Two more children’s stories get the horror treatment, and they’ve both been done before…more than once. So, did these latest adaptations deliver? Let’s find out.
WICKED OF OZ (2026)
This take on The Wizard of Oz is campy and cheesy yet also dark and gory. It might not be for everyone due to its low-budget vibe, but for me, it’s what a wacky rewrite should be. Not to mention, if you’ve ever read the original novel, it’s pretty frightening at times.
This one takes its cue from the classic 1939 movie. Dorothy, a white girl, lives with her Aunt Gale. White Dorothy’s best friend is Toto…a Black girl. Um…yeah. Her dog is now represented by a Black girl.
The twister comes, and Dorothy and Toto are dropped into what appears to be a field or forest that could easily be in her own backyard. Just go with it. They see the glass slippers on the feet of the Wicked Witch of the East, then they meet Glinda, who is one crazy bitch.
And because Toto is not a dog but a Black person…well, you can guess what Toto’s fate is in a horror movie.
This next bit of news is a disappointment. There’s no Wicked Witch of the West! I was hoping she’d at least show up as a final boss, but it doesn’t happen. Instead, the Wizard is the one who wants Dorothy dead. And he’s this frustrated incel. His “munchkins” are just men in robes and metal masks. I guess it was hard to find a load of little people to play munchkin monsters in an indie production.
Here’s the cool part. Dorothy’s traditional storyline friends deliver the actual horror here—Scarecrow, Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion. Awesome.
To me, this is by far the best aspect of the film. They are all vicious and bloodthirsty. Not to mention, the lion is a shirtless hunk wearing a simple masquerade ball mask.
My only complaint is that this trio should have been the focus, terrorizing Dorothy for the whole film as she tries to make her way home. Instead, the final act focuses on Dorothy and Glinda working together to take down Oz and his minions. It becomes a bit too goofy at this point, especially after all the hopes I had for some serious horror upon meeting Dorothy’s “friends”.
WIZARD OF DEATH: TINMAN’S RISE (2026)
I’m back in Oz. Sort of. This one is more like Wrong Turn with the Tinman…and without the gory, suspenseful awesomeness that is Wrong Turn.
This one simply goes nowhere, and the presence of any elements of Oz are just confusing…including the Tinman. Although, by the end of the film, he does seem to have some connection to Dorothy. Yes, it’s a movie with heart.
After an unrelated opening kill scene with two victims, we meet Dorothy and her family. They go to a cabin in the woods. We then see another two random people killed.
Then it’s back to Dorothy and crew. They go hiking. They see a “yellow brick road” that’s just some random yellow bricks strewn throughout the forest. It leads them to the Tinman’s lair.
They get stuck in there for a good portion of the movie and spend most of the time trying to figure out how to distract the Tinman to escape. They finally do…and then spend a good portion of the movie trying to figure out how to distract the Tinman so they can get out of the forest. Sigh.
There just wasn’t much here to scratch my chronic horror itch.
HANSEL & GRETEL’S HALLOWEEN (2026)
This begins as a fun Halloween spin on the classic story, which makes perfect sense based on the themes of the source material, landing it on the holiday horror page. It begins with the witch being burned in her cottage and cursing the kids as they escape.
In modern times, we meet another Hansel and Gretel sibling duo (like anyone would give their kids those names these days). The siblings live in a town plagued by disappearances of kids under 16 on Halloween, so there’s a rule—only those over 16 can trick or treat. That’s the exact older, costume-free age range that crabby old folk in real life refuse to give candy to.
Anyway, H&G and their friends decide to sneak out and trick or treat, and they don’t even try to score some fake ID first. It sure does feel like Halloween is a load of fun without little kids running around. The Halloween vibe is off the charts, so I had high hopes.
Even when they unknowingly reach the witch’s house, it’s all pimped out for the holiday. Awesome.
The witch appears to be a younger woman, so the kids are lured into her house pretty easily. And then…
The movie loses its charm. It becomes a very generic, repetitive witch movie. The kids can’t find their way out of the maze-like house, they get separated, and then the witch begins tempting them with treats. But first, she spends much of the movie appearing to them, saying “you’re not ready”, and then leaving them alone. WTF? Way to pad a movie.
When she finally does reveal what it is she wants from them, it’s pretty awesome. She feeds them treats and then they turn into chocolate and melt so she can then digest them and gain youth. Although, we never really get to see her as a hideous old hag. She does cackle like a classic witch, so that’s fun.
Despite the cool concept of the chocolate mutations, the movie simply isn’t very thrilling. The pace is slow, the witch isn’t very menacing, and the final fight is anticlimactic. However, the final scene feels like a live action version of something out of Monster House, and it’s fricking awesome.
