RETURN TO OZ | TheaterFire

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ClutterKitty@reddit

To this day, occasionally I’ll walk up behind my sister, place both hands on her head, and proclaim, “OZ”. She never transforms, obviously, since she’s not a green ornament, but it amuses me anyway.

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MexicanVanilla22@reddit

Lol yes. My mom had a fancy green glass perfume bottle. It never changed for me either.

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MexicanVanilla22@reddit

I know I'm not the only one who spent half my childhood touching green trinkets, dramatically closing my eyes, and whispering Oz.

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I was just trying to describe this movie to my spouse who never saw it. It sounds insane when you describe it. It’s like a weird scary dark version of wizard of oz that’s more like a horror movie but Dorothy is a 10 year old instead of a young woman.

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RaeBethIsMyName@reddit

I was just rewatching Willow and somehow never noticed Bavmordah is the same actress as Mombi. Such a badass.

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77slevin@reddit

Back then I did not now this was a movie, but I did have the Commodore 64 adventure game. I started playing it on the day of Christmas eve and finished it right before my mum called me to Christmas dinner. This was the first time I finished a videogame ever.

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ScreenTricky4257@reddit

Why I gotta beware the wheelers? What are they gonna do? They can't grab you.

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KDish87@reddit

This…. You just put to rest years of random nightmares about them.

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trishamyst@reddit

This and Dark Crystal creeped me out

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MadeMeStopLurking@reddit

We're still ignoring The Last Unicorn right?

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Livin_In_A_Dream_@reddit

Agreed! This gave me nightmares as a kid!

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pburydoughgirl@reddit

The hall of screaming heads was the stuff of nightmares

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BritOnTheRocks@reddit

yup

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CSWorldChamp@reddit

The only thing that trips me out more than this movie is the made-for TV Alice Through the Looking Glass, with Ringo Star, Carol Channing, etc.

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HungryFinding7089@reddit

Try "The Worst Witch" movie with Fairuza Balk as Mildred - and Tim Curry as the wizard! (Try not to compare it to Hogwarts - the Worst Witch books came put in the early 70s written by Jill Murphy)

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zerocoolforschool@reddit

I remember when I first saw the Harry Potter movie was like…. “Did they intentionally rip off The Worst Witch?”

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HungryFinding7089@reddit

The books are remarkably similar too. Jill Murphy got hate mail for "copying JK Rowling"

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zerocoolforschool@reddit

People are so dumb. Pretty easy to check when something came out.

I’m surprised JK didn’t get sued. She didn’t even come up with the idea for Harry Potter until 1990 and the Worst Witch MOVIE came out in 1987.

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HungryFinding7089@reddit

There is even a film called Troll from 1986 where the main character's name is Harry Potter.

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Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit

That Jabberwocky is 🔥

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therealdxm@reddit

That thing terrorized me for years!

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carryon4threedays@reddit

So glad I’m not alone in this.

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Icarus_In-Flight@reddit

I literally just asked my partner this morning if she’d seen this

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CSWorldChamp@reddit

Nightmare fuel

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sanedragon@reddit

Here I am living my life thinking that was a fever dream of mine

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CSWorldChamp@reddit

Oh, it was a fever dream, all right. But it happened to all of us.

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Direct_Sandwich1306@reddit

I LOVED that one!!!

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WholeLog24@reddit

I loved that so much!

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stevie_nickle@reddit

OMG what I would do to find my VHS of that on tape

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CSWorldChamp@reddit

https://youtu.be/AnRAjBVjiDw?si=MtkDjWn2dmek2nX6

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stevie_nickle@reddit

Thank you!!!!!!!!

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CSWorldChamp@reddit

https://youtu.be/VwI0Exlgu0M?si=EZqpxkPD6S7vOAzy

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Middle_Earthling9@reddit

We recorded it from the TV onto VHS too! My mom doesn’t throw anything away so it’s probably somewhere

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JennasBaboonButtLips@reddit

I loved this

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colo_kelly@reddit

Loved Ann Jillian as the Red Queen!

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ribblesquat@reddit

That's the one wear a baby turns into a pig, right? Freaked me the hell out.

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CSWorldChamp@reddit

Omg when Carol Channing turns into a sheep. Nightmare fuel.

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Ectobatic@reddit

More Pepper!

