What actually happens
A sore throat cured with a toad
Sergeant Neil Howie of the West Highlands Constabulary lands his seaplane on the Hebridean island of Summerisle on 29 April 1973. An anonymous letter has told him a girl named Rowan Morrison is missing. Howie is a devout Christian, and he is disturbed to find the islanders worshipping their ancestors' pagan gods, with the churches left empty. They have sex in the fields, teach children about the maypole, and a toad is put in a child's mouth as a cure for a sore throat. Staying at the Green Man Inn, Howie is propositioned by the landlord's daughter, and he declines because he is engaged and saving sex for marriage. He notices harvest photographs that each feature a young May Queen, and the newest one is missing. At school, every child denies Rowan existed, but her name is in the register. The teacher points him to her grave.
Reading this instead of watching it is the correct decision. Scaredy Cat makes that decision automatic, for free.
A grave containing a hare
On 30 April, Howie meets Lord Summerisle, the island's leader, to ask for permission to dig up Rowan's body. Summerisle says his Victorian grandfather bred fruit trees that could grow in Scottish weather and encouraged the islanders to return to the old gods, who would bring prosperity. The harvests were so good that the islanders took up the old religion, and the Christian ministers left. Howie digs up the coffin and finds only a hare. He also finds the missing photograph, which shows Rowan standing among empty crates in the year the harvest failed. His research tells him that the islanders offer a human sacrifice when the crops fail, so he concludes Rowan is alive and will be killed to save this year's harvest.
Howie borrows the innkeeper's costume
On May Day morning, Howie asks the mainland for help and returns to his seaplane, only to find that it no longer works and its radio is broken, so he cannot leave or call anyone. He takes the innkeeper's costume and mask of Punch, the Fool, by force and slips into the May Day parade, which includes a long sword dance. Rowan is finally revealed. Howie frees her and runs with her into a cave. When they come out, the islanders are waiting, and Rowan happily goes back to them.
The wicker man, taken apart in advance
Lord Summerisle informs Howie that Rowan was never meant to be sacrificed. Howie is. He satisfies the four conditions their gods demand: he arrived by his own choice, he is a policeman and so carries the authority of a king, he is a virgin, and he has been fooled by their act. Howie warns them that their crops are failing because the climate does not suit the trees, and that the islanders will sacrifice Summerisle next summer when the harvest fails again. They ignore him. The scene people dread is the last one. The villagers force Howie into a giant wicker man with animals, set it on fire, and sing the old folk song "Sumer Is Icumen In" around it. Howie recites Psalm 23 and prays. The animals are heard but not seen, and the head of the statue falls in flames to reveal the setting sun.
The ending, explained
Howie does not make it off Summerisle. The islanders push him into the wicker man with various animals, set it on fire, and gather around it singing while Howie recites Psalm 23 and prays. Howie and the animals burn to death, and the statue's head collapses in flames to show the setting sun. Rowan, who was never the intended sacrifice, had gone back to the islanders earlier. Howie had warned them that the crops are failing because the climate is wrong for the trees, and that they will turn on Summerisle next summer, but they ignored him.
The post-credits ruling
There is no post-credits scene. You can leave when the credits start.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: fine, no dog dies in the 1973 film.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is The Wicker Man scary?
Yes, The Wicker Man is a 5 out of 10 with medium dread. It has hardly any jump scares. The fear is a slow build of unease around an island of cheerful liars, followed by a very bleak ending.
How does The Wicker Man end?
The islanders lock Sergeant Howie inside a giant wicker statue with animals and burn it, while singing a folk song. Howie prays, and the statue's head collapses to reveal the setting sun.
Does the dog die in The Wicker Man?
No dog dies in the 1973 Wicker Man. Animals are burned in the wicker man at the end, but they are heard squealing rather than shown, and a dead hare is found in a coffin earlier.
Is there a post-credits scene in The Wicker Man?
No. The Wicker Man has no post-credits scene, so you can leave when the credits start.
Why do the islanders sacrifice Sergeant Howie in The Wicker Man?
The harvest failed, and the islanders believe a human sacrifice brings back good crops. Howie fits all four of their conditions: he arrived by choice, he stands for authority, he is a virgin, and he was fooled into coming.
