Er, John, Howie is a common Scottish surname. Sorry if it bugs you, but the character Edward Woodward plays is, you know, Scottish.

As for the critical response, suffice to say that I’m not alone in my views. I’ll cling to academic respectability by noting that the British Film Institute rates it among the top 100 British movies of all time (and, yes, we have made more than 100), but personally I’d rather cite Dracula/Saruman, the great Christopher Lee himself. He considers it the finest film he’s ever made. You’ve got a problem with the “Wicker Man”, raise it with Mr. Lee.

But what am I doing here? Arguing with a man apparently unmoved by the sight of Britt Ekland dancing around in the buff. That’s what I’m doing. Madness…