Cowboys for Christ
 The first edition cover that made use of the sun disk that was previously used on a poster for The Wicker Man. | |
| Author | Robin Hardy |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Horror fiction |
| Publisher | Luath Press |
Publication date | 2006 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback |
| Pages | 206 |
Cowboys for Christ is the name of a novel and upcoming film from director Robin Hardy. It is a partial sequel of Hardy's previous film The Wicker Man (1973), dealing with many of the same themes and ideas, namely the clash between paganism and Christianity. [1] It is the second part of The Wicker Man Trilogy which is to be concluded with Twilight of the Gods. [citation needed]
Cowboys for Christ follows two young Americans, Beth and Steve, who leave Texas to spread Christianity in Tressock, Scotland. They are welcomed by Sir Lachlan Morrison and his wife, Delia Morrison; unbeknown to Beth and Steve, they are in grave danger from a Celtic pagan community in the village.
Novel
The novel was published in May 2006 in hardback by Luath Press, though there has been no paperback edition printed as of August 2008. It was described by the actor Christopher Lee as being;
erotic, romantic, comic and horrific enough to loosen the bowels of a bronze statue".
Plot
Beth is a successful pop music singer and a devout Protestant Christian from Texas, USA. She and her boyfriend Steve both belong to a group known as the "cowboys for Christ", who travel to "heathen areas" of the world to preach Christianity. They travel to Glasgow, Scotland, hoping to save some souls once there. However, they are shocked when they receive a very negative reception, Beth even being set upon by a large dog.
After performing a concert at a local cathedral, the duo are approached by Lord Lachlan and his wife Delia, aristocrats from the small village of Tressock in the Scottish lowlands. They invite Beth and Steve to come back with them to Tressock in order to preach.
Meanwhile, detective Orlando is sent to Tressock, posing as the local police officer, in order to secretly investigate reports of a pagan cult.
Beth and Steve decide that they shall begin their preaching at the May Day celebrations in the village. Meanwhile Orlando discovers that the people of the village worship the ancient Celt goddess Sulis.
In an attempt to impress the locals, Steve and Beth agree to becoming the local Queen of the May and the Laddie for the festival. In this role, they must split up for the day, and it is during this that the Laddie is devoured by the locals on an island in the middle of the river Sulis. Beth discovers this, and tries to escape, but is captured and embalmed.
Film
The film was scheduled to begin filming since 2007 but has repeatedly been pushing back due to financial reasons. Later it was announced the film would shoot from April 2008 in Dumfries and Galloway. However, a week before the shoot, Dumfries and Galloway Council announced the filming had been halted due to financial reasons.[2] Director Robin Hardy stated that :
One of these investors, putting up £750,000 ( $ 1.5m ), appears to have been wiped out by the current credit crunch leaving us, within two weeks of starting to shoot, to replace his investment. This naturally led to our producers ( Peter Watson-Wood and Alastair Gourlay) to postpone the production till we have closed the gap. Replacing this money in the current financial climate will not be easy but investors are trickling in from both sides of the Atlantic.
Cast
- Christopher Lee as Sir Lachlan Morrison
- Joan Collins as Delia Morrison
- Graham McTavish as Beam
- Morgan James as Beth Boothby
- Paul Wesley as Steve Thompson
- Susie Amy as Lolly
- Natalie Parnes as Anthea
- Britt Ekland
References
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