'It has the appeal of an actual horror': How Return to Oz became one of the darkest children's films ever made

I read once that there's a scene in that movie, I believe the opening mental hospital scene, where the filmmakers consulted child psychologists to find out what might be too intense for a child to see onscreen. Then purposefully did all the stuff they advised against.

Princess Mombi haunted my nightmares far longer than the xenomorphs in Alien, for real. 😭

p.s. Considering that Fairuza Balk's Dorothy was about my age when I first saw it, the flick was especially evocative, but fast-forward to her films that followed, and I found myself subconsciously looking(fumbling) for aspects of her roles in the dating pool. Mixed bag, for sure, but gawdamn what a time was had. No regerts.

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Dorothy Gale!

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The head lady and the wheelers turning into sand were especially creepy.