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UnicornMeatball@reddit

Check out Jan Svankmajer’s Alice. All of the stop motion puppets are made out of animal bones and shit. Absolutely bonkers stuff (like all of his movies tbh)

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mito413@reddit

Those posters commit crimes against Fairuza Balk.

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geb_bce@reddit

I love this movie so much and love showing it to new people and seeing their reactions. 🤣

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the805chickenlady@reddit

what is that weird poster that has Johnny Depp's name on it.

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Bonedraco1980@reddit

The movie that I thought was a fever dream, for the longest time.

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Icy-Arm-2194@reddit

As an adult, Scarecrow is the creepiest thing about that movie.

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LatinBotPointTwo@reddit

I used to watch this thing on a weekly basis after my parents got me the VHS. Ah, the memories!

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Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit

So... what's up with that 6th image?:

Amy Adams, Johnny Depp, RDJ, Zach GalifiahowdoIspellinakisis

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Melodic-Supermarket7@reddit

There was a Oz the Great and Powerful film done in 2013 it looks like

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FidgitForgotHisL-P@reddit

Made me think I’d missed a remake…..

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alysli@reddit

Zoom into the bottom, too. It's weird fanart. Emily Blunt, Rachel McAdams, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, etc.

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vampirepiggyhunter@reddit

Right?!

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0peRightBehindYa@reddit

This movie was fucking traumatizing to me. I'm a 45 year old combat vet and I still can't handle the wheelers. Those actors somehow exuded insanity in a way that bothers me to my core.

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Suitable-Panda24@reddit

My first thought when I saw the wheelers… “repressed memory unlocked.” I had nightmares about them and now I probably will again.

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WholeLog24@reddit

I think it's the inhuman movements, like not bending their legs normally and twisting their faces. At least that's what makes them deeply disturbing to me.

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DecemberPaladin@reddit

Nope

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downadarkallie@reddit

My husband watches wrestling sometimes- there’s a wrestler with the first name Wheeler and whenever an announcer says his name this is what pops in my mind first.

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AshDawgBucket@reddit

Through my 20s I was terrified that for some reason someone was going to give me shock therapy thanks to this movie.

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olipoppit@reddit

The only thing that sucks about this movie is WE NEVER GOT TOYS

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No_Can_1532@reddit

Hah bro i just got into mini painting and 3d printing, i will fo this

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Lemmy_Axe_U_Sumphin@reddit

Now I’m imagining girls begging their parents for more Princess Mombi heads to complete their collection.

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Cherry_Hammer@reddit

This sounds like a fun thrifted-Barbies-craft project

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WholeLog24@reddit

Fun fact: knock off dollar store barbies often have soft rubber heads that you can stick straight pins into to make convincing looking piercings.

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fyrefly_faerie@reddit

This might explain why I switched my Barbie's heads around haha.

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Morriganx3@reddit

She and her heads were the best part

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SavingsInformation10@reddit

Really creepy as a kid

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Morriganx3@reddit

I loved it - kinda wanted to be able to do that myself

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MsBlondeViking@reddit

Kid and adult me would love this. She’s my favorite character!

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gottarespondtothis@reddit

I would kill for this.

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Dast_Kook@reddit

Remote-controlled wheelers

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DRocks614@reddit

My friend’s parents rented this for us for his 7th birthday party/sleepover. Get to the scene with the heads in the jars, and he freaks the fuck out. Movie is shut off, and I’ve yet to see how it ended since.

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Ethel_Marie@reddit

Others have commented that it's available on Disney+. Personally, I own the DVD.

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Runningman787@reddit

I like Vicki Vallencourt, and she likes me back! (Never knew it was the same actress!)

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monkeybirdmonkeybird@reddit

Six-year-old me noped right out as soon as that lady took her head off. I told my mom we could try again when I turned seven.

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smartief1@reddit

This film gave me nightmares as a kid

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SadKanga@reddit

Underrated movie

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SubmarineRumBeard@reddit

This one still haunts me. Never understood how it was a sequel, seemed more like a knock off.

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BatDad83@reddit

I watched this multiple times as a kid yet few remember it. I recently showed it to my gf who had never heard of it. I honestly think it would be a lot of fun to make a wheeler cosplay but I don't know if my back could hold up to being in that position for that long.

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Particular_Metal_@reddit

This was nightmare fuel back in the day

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vvFreebirdvv@reddit

Best movie ever !!!

