The Wicker Man ending explained

What happens

Howie finds the missing girl alive, then learns the search was a trap. After a failed harvest, the islanders needed a willing fool, a virgin and a lawman, and lured him here. They burn him in a giant wicker figure.

The last image

As the sun sets, the islanders sing around the burning wicker man while Howie prays and sings psalms inside.

What it says

The ending turns Howie's certainty against him: his faith and his sense of authority made him easy to steer. Both sides are sure they are right. The joyful singing is what makes it chilling, because the horror is calm and communal.