Why Return To Oz is a Creepy Cult Classic

[@denisenewton5107]

I watched it as a child. And at 50 years old I can honestly say the wheelers still freak me out.

[@mjc8248]

Same, turned 50 last week. This movie scared me half to death.

[@nihilismistheonlyway4680]

For me it was the headless lady

[@DutyScoopin]

“YUP-mmhmm!”

[@greenkostia]

Absolutely. Most stuff in the film freaked me the F out

[@OscarsBadFurDay]

I’m 36 and I first seen this when I was 6. I remember the roller people and the old robot with the moustache

[@Oct8pus]

One thing that always stuck with me was when they revive the Gump (the moose head) he says something like "What happened? The last thing is remember is a loud bang" - referencing how he got shot and ended up mounted on the wall.

[@whade62000]

That was also in the original 2nd Oz book.

[@MorriganAtwood]

"Nurse [not-ratchet] is jailed and it is never explained why." Yes, it is. But it is a blink-and-you'll miss it moment. When the power goes out, and Dorothy is released, she asks about the screaming she keeps hearing (she asks the nurse about it when being escorted to her room and the nurse immediately denies she heard anything). The girl explains that the Doctor's machine (which is experimental) does irreparable damage, and the patients he used as guinea pigs are locked in the cellar. Dorothy was about to become one of them. THAT is why that lady is going to jail.

[@FlarryFlats]

As little punks, my sister and I watched this over and over and over! We were absolutely obsessed with this movie. The electro-shock therapy stuff went completely over our heads. We just knew they wanted to do something bad to Dorothy. It was a little scary at parts, but that's why we loved it

[@SB0780]

Return to Oz is easily the best book to screen adaptation of the Oz books. The fact that it’s the only globally know. American fantasy series, I’m surprised the books haven’t been more accurately adapted because that original MGM musical is barely the original book. Return to Oz is bold piece of filmmaking, glad it’s getting more recognition these days.

[@Serai3]

L Frank Baum wrote the original book because he felt that American kids should have their own fairy tale, as the only ones available at the time were from Europe or the Middle East.

[@OGMillwood]

Thank god my parents carelessly rented this for me when I was in primary school. Traumatic, formative and dark as hell. Still one of my favourite movies - holds up incredibly well to this day.

[@Johnlindsey289]

It’s a timeless film and needs a 40th anniversary uhd 4k

[@Lv4music1luv]

This video didn't mention much about the claymation. It was nominated for an oscar for special effects. It is one of the best features of the film IMO. It was the same company that did the California Raisin commercials.

[@Serai3]

It was a very innovative way to present the Nomes, who looked very different in Neill's illustrations.

[@PaulDanyluk-eh6tj]

Both this and Labyrinth are my two favourite movies from my childhood.

[@pong86r]

it's crazy how seeing that room with the heads still scares me. a beautiful, tragic movie, that teaches us that sometimes, it's best to keep our mouths shut- lest we wind back up in the Asylum! I loved the Wheelers. Thank you for the shout out to The Worst Witch too! I loved that movie also!!! ❤

[@oddcreatureX]

My siblings, cousins and I got dropped off by my grandma for this while she went shopping. I remember sitting on the curb waiting for her afterwords we were all like “wtf was that?” Tick Tock was my favorite character, especially when he was all shined up for the finale.

[@fatherofdragons4880]

"all shined up"!? You surely mean polished or buffed lmao jk

[@kb-tq2qo]

The nurse being taken away in the police buggy is explained as Ozma says in the beginning that there are damaged patients trapped in the cellar. Dorothy hears their screams and that's when Ozma frees her, and they escape. I watched this all the time as a kid (as well as other dark/complex children's films like Watershipdown, The Last Unicorn etc) These films didn't treat children like idiots, they made you think and feel and fear. I'm grateful for them considering most 80's TV cartoons were glorified commercials to sell toys (which ngl i also loved )

[@LambentOrt]

I loved this movie when I watched it as a kid. This and The Black Cauldron were simply mind-blowing films.

[@yossi1410]

Pay no attention to the doctor administering your shock therapy behind the curtain.