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kanekong@reddit

The actor in that Tik Tok suit was mental. Look up what position he has to get into to fit inside that thing. I think corridor crew did a segment on it.

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CruelStrangers@reddit

Chicken

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Civil_opinion24@reddit

Absolutely hated this film. The wheelers were terrifying

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joypie81@reddit

I always wished I could search the room to find the green things. 💚

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WholeLog24@reddit

Same!

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_ShesARainbow_@reddit

So I was born in '79 and saw this movie on TV. What exactly is so scary about the wheelers? I was not scared by them at all yet I see so many people on here talking about how terrifying they were. I feel like they just weren't that much scarier than anything else we were exposed to back then.

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JerriBlankStare@reddit

What exactly is so scary about the wheelers? I was not scared by them at all yet I see so many people on here talking about how terrifying they were.

Ditto! I don't remember being scared at all during Return to Oz.

Now E..T. on the other hand, THAT movie freaked me out! I think a lot of it had to do with how insanely ugly E.T. is but, yeah, that's one movie I refuse to watch ever again! 😆

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rianpie@reddit

I was ok with ET but too young to understand their bond and totally freaked when he looked ashy. My mom says I sobbed so hard we had to leave the theatre. I don’t remember that I just remember the terror of the ‘spacemen’ coming into the house (hazmat)

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WholeLog24@reddit

Yeah, those hazmat suits were th ed scariest part to little me

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CurvePsychological13@reddit

E.T. was the first movie I ever saw in theatres. I was legit terrified and had nightmares for months. As an adult, I didn't wanna go on the E.T. ride at Universal-almost 20 years later!

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_ShesARainbow_@reddit

I must have been made of steel. I thought ET was cute. I didn't get traumatized when the horse died in Neverending Story (I did think it was very sad). I watched the Dark Crystal when I was three and absolutely loved it (still do). I even asked my mom and she can't remember any kids media that scared me.

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ST_Lawson@reddit

I agree. They were a little creepy, but not that bad. Willy Wonka though...that really freaked me out.

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hennsippin@reddit

The dudes in Labyrinth that separated their body parts along with their song creeped me the hell out!

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ChaosCelebration@reddit

Gettin' down with the Fireys!

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robbeau11@reddit

For me it was location that freaked me out from what I remember. The wheelers were terrifying but the location was just as scary. I might have to rewatch to confirm

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WholeLog24@reddit

On Disney Plus currently!

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Upbeat-Strategy-2359@reddit

This was a horror film! Lol

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PacificKestrel@reddit

Oh man, this movie was so creepy. The wheelers were terrifying. Still can't believe this was meant to be a kids movie with themes like electroshock therapy and detachable heads.

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Visible-Ocelot-5269@reddit

I'm home sight, movies like this and like The Dark Crystal I thinkmdid more "damage" than they intended to 😅 maybe the producers didn't actually like children 😅

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tpero@reddit

Someone recently told me that this movie was made by a studio that had no rights to Wizard of Oz IP and that's why all the characters in Oz are all different/weird. I need to go rewatch, it's been a while but I remember liking it.

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Due-Reflection-1835@reddit

I adore this movie although it's a little intense for really young kids. I particularly liked the talking chicken and the flying couch

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Some-Exchange-4711@reddit

Lil Fairuza

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TradeMark310@reddit

I was at my grandma's house doing a puzzle of picture #9 when Kirk Gibson hit his legendary World Series home run for the Dodgers. That will always be in my mind.

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LazarusDark@reddit

For like 20 years I thought this was a fever dream I had then I stumbled on a YouTube video about it a decade ago and was like, "THAT WAS REAL??!!"

I watched it shortly after and was like... Who approved this film?!

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VitalArtifice@reddit

Saw it recently with my kids, who are older than I was when I first saw it and was terrified of it. Warned them that some parts were creepy/intense. Afterwards, they totally agreed that it was creepy/disturbing, but generally enjoyed it! It’s actually a genuinely well made fantasy film and it‘a a shame it’s so under-appreciated.

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redfalcondeath@reddit

80s Disney movies where wild. I just watched Flight of the Navigator for the first time in like 35 years and was surprised that they let them say “shit” multiple times in a kids Disney movie. And I forgot how creeped out I got at some parts. Still, both great movies.

