Director: Robin Hardy, 15, 1973
Stars: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland
Out to buy on DVD
This three-disc edition of the cult classic — part Hammer Horror, part folk-rock musical and part drugged-up episode of Bergerac — coincides with its Hollywood remake starring Nicolas Cage. Woodward’s puritanical policeman looks for a missing girl on a Scottish island of pagans, giving us the chance to see Christopher Lee in a dress and Britt Ekland making love to a wall. Its camp, dated air now adds to its eerie atmosphere and chilling final sacrifice.
Studio cuts and a tortured production history have enhanced the film’s cult status over the years. These are detailed in the extras from the 2002 collector’s edition, including a commentary by Lee, Woodward and Hardy for the longer director’s cut. New to this release is a 2003 documentary by Mark Kermode and the soundtrack album that references folk music, nursery rhymes and the fading embers of acid rock. Like the film, it is distinctively odd.
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DVD Extras
Director’s cut, commentary, documentaries, trailer, 1973 interview, soundtrack disc
IAN JOHNS