[@MooTelevision]

Ozma of Oz was one of my favorite books growing up, so when I first saw Return to Oz it wasn’t scary to me. I was just so excited to see my favorite book come to life.

[@27retrodaze]

This is one of those films that HBO used to play on rotation all the time when i was a kid (back then we only had one HBO), and because of that, it holds a special place in my heart along side "Trick or Treat", "Rad", "Cant Buy Me Love", "House 2" and "One Crazy Summer"... 80's classics.

[@wstine79]

"Dorothy Graaaaaaa geeeerrr!" That was some nightmare fuel.

[@OGMillwood]

Was rated PG in Australia. Not sure what the censors were watching, but f**ed me up for life.

[@Adam_Outdoors]

Gale*

[@melissacooper8724]

That and when headless Mombi was lunging after Dorothy!

[@gentlemancaller4058]

I never put it in my head that the heads came from the headless dancers. Awesome review.

[@Adam_Outdoors]

Why not? It specifically states they did in the movie!

[@gentlemancaller4058]

@Adam_Outdoors might have missed that part. It's so obvious I'm not sure how it went over my head.

[@Adam_Outdoors]

@@gentlemancaller4058 Dorothy asks Jack at 49 minutes into movie. He tells her they're from the headless dancing girls.

[@melissacooper8724]

And as I recall, when Dorothy used the ruby slippers to restore the land of Oz, the severed heads were restored to their rightful bodies.

[@DoYouNerd]

I've always had a soft spot in my nostalgic heart for Return to OZ. I usually cite it as my favorite horror movie now because, yeah, for a kid? Pure nightmare fuel.

[@Johnlindsey289]

An underrated classic! I enjoyed this since 4 for 38 years when I rented it and had my parents taped it for me off Disney channel. I had a crush on Fiona victory and Sophie ward when I was a kid. Such a visually stunning film that is dark but amazing as it’s more faithful to the L Frank Baum books more than the mgm movie was. This movie is a Halloween movie and I’m not joking. It needs a 40th anniversary edition uhd 4k

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

I love those dark themed movies that Disney made in the '80s. Return To Oz, The Black Cauldron, Dragonslayer, and so much more

[@brandonpage7087]

Yeah, sadly, we'll never see a return to Dark Disney, since they've all become soulless, wicked, corporate entities, who basically own everything, nowadays.

[@emilynolan187]

Something wicked this way comes

[@fogtooth6824]

"The watcher in the woods" was one too.

[@flouserschird]

They need to bring back this genre. Bring back practicle effects and ditch CGI. Would be amazing

[@maxordman4100]

Disney in the 80s needs more love! Some of their most incredible darkest films came out then. This movie has some creative ideas imagery and amazing figh sequences! Great job!

[@ty_sylicus]

I saw this as a kid and it blew my mind how very different it looked and felt from the original. What a crayz film! I Almost couldn't believe it was even real.

[@Johnlindsey289]

It’s a more faithful to the Oz books than the Judy garland movie

[@RandomBitzzz]

I still remember seeing this is the theater. It was awesome, and made me wish they'd make more.

[@Serai3]

Anyone who's surprised by the darkness of the film hasn't read the books. There's a LOT of bizarre stuff in those books. The Wheelers, the severed heads, the Gump, the Nome King, the test in the palace, all from the books. Also, I don't know about the film but Oz is absolutely a real place in the books. Dorothy eventually moves there permanently along with Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and Toto.

[@sombrelumiere]

Finally someone else that's read the books!

[@Quandry1]

When they made the first book into a movie they purposely sanitized out the Southern Kingdom of the Witch of the South. All of the books are so much more and so many people have no idea of these books, the wonderful and dark things that are all throughout them. Including the actual past of the Witch of the West that is almost untold in adaptations.

[@sombrelumiere]

@@Quandry1 People really believe that the MGM movie is cannon, but it’s not. The screenwriters left out so much of the book. So glad that Return to Oz stuck with the books more!

[@MsDisneylandlover]

Fun fact the main wheeler also did movement for jack.

[@brandonpage7087]

He was also in the Blob remake.

[@perceivedvelocity9914]

I think that I was 8 when this movie came out. It gave me nightmares. The Wheeler's were especially terrifying to me. I haven't seen it since it first came out. I might like it now.