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VaselineHabits@reddit

I feel like alot of our generation probably watched movies way too young 😅

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Objective_Minimum_52@reddit

Same! My boys didn’t like the original but they really love this one. I always wanted to find a lunch pail apple tree in the wild :)

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BlackieDad@reddit

My kids love this one too, probably not as much as the original, but it’s a solid kids flick and it really holds up well.

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redfalcondeath@reddit

It’s a straight up horror flick and I love it.

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thatjeffdude79@reddit

This movie was a fever dream

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Kfb2023@reddit

You beat me to this comment. Best way to describe it.

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janellthegreat@reddit

This was my favorite scary movie

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Old_Benefit1238@reddit

Absolutely. Fucking. Terrifying. At least for 5 year old me….

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RachelPalmer79@reddit

I was taken to the theater to see it and I loved every minute of it! Still do!

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BritOnTheRocks@reddit

I just cannot with this movie. I saw it at the theater and not once have I ever been tempted to see it again. Clearly it shook me to my core.

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HeyAQ@reddit

Absolute formative film for me. Found my son watching it a few years ago on Disney+. He was maybe 8? I told him how much I loved it and he basically said, “wwelp, that explains a lot.”

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MuzzledScreaming@reddit

I fucking loved the Oz books as a kid and I really appreciate that this movie nailed the insane fever dream vibe they have.

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Addamall@reddit

Man, #5 has a talented artist that is struggling with getting too much done

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Merchantsdaughter@reddit

I absolutely loved this movie as a kid and would try to explain it to people excitedly only to receive blank stares. Why are we the only ones that know about it!?

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imthewronggeneration@reddit

I just watched this. It was pretty good. Although I didn't see the connection to the 1st one ngl.

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JerriBlankStare@reddit

Although I didn't see the connection to the 1st one ngl.

Seriously? The Dorothy, Toto, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry characters were all in the 1939 Wizard of Oz... in Return to Oz, Dorothy finds a key from Oz in the barnyard, and the whole reason Aunt Em took Dorothy for electroshock treatments was because she wouldn't stop talking about her time in Oz after the tornado that wrecked their first farm house. In other words, Return to Oz picks up a few months after the tornado in Wizard of Oz.

Or by "connection" do you mean something more like you're not seeing an artistic connection (i.e. similar look and feel) between the two films?

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imthewronggeneration@reddit

The second option.

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JerriBlankStare@reddit

Ah okay. Well, I don't think there was supposed to be an artistic connection between the two films. In fact, Return to Oz incorporated more elements from the original books, if I'm not mistaken.

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Apt_5@reddit

Right, I'm not sure why they would expect a connecting vision between films that went from 16-year-old Judy Garland to 10-year-old Fairuza Balk as Dorothy. RtO was clearly not supposed to be a seamless follow up.

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nicvaykay@reddit

The one, true Tik Tok!

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hostilegirrl@reddit

The nome king was the scariest person to me. No one ever talks about him. He was a face and became a whole person!!!! And then tried to eat them!

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Tobin678@reddit

Watched this all the time as a kid. Ddoooorrrttthhhyyy Ggggaaaallllleeee!!!!

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hombre_bu@reddit

An…egg?

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Savings_Bird_4736@reddit

I love me some Tick Tock!

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CMarlowe@reddit

I looked this up on imdb to see what it was rated. Never knew that Dorothy was also Nancy in The Craft. The wheelers did scare me though.

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TollyVonTheDruth@reddit

That surprised me, too, almost as much as when I learned that Taylor Momsen from the band 'The Pretty Reckless' and the show 'Gossip Girl' was the little girl in 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' with Jim Carrey as the Grinch.

I learned both of those facts just last year.

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jonthecpa@reddit

A Jenny Lewis for a new generation.

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CMarlowe@reddit

Yes! I used to listen to The Pretty Reckless all the time but they're not that active anymore it seems. They opened for AC/DC but don't think they're touring on their own.

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delveccio@reddit

You just blew my mind and I was able to instantly make the connection.

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DrSadisticPizza@reddit

She's in the Island of Dr Moreau as well and is interviewed extensively in the documentary (Lost Soul: The doomed journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr Moreau) about that dumpster fire of a movie. It's on prime and a bunch of free streaming services.

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Unlucky-tracer@reddit

Yah, that movie was interesting… gonna have tk watch again

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DrSadisticPizza@reddit

The documentary is way better imo.

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CorgiMonsoon@reddit

Don’t forget The Waterboy

And I like Vicki, and she like me back! And she showed me her boobies, and I like them too!

