10 Movie Sequels That Completely Changed Tone

This one isn't technically an official sequel to the 1939 classic, as MGM had lost the rights for L. Frank Baum's books to Disney, but it is still a continuation of the Oz narrative and perfectly functions as a sequel if you let stuff like studio disagreements slide. When anyone thinks of The Wizard of Oz, an image of wonder and beauty is conjured up. Gorgeous colours that engage your inner child, lovely songs and dance routines, these are what we associate with the merry old land of Oz.

Of course, if that is your preferred perspective of Oz, then this film will shatter all of that and possibly induce nightmares that will forever soil your love of Dorothy and company. Return to Oz was marketed as a children's film, but it contains elements that wouldn't be out of place in a David Cronenberg movie.

There's a hall of severed heads, Tin Man looks like he's just come off a rather nasty meth binge, and don't get me started on Jack Pumpkinhead, who is supposed to be a friend but is a crucible for sheer terror. The change of tone wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as Return to Oz was actually heavily faithful to the source material, but it could be construed as somewhat ill-advised.