The Wicker Man (Dir: Robin Hardy, 1973)

The original was filmed in and around the towns of Plockton, Newton Stewart, Gatehouse of Fleet and Kirkudbright and at Cluzean Castle, Ayshire (now owned by National Trust and open to the public.). The Castle and it’s gardens were used as the exterior for Lord Summerisle’s house and the dining room was used, and is decorated in the same way as it was then, complete with knife holder, but most of the other internal scenes were shot at Lochinch Castle. Plockton was used for Summerisle Harbour and the buildings seen in the film still stand. Gatehouse of Fleet’s Cally Estate office was used for The Green Man Inn, while the interiors were shot at Ellangowan Hotel, Creetown. The location you’re probably most interested in, the one of the final scene is at Burrowhead, now a caravan park called Burrowhead Holiday Village, but still looking pretty much the same as it did in the film.

Among the controversies of this film are a few relating to the Scottish locations in Dumfries and Galloway, the most famous being that Britt Ekland called it ‘the most dismal place in creation’ and producers etc. had to do their best to smooth things over with the locals. Ekland also made a fuss when she saw that a bottom double for her naked bottom appeared in the final film - it wasn’t that hers wasn’t nice but that she didn’t want to get it out for the cameras. She also told stories about animals having been accidentally killed in the burning man scene.

The area is so happy to have had the film put them on the map that there is an annual Wickerman Festival held at the end of which the key scene - bar the trapped prisoner - is recreated in the burning of a huge man of wicker. The original stumps from the shoot at Burrowhead were left there and survived until 2006 when someone made off with them - film cretin!

Wicker Man Fan site with more information.

Written by  Film Fan.

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