I hate to sound like Jerry Seinfeld, but what's the deal with belated sequels? In an industry which is obsessed with what's hot and hip in the here and now, it's amazing how Hollywood will release a sequel decades after the last film in the series and expect and often fickle film-going public to be interested in it. Given the fact that most movies are aimed at teenagers, why would they be expected to know about or care about a new chapter in a series which could have started before they were born? This is truly an odd topic, and it doesn't get much weirder than The Wicker Tree, a sequel which arrives over 30 years too late.

The Wicker Tree opens in Texas, where we meet gospel singer Beth Boothby (Brittania Nicol) and her fiancee, a cowboy named Steve (Henry Garrett). Beth has been invited to Scotland for a missionary trip and she's taking Steve with her. Upon arrival, they meet their hosts, Sir Lachlan Morrison (Graham McTavish) and Lady Delia (Jacqueline Leonard), as well as some of the locals, including Lolly (Honeysuckle Weeks). Lachlan announces that he's glad to have Beth there and he is looking forward to hearing her sing for the locals. He also explains that the annual May celebration is coming up and asks Beth to be a part of it. As Beth proceeds with her mission work, Steve is allowed to ride a champion horse and finds himself attracted to Lolly. Despite the beautiful scenery and the hospitality, it eventually becomes clear that Beth and Steve have been lied to about their trip to Scotland.

I've seen debate on-line about whether or not The Wicker Tree is a true sequel to the 1973 film The Wicker Man. This debate aside, the movie is certainly a follow-up to that film, which many consider to be a classic. (The fact that they share a similar theme and the same director makes that debate seem pointless.) I must admit that I haven't seen all of The Wicker Man (but I have seen the 2006 remake with Nicolas Cage, but the less said about that, the better), but I know that it helped to serve as a milestone for a sub-genre of horror films which was popular in the 1970s in which an unsuspecting person was lured to a rural location only to learn that some sort of cult activity was happening there. (We also saw this to an extent in the TV mini-series The Dark Secret of Harvest Home and The Howling.)

The Wicker Tree attempts to bring back that kind of story-telling, but forgets one essential ingredient -- the story. I can't remember the last time that I saw a movie which wasn't some homegrown production which wandered so aimlessly. The initial premise is set up rather quickly -- Beth and Steve travel to Scotland, and being a movie called The Wicker Tree, we know that something out of the ordinary will eventually happen. However, Writer/Director Robin Hardy either has no idea where the story is going, or believes that he is creating tension by having nothing happen. Instead of anything related to a horror/thriller movie, we get scenes of Beth singing, shots of the countryside, and a bizarre subplot in which Lolly attempts to see how many orgasms the local constable can have in one day. (The explanation for this is sort of given, but it's still very odd.)

And, to once again paraphrase Jeff Goldblum from Jurassic Park, "Is there going to be any wicker tree in your wicker tree movie?" The titular structure doesn't show up until the end and it's only on-screen for a few minutes. So, if you're a fan of trees made of wicker, you're going to be disappointed. Come to think of it, if you're a fan of anything, save for boredom, you're going to be disappointed. When the local's plan is finally revealed, no one should be surprised. However, it's so obvious that something had to happen at some point in the film that it doesn't feel like a twist. The movie's narcoleptic pacing means that there is no suspense and the movie never even comes close to being creepy. Even if you've never seen The Wicker Man, just the photo of that structure is chilling. There are no chills to be had here, only scene after scene of Beth talking about Jesus.

The Wicker Man may be respected in some circles, but it's not exactly a household name, so why trot out this movie which joins titles like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Blues Brothers 2000 as movies which arrived long after fan interest has subsided. However, The Wicker Tree may have the distinction of being the worst belated sequel ever. This fails on so many levels that it barely qualifies as a movie. There's still a place for the "small town which harbors an evil cult" movie in 2012, but this serves as an example of how to do everything wrong.

The Wicker Tree has to set some sort of record for using the word "laddie" in a movie on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 20 Mbps. The image is sharp and clear, showing no intrusive grain and no defects from the source material. Unlike many films in this genre, The Wicker Tree has a very bright look and the colors look very good, most notably the reds. The image is never overly dark or bright. The level of detail is good and the landscape shots show very nice depth. The Disc carries a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 20 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The stereo effects are nicely done in some scenes, most notably those in the forest or in the pub. These effects are detailed and show good stereo separation. Those same pub scenes, as well as the finale provide well-placed surround effects. The horse-riding scenes do a great job of moving the audio from one speaker to another. The final scenes offer satisfying subwoofer effects.

The Wicker Tree contains only three extra features selections. "The Making of The Wicker Tree" (12 minutes) opens with an appearance by Writer/Director Robin Hardy at a screening for the movie. We then shift to some on-location footage to see the film being shot. This is accompanied by comments from the actors (including Christopher Lee), the producer, the composer. We get some details about the story and what it was like to work with Robin Hardy. The Disc contains nine DELETED SCENES which run about 12 minutes. Most of these are short and incidental, save for a long song number from Beth. The final extra is the THEATRICAL TRAILER for the film.