The Wicker Man (novel) in the novel than they did in the film, as the casting of Christopher Lee, who is associated with many villainous roles, made it difficult for the film's audience to trust Lord Summerisle or consider his arguments seriously. In the novel, "the battle is more ambivalent, more unsettling – and, in the end, perhaps more in keeping with the treacherous moral landscape Shaffer initially envisioned." The novel expands upon the film's ending. There is a song titled "The Wicker Man" by the band Iron Maiden from their 2000 album "Brave New World." The Wicker Man (novel) The Wicker Man is
The Wicker Man enjoyable piece of hokum, thoroughly well researched, performed and directed." "Variety" wrote that Anthony Shaffer's screenplay "for sheer imagination and near-terror, has seldom been equalled." Kevin Thomas of the "Los Angeles Times" called it "a witty work of the macabre" with "the splendid performances typical of British films." Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" was more negative, calling it "handsomely photographed" with "good performances," but "something of a howl" even though "it seems to have been made in all seriousness." "The Wicker Man" initially had moderate success and won first prize in the 1974 Festival of Fantasy and Science