The Phibes Philes: The Wizard Of AAHHHs – The Horror Of “Return To Oz”

Despite its sunny reputation, 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” has warped and scarred the minds of several generations. It twisted John Waters, David Lynch, and many other deviants we love dearly. The Wicked Witch of the West was so traumatizing to children that they banned the episode of “Sesame Street” where she appeared. For many, “The Wizard of Oz” was the first movie they saw, meaning it was the first time they saw a movie monster. Even with all that said, the original L. Frank Baum books are even scarier. In “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” alone, you had the horrific origin of the Tin Man (a spell forced him to chip his own limbs off when he was human) and the Cowardly Lion brutally murdering a giant spider. And yet, there’s a version of “Oz” that is darker still. I’m not talking about some gruesome slasher film about a killer in a Scarecrow mask. I’m talking about an “Oz” film marketed towards children and released by Disney of all companies. Make no mistake: this isn’t a whimsical adventure with a few “boo” moments thrown in. This is a full-blooded horror movie. It’s the wickedly wonderful and wonderfully wicked “Return to Oz.”

Believe it or not, “Return to Oz” is the culmination of a decades-long attempt by Disney to adapt the “Oz” books. Walt himself expressed interest in adapting “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” around 1937, but MGM had purchased the rights. In 1954, Walt Disney Pictures purchased the rights to 13 “Oz” books (all but the first), which led to “The Rainbow Road of Oz.” That film was never finished, although segments from it did appear on the “Disneyland” TV show in 1957. For years, Disneyland Records released albums telling the stories of Oz, but there wasn’t a film until “Return to Oz” was released in 1985. All those years and all that development finally led to a bug-nutty movie with decapitated princesses and a demolished Yellow Brick Road.

For whatever reason, the 1980s saw the Walt Disney Company seemingly attempt to rebrand itself as the house of family horror. There was Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” “Watcher in the Woods” with Bette Davis, Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie,” “The Black Cauldron,” and the “Mr. Boogedy” TV movies. “Return to Oz” is very much part of that trend. It begins with Dorothy–THE Dorothy– going to a sanatorium to receive shock treatment. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em believe that Dorothy’s obsession with Oz is a delusion brought on by mental illness. Believe it or not, this isn’t American McGee’s “Oz.”

Before the electrotherapy can begin, lighting causes a power outage and Dorothy is rescued by a mysterious young girl. After being chased by a cruel nurse, Dorothy escapes but is unable to save the other girl. When she wakes up, Dorothy finds herself in Oz with a talking chicken named Billina. They follow the aforementioned Yellow Brick Road to an Emerald City in ruins. The denizens of this once joyful place have been turned to stone, including Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Lion. The Wheelers then pursue Poor Dorothy, sadistic monsters with wheels in place of hands and feet. After narrowly avoiding the fury of the Wheelers, Dorothy is imprisoned by Princess Mombi, a ghoulish sorceress who steals the heads of young women and wears them as her own. And if you think that’s bad, it only gets more nightmarish from there.

You know how most family fantasy movies have that one really intense moment of terror, like the donkey scene from the 1940 “Pinocchio” or the tunnel scene from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?” “Return to Oz” is what happens when that moment takes up an entire movie. There are no songs, no light-hearted comedy, and no horse of a different color. The closest comparison I can think of is that wonderful stop-motion “Coraline” movie, but “Return to Oz” is infinitely scarier. Even the moments of whimsy are undercut by a sense of unease. Everything in this Oz is wicked, not just the witches.

Even Dorothy’s companions this time are freakish. They’re all quite lovely, but they were Tim Burton characters before Tim Burton was a household name. There’s Jack Pumpkinhead, a man-made fellow who is exactly as his name implies. You only need a quick glance to see that Jack Pumpkinhead clearly influenced Jack Skellington. Along with Jack, there’s the mechanical Tik Tok, who’s more of a machine than the Tin Man. Instead of a lion, we have the Gump. That being a Gump’s (whatever that may be) elk-like head atop a couch and assorted junk that was enchanted by life powder. This motley crew is mostly made from puppetry and old-fashioned movie magic, which gives them an uncanny appearance. To me, they are charming. To others, they may be as creepy as any monster.

Then there’s the Nome King, played by Nicol Williamson. If the Wicked Witch of the West gave you a fright, this guy will give you a heart attack! In his humanoid form, the Nome is a faux-affable fellow who likes to play games. He seems fairly reasonable… until he loses. At that point, he becomes a horrible mass of shifting rocks with the voracious appetite of a vampire. The stop-motion effects used to bring the Nome King to life are so chillingly realized that they’re guaranteed to frighten even the bravest kid… and their parents, too! Even when I re-watched the movie for this article, I was impressed by just how unnerving it is.

“Return to Oz” is primarily based on “The Marvelous Land of Oz” and “Ozma of Oz,” even if the tone is considerably darker. “Return” is oppressively bleak while the two books that inspired it have almost a burlesque sense of humor. Anything that is weird or off-putting in the books is mitigated by jokes or childlike wonder. “Return to Oz” is gleefully committed to traumatizing children. While that puts it slightly at odds with the books, it REALLY alienates it from the 1939 movie. That would be well and good except for the fact that “Return to Oz” positions itself as an unofficial sequel to that landmark picture. Disney even bought the rights to the MGM-created Ruby Slippers just to drive home the connection. It’s an odd move that simultaneously made the film a failure when it came out and helped secure its place as a cult classic.

Disney’s “Hocus Pocus” became the studio’s go-to Halloween movie, but I think that honor should go to “Return to Oz.” In addition to its general creepiness, it also takes place during the Halloween season. If the 1939 “Wizard” can continue to dominate the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, “Return” should rightfully reign over the spooky season. This one-of-a-kind horror movie amplifies the material’s inherent horror, acknowledging a fundamental truth that many seem to ignore: kids love to be scared! For kids of all ages looking for a good old-fashioned scare, there’s no place like Oz.