[@robertmcginty4146]

I showed this to my then-8 year old step kid and she had nightmares. Whoops.

[@jliller]

I saw "Return to Oz" in elementary school. The afterschool program showed it on VHS! I don't think I had seen the original "Wizard of Oz" before seeing "Return to Oz" - for that matter, I'm not sure if I've ever seen the entire classic movie from start to finish, only parts.

[@angelaharris53]

I have chronic migraine and occasionally ended up getting large demoral shots to kick a stubborn attack. Sometimes, that would make me hallucinate. The most memorable one was of the gump from this movie with the fat lady costume Arnie wore in Total Recall sitting on him. They were flying there talking to me. I could almost hear what they were saying. So, yeah, this movie made a dent on me as a kid, and I'm surprised you don't see it more often than you do, particularly at Halloween time.

[@Treeplanter73]

Saw it in the theater as a young teen I enjoyed, still do.

[@hfric]

The Original movie production of OZ was a real horror show! From cast becoming burned to crisp, to becoming blind, the asbestos rain scene, how they had three actors playing the Tinman since they used real silver on him that made them ill, to many stunt men dying on the set ... to, Producers making the main actress Judy Garland (that was 17 at that time) addicted to cocaine so she could work for 16 to 19 hours... and more ...

[@nunyabizness6595]

I remember Harlan Ellison remarking how great it was. He was also a fan of Seconds and Brazil. If you've read his work you would not be surprised. 😮😮😮

[@tamaraclaw]

Not surprised..Ellison fan here

[@orlandoajacques]

As a young child, this was always my favourite film.

[@sapphiregamgee4773]

Headless kleptomaniacs? Insta-sand deserts? Wheel-handed punks? Claymation cliff-face? Talking couch-moose? Pfft. I loved all the dark fantasy elements! The only thing that actually creeped me out as a kid watching this movie were the real world electroshock/asylum scenes. Stuff of nightmares, that. 😱

[@sociologica4247]

Loved this as a kid and the music it had, I really was in love with!

[@The_Infamous_Boogyman]

I try to get as many people to watch this as i can. Most dont know it exists, but man is it a nightmare fuel classic

[@dustcircle]

and yes, that's the same girl that played as an adult woman in "The Waterboy" and "The Craft." (Fairuza Balk)

[@brandonpage7087]

@dustcircle, yes, & it's so awesome that she went from playing Dorothy, to playing those characters! She even played a neo Nazi, in American History X!

[@benpayne677]

And the best part of Island of Dr. Moreau remake (look up the night bird dance scene).

[@kens2328]

I absolutely love Fairuza Balk. I might even love her name more than I love her.

[@mysticIvy324]

NANCY 😂😂😂

[@robertmcginty4146]

The DVD I have starts with a scene of her as an adult introducing the movie.

[@jimbo872]

I saw it in the theater too, and so did my wife. Almost 40 years later, it’s still a scar on our childhood. LOL!

[@catherineholden6388]

There is a given explanation as to why Nurse Wilson has been arrested. When Ozma is rescuing Dorothy she tells her that patients who have been damaged by the shock treatment are imprisoned in the basement.

[@Spectra651]

"What's that... screaming?" Dorothy asks Ozma as you hear their haunting wails in the background. That scene *still* gives me more chills than 99% of horror movie scenes.

[@melissacooper8724]

I'm glad Ozma was able to save Dorothy because she almost would've ended up like those other patients!

[@darthhauler9947]

I always went to the idea that the female patients were being... assaulted. Historically, it happened a lot and was easily swept under the rug. Maybe I need therapy

[@jasonritner9662]

Saw it as a kid, I didn't see it or hear about it for nearly two decades after that. I thought it was a fever dream 😅

[@baggywhiskers]

I always saw this movie as a depiction of what a near death experience would be like. Dorothy arrives in a ravaged and dangerous version of Oz then is later brought to a place of peace where evil is no more. She discovers she has to leave and awakens in the woods to the sound of her loved ones calling out to her.

[@thearnoldorstallonepodcast]

This movie freaked my little sister out hard core. Loved it!

