Children Of The Wicker Man, almost a decade after the death of their father. All set on mysterious Scottish island Summerisle...