Writer-director Daniel Alexander’s Gale: Stay Away From Oz made a splash upon release. The 28-minute film, co-written by Matthew R. Ford, impressed audiences with its mix of psychological horror and dream logic. But viewers were mad that it didn’t really end, as the short was really a proof of concept for something bigger. Now, Alexander and Ford reenter the world created by L. Frank Baum in the feature-length Gale: Yellow Brick Road. The 104-minute title sees several cast members from the short returning, which is a good sign, right?
Emily (Chloë Crump) is plagued by nightmares of creatures and shadows. Emily meets with her therapist, Linda (Dara Abasuté), whose hypnosis aims to help her feel calm and safe and to help her look at herself in the mirror. After that, Emily finds a strange phone number in her deceased mom’s old sketchbook, which leads her to a care facility run by Dr. Appleton (Laura Kay Bailey). She’s shocked someone is asking about the elderly resident Dorothy (Karen Swan). The doctor lets the two women meet, and all Dorothy says is, “Stay away from Oz,” though the phrase means nothing to Emily.
“…Patches approaches the artist, who freaks out at the mute being’s appearance. But she gains Emily’s trust after hiding her from winged monkeys.”
Due to a storm, Emily stays at the facility only to find herself in the woods, walking along a destroyed yellow brick road. Patches (Sarah Feltham) approaches the artist, who freaks out at the mute being’s appearance. But she gains Emily’s trust after hiding her from winged monkeys. How did Emily wind up in Oz? Is this real, or is she going crazy? What is the connection between Oz, Emily, her mom, and Dorothy?
Every year, I do “cinematic experiments.” These are deep dives into a type of motion picture that covers everything under that umbrella. For instance, one year was films based on The Jungle Book. Another year was Tarzan-centric titles (one of which is locked away by BAFTA, so no, I haven’t seen every single one; just all I could). It just so happens that last year’s deep dive was Oz-related movies. That is why I was excited to see Gale: Yellow Brick as soon as possible.
This psychological horror outing begins brilliantly. The nightmare Emily has, with its wheelers, stark lighting, actual fire, and dreamy camera movements, creates a tense, creepy atmosphere. The stark transition to the lead’s mostly solitary life and how these dreams mess with her make the drama relatable. The intrigue continues as she arrives at the facility, with Dr. Appleton not seeming on the up-and-up, even though she lets Emily meet Dorothy. The camera work suggests fear in its movements, while the lighting aids the tension and mystery.
"…does not rely on much gore or violence to sell the terror."
