Burn The Witch:Don't Keep The Wicker Man Waiting.

"Stay in the shadows, cheer at the gallows, this is a round up" - Burn the Witch, Radiohead

"I think I could turn and live with animals. They are so placid and self-contained. They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins" - Lord Summerisle

Peter Buchanan Dennis - Untitled (2023)

With Lord Summerisle's quote in mind, it seems wholly appropriate that Don't Keep The Wicker Man Waiting was hosted by that rather peculiar institution, The Horse Hospital in Bloomsbury. It was a collection of both artefacts relating to and pieces inspired by Robin Hardy's 1973 film The Wicker Man, a film I'd very recently (earlier this week) rewatched (and written about) at the National Film Theatre.

If anything, the show would be supplementary to the viewing at best - and, thankfully - small though it was, it proved to be just that. I had to ring a buzzer and once a friendly lady let me in I descended down to a fairly dimly lit basement for the exhibition itself. So far, so appropriate.

Other than one guy who was working there, or seemed to be, I was the only person in there (though another guy came in just as I was leaving - as if they were operating a one in one out policy). There wasn't that much information but there was one board up in which we were treated to that old quote, from David Bartholomew of Cinemafantastique, that The Wicker Man is "the Citizen Kane of horror films" and a list of things inspired by the film.

From a rollercoaster in Alton Towers (that sounds fun) to music videos from Radiohead, Iron Maiden, and KLF (Jimmy Cauty was among the providers of archival objects for the show) and on to 2000AD comic characters, Warcraft gaming figures, and even a full blown musical. Whatever it is about The Wicker Man, it seems to touch people very deeply. Perhaps it's the way it delves into our pagan/heathen past. Perhaps that speaks to a people who are deeply unsatisfied with Christianity, capitalism, and neoliberalism and are look for something more authentic in their lives.

Gazelle Twin - Hobby Horse Costume

The Wicker Man British Lion Poster (1972)

David Bramwell - The Sing-Along-A-Wicker-Man Scrapbook:In Search of the Pagan Heart of Britain

Perhaps not. Who knows? For now, I was simply enjoying Gazelle Twin's Hobby Horse costume and an old poster for the film as well as pondering if a Wicker Man singalong would be fun or be dreadful. Historically, I've hated The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I'm mellowing to it now but I still don't think it's my idea of fun. Not unless I was really drunk which I'd probably need to be to attend such an event in the first place.

Another thing I've never had any desire to do is go and see Iron Maiden live (despite the fact that my friend Simon seems to think I like them). They seem like a nice enough bunch of lads and I'm warmed by the fact they released a single called The Wicker Man in 2000. I don't need to listen to it though. I know what it'll sound like.

Iron Maiden - The Wicker Man (2000)

KLF robe (2007)

How d'ya like them apples? Most of the artefacts and exhibits are placed on walls or just in front of a wall but in the middle of the room there's a small basket of apples. There's no explanation why but if you've seen the film you'll understand. If you haven't seen the film you'll be flummoxed.

There's some, rather lovely, location photographs courtesy of Amanda Sutherland, there's a copy of Sight and Sound's 2010 Old Weird Britain special, and there's, I liked this one, Seamus Flannery's production drawings. All good fun. None of it particularly taxing to take in.

Amanda Sutherland - Untitled

Becca Thorne - Old Weird Britain Sight and Sound Magazine (2010)

Cinefantastique - The Wicker Man

Seamus Flannery - Production Drawings (1972)

Wicker Man bread loaf

Alan Invictus! - Giles Bennet model village (2023)

Location map

There's a Wicker man bread loaf, a model village, and, interestingly for me - a map lover, there's a map of the locations where the film was made. Not, you may be disappointed to find out, on an island. But at least it was in Scotland. In Kirkcudbright, Gatehouse of Fleet, Whithorn, Creetown, and Anworth. I had heard of the first two places. The other three were new names to me. They all look worth a visit, Wicker Man fan or not.

Then there's Radiohead whose Burn the Witch video crops up a lot in the show. There are models and there's an actual Wicker Man that Chris Hopewell made for them and then there's a television showing the video itself on repeat. The premise seems to be that the inhabitants of Chigley/Trumpton/Camberwick Green have gone all pagan and are living like the inhabitants of Summerisle. I tried to take a photo of a particularly cool part of the video but as soon as I got my phone camera out the action changed to renowned cider enthusiast Windy Miller mowing his lawn.

But that's okay. Part of what makes The Wicker Man work is that it is set in a fairly quiet, very remote, location where very little happens - or very little seems to happen at first. In that it's not so different to Chigley, Trumpton or lots of children's shows of my youth. I felt like a big kid being able to look at all these Wicker Man toys but the show would have been even better if I'd been allowed to play with them:- imagine Captain Flack at Trumpton fire station being sent out to put out a burning wicker man. That's an episode I could quite easily get behind.

Radiohead - Burn the Witch (2016)

Chris Hopewell - Burn the Witch original models (2016)

 Chris Hopewell - Radiohead 'Burn The Witch' Wicker Man (2016)