[@ivanward7949]

The mirror hall with screaming severed heads still gets me. So good.

[@JustGina724]

Story time! I grew up watching this movie on a VHS tape that my dad recorded from tv, but it didn’t have the entire beginning. Instead, I always thought it began with Dorothy nearly drowning and climbing into the crate. It wasn’t until I bought it on DVD as an adult that I saw the mental institution scenes! After seeing the true beginning, I loved it even more!

[@9216years]

I was 5yrs old when it came out. I wore out the VHS tape in our VCR. I loved this movie.

[@TheKyPerson]

I've read all the OZ books and when I saw Return to OZ I was so happy - it's quite a bit like the books. I loved it, loved it!! It still looks great.

[@Mithias]

I loved this movie when I was a kid. Absolutely a wonderful movie. Dark and fantastic.

[@WifeMamaArtist]

As a kid, I loved this movie (and others like The Neverending Story). Yes, the Wheelers are freaky, but although I'm 50 now, and none of these movies disturbed me at all.

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

I was literally BORN the year this movie came out, and it's still one of my personal favorites! (especially for a little girl growing up in Kansas!) A TRUE visionary-film, one that modern Hollywood could NEVER match. Thank you! =)

[@Killers-ICU]

You were “literally BORN”… Why the emphasis on BORN? Why did you need to use “literally”? No one would doubt you were born when it came out, so no need to use literally. Bizarre comment. You should edit it.

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

@@Killers-ICU You can't edit KZbin comments once they're posted. And it's used to simulate speech-patterns and emphasize excitement. At least I KNOW how to use proper grammar and punctuation, unlike most other commentators.

[@jeremybowers3181]

I was always too afraid to rent this from my local video store as a kid..... Now I see why LOL

[@thealcohologist8624]

I forgot about this movie, man does it bring back childhood memories

[@tomturelur9191]

Loved those dark Disney movies... Return to Oz, The Magic Cauldron, The Black Hole, Dragonslayer... I'd love more of that...

[@james89302]

I just learned today that Dragonslayer was a Disney movie.

[@james89302]

But it's the Black cauldron not the magic cauldron. At least in the United States that is what it's called here

[@tomturelur9191]

@@james89302 Thx for correcting... I grew up with the German Title: "Taran & der Zauberkessel".

[@brandonpage7087]

@tomturelur9191, we will never ever see that kind of Disney again. Disney would have to be humbled & lose their almighty power, for there to possibly be another Dark Disney period.

[@tomturelur9191]

@@brandonpage7087 Agreed... Let's hope for another period... Disney, the way it is nowadays (the woke shit) can go to hell...

[@ShogunZIlla]

I’m glad this has become a cult classic. It’s a Masterpiece.

[@HeatherNickless-vt8zr]

The Tin Man was one of the onlookers who (in downcast mood) said "Awe" when Dorothy was telling everybody that she has to go back home. As to what may have happened to Dorothy prior to this movie kind of makes sense since the character from the 1930's musical did get bumped in the head by the curtain rod that was torn off by the tornado, and so would have been played off from that information and integrated into the Disney 1980's film as (possibly) telling the audience that this was meant to be 'the' sequel.

[@redjacemory4404]

My appreciation of the surreal began with the books which I found in the school library. I remember being freaked out and loving it. lol

[@hashtagfilm]

There was a deleted scene where Aunt Em feels bad for having sent Dorothy to get therapy, so they were heading back the night of the storm when the lightning hit. It should have been kept in. Also, the nurse was arrested at the end because the fire revealed the sinister things her and the doctor were doing to their patients.

[@PrettyboyAshtun]

the wheelers are genuinely terrifying

[@Astrovite]

I saw Return to Oz for the first time yesterday. Had no idea the movie even existed. I genuinely prefer this to the original. Something about it feels more magical to me. The whole intro segment of Dorothy going to stay with the Dr. feels like the setup of a horror movie. And then when we finally get to the Nome King, his voice is ridiculously soothing. And the fact that as each character fails their guesses, Nome King becomes more human. But Nome King doesn't even mention that until Mombi shows up. So it left it to the viewer to notice each shift from "Rock Guy" to "Gray, nearly human guy". Also it really blew my mind when I realized the actress for Dorothy is the same actress that plays "Vicki Vallencourt" in "The Waterboy".

