There are myriad stories surrounding The Wicker Man – the 1973 film once proclaimed ‘the Citizen Kane of horror movies’. Famously, the original negative is supposed to have ended up propping up pylons on the M4 motorway. hence the lack of a definitive reissue. After years of searching, a 35 mm print turned up in the Harvard Film Archive and rights owners Studiocanal+ have beautifully restored it. It’s back out in the cinema this Friday (27th September) and on Blu Ray in a couple of weeks complete with bonus soundtrack disc. For many who’ve seen the film, the soundtrack may have left deeper marks than the visuals.

Regular visitors to the site and attendees of our events may well have heard our friends the Memory Band play the soundtrack in its entirety in the past. To celebrate the rerelease of the film, the band will perform the songs at a one-off show at the Curzon Soho in conjunction with a screening. That’s got to be the perfect way to experience the film, whether new to it or the kind of slavering hardcore fan like myself.

An aside – one of our fondest memories of the film and its soundtrack was hearing Doves perform the mesmerizing ‘Willow’s Song’ live just after the release of Lost Souls. We’ve posted it here – hope you like.