This Is Not Your Childhood Oz: First Look at the Upcoming Slasher Movie That Turns Your Childhood Story into a Gruesome Journey

Dorothy is back, but this time, she’s in a much darker version of Oz. A new horror movie called Wicked of Oz is turning the classic story into a slasher film. Fans of the original Wizard of Oz will find nothing magical here, just gore, blood, and chaos.

The movie is directed by Aaron Mirtes, who co-wrote it with Nathan Illsley. The story is based on a screenplay by James Cullen Bressack and Scotty Mullen.

It follows Dorothy Gale, played by Kenzie Wynne, as she gets pulled into a violent version of Oz. In this world, familiar characters are far from friendly. Glinda is a starving cannibal, the Tin Man collects hearts, the Scarecrow is deadly, and the Cowardly Lion attacks anyone he sees. Dorothy must fight her way through this dangerous land to face her ultimate enemy, the Wicked of Oz.

Other cast members include Chelsey Fuller as Glinda, Patrick Sharn as the Wizard, Destinee Monét as Toto, Zach Lazar Hoffman as the Cowardly Lion, Brad Belemjian as the Scarecrow, and Carson Butcher as the Tin Man.

The film is produced by Tom Malloy and Niccolo Messina, CEO of indie studio Insurgence. It is currently in post-production, with a target release in November, though no distribution details have been announced yet.

Messina said of the project, “The creative team behind Wicked of Oz — genre veterans James Cullen Bressack, Scotty Mullen, Tom Malloy and Aaron Mirtes — combine credits that span everything from Mel Gibson action thrillers to Sharknado. Together with our wickedly talented cast, the film offers no songs, no rainbows – just blood and bodies piling high onto the Oz sky. Its ferocious fun for every fan of gore.”

This marks another trend of taking classic family stories and giving them a dark twist for adult audiences. Wicked of Oz promises a very different Oz than the one audiences remember.

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