[@Alexandrashepiro]

Jean Marsh also played the evil Sorceress "Morgana" in The classic Doctor Who story "Battlefield"

[@JessicaDwyer]

Heck yeah she did.

[@benpayne677]

She was also Bavmorda in Willow… never mind was reading comments while watching. Saw it was mentioned in the video.

[@itslouiemoo8018]

I was 7 when this came out and remember the showing was sold out and I cried LOL

[@meganccc3210]

Omg I watched this over and over as a child but unlike other 80s classics I've never seen it as an adult. Plus I never realized the actress was the girl from the Craft! Blows my mind how disturbing it was lol why did I love it so much?

[@BillAdams-fb3jm]

I was six when this movie came out, and ended up seeing it repeatedly. I'm not sure why, but it would often be the movie which got rented when a bunch of kids who barely knew each other would get piled in a room together during corporate holiday parties and things.

[@codyeasonBGR]

I noticed that the gnome king becomes less human when you talk away a prisoner

[@Godzimera]

I didn't think this movie was creepy or scary at all when i was a kid. I loved it.

[@dansanfrisco]

Proud to say I survived a very traumatizing childhood growing up in the 80's with all the dark and mature pieces of entertainment being advertised for children.

[@Johnlindsey289]

It’s true to the books

[@rrsaga]

The 80s were darker than I remember! I finally got to see oh God book 2 yesterday on Tubi and couldn’t believe my eyes how they treated that girl in the end

[@brandonpage7087]

Yeah, 80s movies are very bold, & brash, with major balls!!

[@antonycornell6284]

Jean Marsh, among other things, was a companion to the first Doctor in Doctor Who. One of Mombi's other heads is played by Sarah Sutton, who played a companion to the fifth Doctor.

[@ProBreakers]

I have vague memories of seeing this at the movies when I was about 8.

[@Shorty_Lickens]

Never knew Faruza Balk had bright blue eyes.

[@danielflynn8530]

Just a month ago my wife watched this movie with me for the first time a couple months ago and she watched it till the end so that’s a sign she liked it enough but she did admit it was pretty dark for a kids movie.

[@georgiabentz9503]

I was six years old when this came out. The heads were so scary to me. But I did like the chicken.

[@kashagizmo]

I remember watching this at a movie theater as a kid and... not seeing the ending because the projector broke about 20 minutes before it. Had to wait until it came out on VHS!

[@Josh-m9h2s]

Fun fact. This was Furuzia Balks first movie. She was 9 years old

[@robotsongs]

Fun fact: they state that in the video you apparently didn't watch.

[@shanemcnamara8657]

It's hidden meaning is its connection to the MK Ultra experiments, OZ is used as part of the programming process, Lucas would have been very aware of this

[@robmsmithdumbhandle]

For kids! I love it, young lady!

[@DreadfulAssassin3]

One of my favorite horror movies. So many people haven't seen this movie. Top 40 "get to know you" questions. 😄

[@tonyclemens4213]

At least the actress playing Dorothy was age appropriate and did not need chest bindings

[@stevenchamberlin01]

Every time I try to explain this flick to people it always sounds like I had a fever dream.

[@Raggmopp-xl7yf]

I read the books and they were definitely made for little kids. But, looking back a LOT of the stuff in those books were straight out nightmare fuel. Return to Oz is much more in line with the spirit of the books but still didn't follow them. Fairuza Balk was the proper age at least. The 1st movie had NOTHING to do with the book - but I still love it. Still beautiful to this day.

[@parkerpshebnisky1051]

This movie is a underrated gem!

[@kingcosworth2643]

Fairuza Balks eye's are very unique, you can tell it was her instantly

[@justicierodelaliga]

This movie was so obscure (in the manner of barely being advertised) that I recalled watching it once (don´t know if it was a rental or aired on TV) and after that I thought I imagined it.

[@sheilaholmes8455]

I was an adult when I saw it in 1985 and loved it.

