The Wicker Man (novel) for the film, but were cut to reduce running time and have not been seen since the loss of the film negative. For example, the character of Lord Summerisle's gillie is restored, and the reader learns of Howie's interest in bird-watching. The novelization reveals that Sergeant Neil Howie had originally attempted to become a priest, but that he was daunted by the prospect of preaching the minority faith of Episcopalianism in the staunchly Presbyterian Scottish Highlands. Howie's relationship with his fiancée, Mary Bannock, is explored in greater detail. Allan Brown writes that Howie's arguments with Lord Summerisle have more impact
The Wicker Tree as the original "Wicker Man", but it's a thousand times better than the remake. I was quite happy with that." When asked whether he preferred "The Wicker Tree" to the original version of "The Wicker Man", Hardy replied, "No, I really don't." The film on Rotten Tomatoes, based on a total of 14 reviews, currently has a 29% rating, and an audience score of 10%. Anchor Bay Entertainment released "The Wicker Tree" on Region 1 and Region 2 DVD and Blu-ray in April 2012. Hardy had proposed a third film in the "Wicker Man" film series, but he died on