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Fat_Krogan@reddit

gif

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Verittan@reddit

One of these things is not like the others. One of these things doesn't belong.

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Cool_River_Mist@reddit

It’s still scarier than a lot of horror movies I’ve seen as an adult. Return to Oz and The Witches made me realize being afraid and weirded out can be amazing.

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bloomdecay@reddit

Those fuckin severed heads...

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Starscream-and-Hutch@reddit

This movie is amazing, and the Wheelers are terrifying.

Don't you know that eggs are poison.

Poison...to....gnomes.

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cwyog@reddit

That movie was scary as hell

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Jacob_Lahey@reddit

Fuck this movie. It still creeps me out. I watched Beetlejuice with my 7 year old, but not this shit. Pure nightmare fuel.

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darkuen@reddit

Number 7 is my Plex cover

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TollyVonTheDruth@reddit

Yeah, that film was dark and weird and not as enjoyable as The Wizard of Oz.

Pan's Labyrinth is quite dark, but I definitely wouldn't consider it a children's film, though.

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Thin-Praline-1553@reddit

This movie terrified me as a child. Those things on roller wheels 😳

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0nSecondThought@reddit

The last unicorn, all dogs go to heaven and anything else by Don Bluth are up there. But Return to Oz is my fav

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bagal@reddit

Same!

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bagal@reddit

Yes! OG nightmare fuel.

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TheFilthWiz@reddit

I watched this last week with my 6yo son, he loved it. Hasn’t seen Wizard Of Oz but wants to. He was fine with what I consider the scary stuff but then he has seen things like Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Temple Of Doom, Beetlejuice and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (this was first, Large Marge had him rolling in laughter so I knew he’d be fine with other stuff).

I’m hoping Disney Plus puts Something Wicked This Way Comes up soon, always thought that and Return To Oz shared that 80’s dark Disney mold well.

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Dooby_Ashtray@reddit

Fever dream of a movie

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commander_sinbin@reddit

This creepy movie can F off just like Dark Crystal can.

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Chefsteph212@reddit

Still one of my favorite movies of all time.

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imnottheoneipromise@reddit

Would like for you all to realize, as well, that Dorothy is Vicki Valencourt.

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Atlastheafterman@reddit

Holy shit. I loved this movie as a kid - I had no idea till today that the lead was Fairuza Balk. I had such a teenage crush on her in The Craft 😂

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FeatherDust11@reddit

Love this movie. This and Neverending Story - top 2 faves

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Unlucky-tracer@reddit

The desert was terrifying, the wheeler’s laughs were haunting

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Metals4J@reddit

What is that 6th poster? Johnny Depp? Amy Adams? Sounds cool but that’s definitely not the 1980s movie!

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tinglep@reddit

Watched this with my kids last year. What the fuck was I thinking?! My son watched Friday the 13th marathons like they are going out of style and THIS scared him.

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TBeIRIE@reddit

I remember going to the movie theater to see this when it first came out & my younger cousin (I was 9 she was 7) said oh hell no & ran out of the theatre crying.

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YinzerNinja@reddit

That shit was like a terrifying fever dream. Between that and The Dark Crystal . . . makes me shiver 👀

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Rich-Yogurtcloset715@reddit

I loved this movie, and I still think it is refined high octane nightmare fuel.

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jessek@reddit

All I know is it was my favorite movie for years.

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imnottheoneipromise@reddit

I haven’t watched this in years. Is it streaming somewhere?

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Liathano_Fire@reddit

What is that poster that says RDJ is in it?

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No_Perspective_4550@reddit

That's a fan made poster that got past OP.

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dearjuliet82@reddit

Thanks, I won’t be sleeping anytime soon.

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selfmadetrader@reddit

Twas the stuff of nightmares.

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Cherry_Hammer@reddit

I fucking love this crazy movie. It’s so much truer to the books than the 1939 Wizard of Oz

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Me_meHard@reddit

No one I know remembers this or has heard of it and I probably watched it 25 times as a kid

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Gonna_do_this_again@reddit

I supported this kickstarter for a comic based on a reimagining of the Wizard of OZ called The O.Z. More modernized, it's when Dorthy is a bit older and had gone to OZ off and on. This just reminded me of it, it's fantastic. Well the 2 issues I read had potential anyway.

https://www.davidpepose.com/the-oz/

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