Hot on the heels of the theatrical release announcement for “Gale: Yellow Brick Road,” comes a first look at the opening moments of another Oz-inspired horror film entering the fray: “Dorothy: The Haunting of Oz.”
The feature-film directorial debut of 22-year-old Elijah J. Alvarez centers on a group of Gen Z college basketball players. On Halloween night, they find themselves stalked by terrifying manifestations of classic characters like the Wicked Witch of the West, the Scarecrow, and more.
The film opens by introducing Sasha, a college athlete recently diagnosed with cancer. Since falling ill, she has begun to experience unsettling visions of an alternate dimension that turns out to be Oz.
Focusing on the layers of Sasha’s struggle—both supernatural and personal—Alvarez highlighted the film’s deeper themes:
“She’s seeing glimpses of portals opening up, time travel, and parallel universes, all while trying to manage her toxic relationship and her athletic setback,” said Alvarez. “I really wanted to highlight on the college athletes that go through injury and the mental toll it takes on a person all while adding some more mystery to the reason as to why.”
Michael Sullivan, Logan Laurel, Heidi Appe, Melissa Foster, Aaron Byrd, Rocky Velasco, Angela Michaela, Yvonne Orozco, and Ava Barone star in the film. “Dorothy: The Haunting of Oz” is currently in post-production and is expected to be released in 2026.
