10 Worst Betrayals In Horror Movie History
6. The Summerisle Community To Sgt. Neil Howie - The Wicker Man
In classic British folk horror The Wicker Man, Sergeant Neil Howie heads to the Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl called Rowan Morrison.
Being a devout Christian, Howie is aghast when he sees the Summerisle community indulging in Celtic paganism and sexual rituals. And when the residents claim Rowan never existed, Howie begins to suspect the people are readying to sacrifice the innocent girl to appease their gods.
Though Howie fears for his life, he carries on with his investigation, ultimately locating Rowan. However, as he prepares to leave the island, Howie is horrified to see Rowan willingly rush towards the community's leader, Lord Summerisle. Worse still, Summerisle informs Howie that they always intended for him to be the human sacrifice. Howie is then placed inside an immense wicker statue, where he's incinerated.
The more you think about Howie's demise, the more tragic it is. If the honourable police officer didn't go out of his way to find the child, he would've never met with such a terrible fate. Also, it's depressing that Howie believed he was taking Rowan to safety, oblivious she was leading him to his doom.