[@tltatt]

Pretty good review of Return to Oz. A mistake was made toward the end when a poster was shown for the 2017 version of The Watcher in the Woods which was not a Disney production instead of one for the original 1980 Disney movie which for some reason is not available online anywhere not even Disney+.

[@brandonpage7087]

@titatt, that's bullshit! I'd love Disney to explain that one! Well, makes me glad that Watcher in the Woods is available on DVD & Blu-ray.

[@Lou-T-Fisk]

As a kid I hated this movie first time I saw it. But over the years following the tv debut I watched it again and the second time it captured my imagination and became one of my favorite movies

[@benpayne677]

Saw it in theatre and one of my favorite jigsaw puzzles.

[@robertmcginty4146]

I feel like the one wheeler who Tik Tok captured and got information from, who then rolled away laughing maniacally....he slipped, said "Whoops!" and went back to laughing and rolling away, and they just kept going. You can see him eat it.

[@marklane61]

I received the book as a present when I was a kid. It went on a shelf where it sat for a looooong time. When I did read it I discovered it was a good story rivaling the The Wizard of Oz. I expected it to be lame but it was a good read invoking many imagined scenes and characters

[@mirthenary]

I remember seeing it on tv in the 80s when i was little, don't remember if it was any good, but I do remember the wheelie guys and tick tock and that's about it

[@Spectra651]

What I wouldn't give to see a Return to Oz section at Disneyland.

[@balldalt]

I grew up in the 80s watching the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, etc, so this didn't scare me at all. Masterpiece.

[@kingcosworth2643]

Yeah, they seem to think the kids where cowards in the 80's.

[@robertmcginty4146]

Can we have a round of applause for the camera crew who filmed in a room made almost entirely of mirrors....and you don't see any of them in the final film.

[@nonenone4862]

My parents put this on for my brother and I at bedtime without watching it first. 😅

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

I love that the guy wheeling Dorothy in the gurney is also the lead wheeler. And I don't think it's electro therapy. It's headphones and sound therapy.

[@ojet013]

It's been confirmed it was electric shock therapy. Also Momby is the same actress as the nurse and the nome king is the doctor

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

@ojet013 confirmed? Okay, by who, please? Because those are headphones. Not electrodes.

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

@@ojet013 and the girl that helps Dorothy escape is also the princess

[@kgrfirdjy]

I have seizures from hypoglycemia. The dreams during my seizures are vivid & often amazingly good. Insulin shock therapy was used around the same time as electroconvulsive therapy, but was very dangerous.

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

@kgrfirdjy the idea being convulsions temporarily cured, they noticed patients that had epilepsy etc were more cognitive after a seizure, horrible, yes?

[@philip2010]

Also this movie had a more realistic feel to it like Dorothy's farm

[@christiangibbs8534]

As a child, I was a huge fan of the Oz books, and I loved this movie! It is SO much more like L. Frank Baum's original stories than the 1930s musical. People who have not read the books simply don't get it.

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

And just remember, in the original, at the end, Miss gulch still has an order to put toto down. 😊

[@josephb4086]

Creepy as hell.

[@OneofInfinity.]

It was also the time they thought Asbestos wasn't harmful, like today we know so little about printing resin but use it extensively, we are the test subjects.

[@marksmorphs]

As a Gen-X'er, while we were all exposed to this kind of stuff as kids (I remember watching Friday the 13th when I was 10), I think that's what made us stronger as adults. We weren't babied as kids. We were almost treated like adults and we all matured a lot faster than the 90's and 00's kids who were more pampered and sheltered throughout their childhoods. They ended up being thrown into the real world with expectations that life was going to be just like it was in their Dora/Diego and Blues Clues shows. While us Gen X'ers were like "Yeah, life sucks and is scary... been there, done that" LOL!! Nothing shocks us or offends us because we grew up with nothing really being taboo or hidden from our eyes. Having HBO and parents that played cards and drank with their friends in the kitchen till 1am; we all used to go to the basement and sit in front of the TV with friends and watch all the R rated movies that came on after 8-9pm.

[@AndrewN-n8z]

Jack Skelington came from sketches that Tim Burton drew when he was young,waaay before this movie was made. Eat your hat!