Reissue distributor Rialto Pictures has announced it will release a long-unseen and complete version of 1970s horror film, The Wicker Man: The Final Cut on Sept 27 in New York City.

Edward Woodward stars as a police officer who travels to a Scottish island to investigate the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl, only to encounter pagans who practice sacrifice. Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland also star.

After the original camera negatives were believed to have been lost, conservationists found missing scenes on a one-inch broadcast tape.

Rights holder StudioCanal initiated a Facebook campaign to find what were believed to be missing complete 35mm prints, leading to the discovery of a 92-minute version at the Harvard Film Archive. 

This culminated in a digital restoration that prompted 83-year-old director Robin Hardy to say, “It fulfils my vision.”

In addition to the New York premiere, the film will also have runs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington and other cities throughout the autumn.

Last week, Hardy revealed to ScreenDaily that he will make a third film in the ‘Wicker’ series, following The Wicker Tree in 2011.

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