10 Horror Movies That Only Make Sense At The End

The Wicker Man might begin as a seemingly simple story of a police officer, Sgt. Neil Howie (Edward Woodward), investigating the disappearance of a young girl, Rowan (Geraldine Cowper), on the remote Scottish island of Summerisle, but the situation is ultimately revealed to be far more calculatedly sinister.

The behaviour of the islanders - who worship pagan Celtic gods - is shown to be increasingly peculiar throughout the film, all while they deny Rowan's existence, despite evidence pointing to the contrary.

Howie eventually discovers that the island's leader, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), plans to sacrifice Rowan to the old gods to ensure a bountiful harvest, prompting Howie to infiltrate the May Day festival in disguise in an attempt to thwart said sacrifice.

But as it turns out, the entire situation was a lure to get Howie to the island, as he is the real intended sacrifice. In the unforgettable final scene, he's forced inside a giant wicker man statue before it's promptly set ablaze.

Now, that's one hell of a way to ensure that everyone wants to immediately rewatch the film, armed with all the knowledge of what Summerisle's cult is really up to.