The Wonderful(ly Horrific) Wizard of Oz

If you first saw the esteemed classic THE WIZARD OF OZ as a child—and unless you were living with some Stone Age tribe in the jungle somewhere, there is no excuse for NOT having seen it—you already know: THE WIZARD OF OZ is SCARY. AS. F*CK. Come on, the Witch? The Flying Monkeys? The Haunted Forest? (“I do believe in spooks! I do believe in spooks! I do I do I do believe in spooks!”) Even the big green floating head of the false Oz. That’s the stuff of nightmares, right there. (So of course I adored it.)

There are plans underway to develop a movie (and perchance a series, a franchise) based on the original Oz novels written by L. Frank Baum, only rendered as straight-up Horror. Tacking on the caveat “if done right,” this news has me positively giddy with anticipation. I was disappointed when Disney’s OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, while successful, didn’t rake in enough of the filthy lucre to generate a new series of Oz films. This, however, a new flick or set of flicks done as Horror, could be even better. Don’t change the stories too much, I say. They’re scary enough as they are. Just show us more blood. Let the violence happen onscreen. Give the Flying Monkeys bigger fangs. It could work. It could work really well.

By TheCheezman

WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of Evil Cheez Productions (www.evilcheezproductions.com - www.evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com - www.facebook.com/evilcheezproductions) specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. He has written, produced and directed over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. And he really likes vampires and werewolves. Like, a LOT.

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