I’m going to start this post talking about an author, but then I skewer off to reveal the character they created that freaked me out when I was a child. Bear with me, it’s just one delight of the rambling writer’s mind.
L. Frank Baum was born on 15th May in 1856. Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which was also published this week in 1900 on 17th May.
We’re all very familiar with the 1939 film starring Judy Garland, and I read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a child, but I’ve never read the other 13 books in the series.
The book differs from the film. For a start, the slippers are silver (not ruby) and they missed some characters out. Did you know about the Witch of the North, the talking field mice or the Winkies who are ruled over by the Wicked Witch of the West?
I thought the film was based on the 1902 Broadway musical The Wizard of Oz, but that’s not true. The MGM 1939 film is characterised by its bright colours and musical score, in stark contrast to the Disney sequel Return to Oz, released in 1985.
I remember watching Return to Oz as a child. I enjoyed it overall, but it’s much darker both visually and story-wise.
“It aspires to be a modernized fairy tale in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heart-aches and nightmares are left out.”
L. Frank Baum regarding “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, 1900
These are lovely sentiments from the author, but Disney certainly did not capture those aspirations. Return to Oz is far from joyous because it covers mental illness, sending a child to a sanitorium, and using electrotherapy. Then there’s the evil Princess Mombi. As I write, a shiver of dread runs down my spine.
The Character That Freaked Me Out
Return to Oz is based on two of Baum’s sequels, The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) and Ozma of Oz (1907). The film is described as a dark fantasy and was criticised as inferior to the original film. However, fans of the books deem it to be more faithful to them. Unfortunately, I can’t compare them. (I will have to remedy that—when I can muster up the courage.)
In the film, Dorothy returns to Oz to find it has been conquered by the Nome King and his accomplice, Princess Mombi (boo, hiss). This is the bit that freaked me out. Princess Mombi likes to collect heads and changes them frequently. She keeps them behind glass-fronted cabinets, and they stare out at those who pass by.
Oh, it still chills me to the bone – heads sat in cabinets. The scariest bit was when the heads were asleep. Dorothy had to sneak past them to steal some magic powder from the cabinet containing Mombi’s original head. All I can say is Jean Marsh did an excellent job in the role because Princess Mombi and her heads continue to freak me out today.
Is there a book or movie character that freaked you out as a child? Tell me more in the comments.
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