[chuckwagon]

When Fairuza Balk (The Craft) was very young, she starred in a movie that was sort of like a sequel to The Wizard of Oz. Released in 1985, this movie was a more "sinister" setting, if you want to call it that... Dorothy returns to find that all of her friends have been petrified by the wicked witch ,and are stone like statues that she has to figure out how to "un" freeze? Instead of flying monkeys, we see the Wheelers. A gang of misfit jester like creatures that have no hands or feet, but roll around on squeaky wheels attached at wrists and ankles. They are the droogs of the wicked witch, and along the way to returning the emerald city to it's former happy state, Dorothy meets a few new friends including Jack, the scarecrow kinda rip-off character that has a pumpkin head (okay cool), Tik-Tok who is a wind up toy commander of the Emerald City's army, and The Gump which is nothing more than a mounted moose head.

This movie is by no means spooky or scary, but more or less a slightly sinister interpretation of the Land of Oz. I personally wouldn't recommend it to kids that are to young, but I think it's safe for anyone...hmm... 5 and up maybe? All in all, I was/am a big fan of it because I have a lingering teenage crush on Fairuza Balk, and I liked the idea of the movie although it recieved fairly mixed reviews at the time despite receiving a few awards, and an Academy Award nomination.

Check it out, you might like it! and it may be a cool "starter" Halloween movie for the kiddies... But you don't have to take my word for it...
**insert Reading Rainbow jingle here**

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

Man, I haven't seen this movie in years. You make me want to revisit it and see how it holds up. The whole movie does have a twisted edge to it (certainly more so than the Judy Garland film). Who could forget the Wheelers, and their creepy mode of transport. I also have visions of the witch with the hallway of screaming, disembodied heads.

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Obviously, the character that sticks out in my memory is Jack. Looking back, his visual appearance might seem a bit simple and cliche. But then again, I guess it makes him very classic.

[chuckwagon]

Imagine Jack with a ZP! head!!! EPIC!!!

[Lala]

One of my absolute favorite movies - I was thrilled to find it on DVD last year. Although, all of those heads still creep me out!

and my husband laughs like a Wheeler. I had to make him watch the movie so he would know what I mean!

(and I love Jack Pumpkinhead!)

[keifferone]

I loved this movie because it was so true to the original books and illustrations. I wish they would have made more in this line. They have enough books to go off of.

[monstermash]

Who could forget the Wheelers, and their creepy mode of transport.

Wheeler you say? Ive just had a flashback of being creeped out by something tall with wheels. I bet it was from this film. Thanks for uncovering those suppressed memories!