The Wicker Man have been more fantastical in subject matter than the original film, and relied more heavily on special effects. In this continuation of the story, which begins immediately after the ending of the first film, Sergeant Neil Howie is rescued from the burning Wicker Man by a group of police officers from the mainland. Howie sets out to bring Lord Summerisle and his pagan followers to justice, but becomes embroiled in a series of challenges which pit the old gods against his own Christian faith. The script culminates in a climactic battle between Howie and a fire-breathing dragon – the titular
The Wicker Man Fiction films in Paris, but largely slipped into obscurity. In 1977 the American film magazine "Cinefantastique" devoted a commemorative issue to the film, asserting that the film is "the "Citizen Kane" of horror movies" – an oft-quoted phrase attributed to this issue. Decades after its release, the film still receives positive reviews from critics and is considered one of the best films of 1973. At the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "The Wicker Man" holds a 90% "Fresh" rating based on 48 reviews, with a weighted average score of 7.8/10 and the site's consensus: "This intelligent horror film is subtle