Sorry to ruin your childhood, but The Wizard of Oz is cursed. Many of us knew that already. The dastardly events that took place on that set ignited a cultural reset over the otherwise treasured classic. The rabbit hole runs deep. Wicked and its sequel Wicked: For Good may have had us trapped in a glimmering facade for the past few years, but like Glinda, that bubble must pop. A nightmarish new film from Daniel Alexander, Gale: Yellow Brick Road, reimagines the story of Oz. And the trailer is equal parts horrific as it is intriguing.
See the Official Gale: Yellow Brick Road Trailer Here
Gale: Yellow Brick Road is a dark fantasy that unburies the horrifying secrets of a once familiar world. Dorothy, now elderly and tormented by her past, warns her granddaughter of Oz’s dark entities. The trailer flashes through them all: the witches, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man. Each harrowing creature returns to haunt Dorothy and her family. The trailer also bares glimpses of the silver slippers and a disheveled Yellow Brick Road, scarred by mud and dirt.
Let it be known that isn’t the first frightening depiction of Oz. In fact, Daniel Alexander first began the narrative in 2023 with Gale: Stay Away From Oz (which did decently well). This film continues that nightmarish story. With The Wizard of Oz being public domain, it has seen several retellings, and Alexander’s likely won’t be the last.
The film can’t help but make me think of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. The abhorrent slasher earned a whopping score of three percent on Rotten Tomatoes (I never saw it). Gale: Yellow Brick Road is expected to stray away from the trend of “let’s take this public domain entity and douse it in blood and gore.” And for the sake of those who are looking forward to seeing it, let’s hope it works.
Fathom Entertainment brought the horrific nightmare to theaters for one night only on February 11. Gale: Yellow Brick Road is available for streaming soon.