FRIDAY NIGHT FRIGHTS: RETURN TO OZ (1985) “May I Call You Mom, Even if it Isn't So?”
For those of you who have been following, the theme of this year’s list of Friday Night Frights has consisted of Horror Movie Part 2’s (in one case, a Two). And tonight’s entry is arguably no different. I say arguably because some may find it a bit sacrilege that anyone could consider this 1985 film to be an actual follow up to the 1939 cinematic musical original The Wizard of Oz. A movie that is a timeless, child friendly and magical stone cold classic held dearly by many generations including yours truly. And it’s one that I ahem return to annually. The other arguable aspect is whether or not Return to Oz could be considered a horror movie.
Well my friends, here we are with some arguments.
In an age where “legacy” sequels, along with regular sequels, remakes and reboots almost exclusively compete over theater marquee real estate and streaming service algorithms, I’d argue that Return to Oz was well ahead of it’s time. It is fairly commonplace now for a new entry in a beloved franchise to ignore any content since the original film and create the “true” part 2 (Two). Look at the Jurassic Parks/Worlds, Star Treks/Wars, Halloween/Halloweens and now The Exorcist recipe: Bring back some familiar faces, toss in some new ones, essentially remake the first movie, then throw that old score in the trailer (only this time played by piano as a soft lullaby), then kick back anticipating those sweet record breaking opening weekend numbers to start rolling in. Same thing happened with Top Gun: Maverick which was a part 2 (Two) that had the novelty of many years since the original was first released. That movie went on to become one of the highest grossing movies of all time and was nominated for Best Picture by some group called “The Academy” (Not the Police one).
But what is it exactly that makes a truly great sequel or continuation of a story that you love? Seeing the same thing again? Hearing the same sounds and trying to chase the dragon of that feeling you had when watching it the first time? In my opinion, a great sequel takes everything you loved and throws it into an entirely new arena.
I’m talking a genre shift.
With that in mind I consider and place Return to Oz alongside the greatest of the great second films to go someplace totally new. Alien was essentially a haunted house movie in space followed by Aliens which went full on war/revenge story. Your classic Joseph Campbellian good versus evil Star Wars became operatic family drama with The Empire Strikes Back. The Terminator is a badass low budget sci-fi action film that became an even more badass high budget sci-fi action film, etc. So now, following up everyone’s memories of a vivid and bright fairy tale musical after almost 50 years, narratively where do you go next?
Well, if you’re first time director and cinematic sound design legend Walter Murch (THX-1138, The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now) you take it back to the look and tone of the original books and go full body horror.
Here’s the setup: After the events of her previous adventure in Oz, our Dorothy Gale (about to play the Worst Witch, my #1 baby girl Fairuza Balk) is attempting to convince Auntie Em that her friends in Oz are in trouble while the family back in Kansas are doing their best to repair the damage done by the iconic tornado from the first movie. So what’s the natural reaction here? Well, Auntie Em takes Dorothy to the local Doctor for some old school shock therapy that’s what. And by old school shock therapy, I mean old school shock therapy. Within minutes, this movie is all about Dorothy being surrounded by no one who believes her, to the point where she has no real escape method outside of her own imagination.
During a blackout thunderstorm that shorts out the machine however, Dorothy of course once again wakes up in Oz, well on her way toward gathering a new rag tag group of friends for an all new adventure. But yeah, it’s a bit more bleak now what with the yellow brick road being completely destroyed, and many of the world’s inhabitants turned to stone by the mysterious new villain: The Nome King. This includes her old pals the Tin Man and and Cowardly Lion which sets Dorothy on a path toward finding the Scarecrow. But the Nome King isn’t the only terrifying force to deal with as she first encounters a group called “The Wheelers” (who slide around on wheels instead of having hands or feet). As a kid these guys pretty much signaled the beginning of the nightmare territory this movie takes a hard left into. Yet as creepy as they are, I’d rather hang with them than Princess Mombi any day.
Princess Mombi is my ultimate argument for why this movie firmly belongs to the Horror genre. Residing in her beautifully arranged castle filled with gold framed mirrored walls, floors and ceilings, Mombi keeps a collection of wearable heads within glass cases (we even see many headless statues around). The creation, performance and overall execution of this character is as scary as anything Clive Barker ever conjured up. Even for a kid consuming a steady diet of your Labyrinths, Dark Crystals, Temples of Dooms and Neverending Storys’, Princess Mombi is something to be in complete awe of. You can ask anyone who saw this movie as a kid and she is likely the first thing they will bring up about it. Absolutely stellar, overshadowing The Nome King in every way.
C’mon look at this shot, this shit is just nuts.
It’s unfortunate that Walter Murch would never direct another feature film as the pure taste level on display is impeccable. But the production was a troubled one to say the least and apparently his good friends Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas stepped in once he was fired midshoot asking Disney to reconsider. Lucas even promised to finish directing the movie himself should Murch fall behind schedule. Ultimately the reception to the movie was less than stellar with it failing to even come close to earning back it’s budget. But I can’t say that I don’t get it: The overall tone is one of sad loneliess, and it’s filled with horrific imagery.
But just listen to the somber beauty of the score, that theme is overflowing with class. An obvious way to describe this movie would be “dark” sure, but I’d also add sophisticated. In fact, if Return to Oz were made today, it would likely be winning top honors at film festivals and critically hailed as “elevated.”
A24, eat your heart out.
