The Wizard of Oz characters get a horror makeover in this incredible crossover art. The Wizard of Oz was released in 1939, starring Judy Garland as the iconic Dorothy, surrounded by Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, and Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West. This version of Dorothy and her friends are some of the most recognizable characters in film history, even for those who have never seen Victor Fleming’s The Wizard of Oz.
The Wizard of Oz might not scream horror on its own, but there are definitely some frightening moments throughout with the terrifying flying monkeys and the sinister witch. The Wizard of Oz managed to keep its child-friendly age rating by cutting out many of Hamilton’s scenes. Hamilton performed a far too convincing Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz and executives believed she was too scary for the film, although Garland later recanted that Hamilton was lovely off-camera. However, much of the actual horror surrounding The Wizard of Oz comes from the conditions on set, like the poisonous make-up, hazardous costuming, and toxic fake snow.
The Wizard of Oz gets some genre-bending fan art as Zascanauta on Instagram swaps out the technicolor cast for some iconic horror figures. The artist enlists horror legends to create these creepy characters with Dorothy possessed by The Exorcist’s Regan MacNeil, Freddy Krueger filling in for the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man is Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees, and the Scarecrow is reimagined as Scream’s Ghostface. While it might seem unusual to bring together such differing genres, horror musicals are ever popular with fans of both genres. Mixing horror and musicals is already tried and tested with infamous movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Phantom of the Opera. Check out the art below:
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These high-grossing horror movies have had a lasting impact on not only their genre but also on pop culture. These franchises only continue to grow in popularity as new generations are introduced with nods to horror classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street riddled throughout pop culture. Their influence is still seen today in things like Stranger Things and references throughout media as new projects try to replicate their same stomach-sinking feeling.
Similarly, references to the Wizard of Oz are scattered throughout movies and TV. The storytelling format of The Wizard of Oz has been reused across genres since it first debuted, as seen like in shows Dollface and Phineas and Ferb. While it definitely has its faults, something has clearly been impactful about this beloved classic that has people creating new art for it generations after The Wizard of Oz was first released.
Source: Zascanauta