10 Movies That Would Work Better As Horror
5. Return To Oz
Despite The Wizard of Oz's legacy, it didn't receive a sequel for almost 50 years. Though Return to Oz received mixed reviews at the time, it has since developed a cult-following.
Even though Walter Murch's directorial debut has creative visuals and magnificent practical effects, it's best remembered for being absolutely terrifying. The Wheelers, the Nome King, and the princess with the "wearable heads" traumatised so many people, you could argue Return to Oz should've gone all the way with the horror angle.
Now, some people would be against this idea, since it would go against the source material.
But the Oz saga is filled with disturbing content, including lobotomies, Tin Man decapitating dozens of wolves, the Scarecrow murdering a hundred crows, and Toto eating townsfolk. If any of these scenes were adapted into a film, it would be classified as horror by default.
One key character in Return to Oz is the kind-hearted Jack Pumpkinhead. Even though he's a loveable hero in the film, he's freaky in the novels since his head keeps rotting and caving in, requiring him to regularly replace it with a fresh pumpkin.
Return to Oz is already on the verge of horror, so not much would have to be tweaked for it to be considered as such.