In The Wicker Man, Sergeant Howie investigates a disappearance on the island of Summerisle.
Summerisle is the remote Scottish island visited by police sergeant Neil Howie in Robin Hardy’s 1973 folk-horror film. Howie travels there to investigate reports that Rowan Morrison, a young girl, has gone missing. The island’s residents follow customs and religious practices that conflict sharply with Howie’s devout Christian beliefs.
The island’s name is sometimes confused with the film’s title or with the names of its residents. Lord Summerisle, played by Christopher Lee, is the island’s ruler, but Summerisle itself is the location. Britt Ekland and Edward Woodward are also associated with major roles, while “Blackmoor” belongs to other fictional settings.
The film became renowned for combining mystery, musical performance, pagan imagery, and horror. Although its initial release was commercially difficult, The Wicker Man later gained a strong reputation as a landmark of British folk horror.