Dorothy: The Haunting of Oz is promising to be more than the typical public domain horror flick. Besides showcasing beloved childhood icons from L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in a brutal new light, director Elijah J. Alvarez is interested in telling a powerful generational story that has as much in common with George Lucas’ American Graffiti as it does a slasher film.

What Is the Plot of Dorothy: The Haunting of Oz?

Dorothy: The Haunting of Oz begins with a viral Halloween challenge in Marin County, California. The seemingly innocent internet trend targets the local college basketball team and escalates into a horrific nightmare that threatens the careers and lives of the players. Grief, barbaric injuries, and other nightmares spread, blurring the line between memory, fear, myth, and the supernatural. A young woman named Melanie, who is struggling with heartbreak and childhood trauma, must confront her pain before it consumes everyone around her.

While many details have not been revealed — there’s not even a listing on IMDb yet — images of Dorothy, the Wicked Witch of the West, Scarecrow, and Tin Man have already surfaced online. 

The Cast of Dorothy: The Haunting of Oz

Elijah J. Alvarez of Buddy Pictures is the 22-year-old writer, director, and producer of Dorothy: The Haunting of Oz. The film stars:

Director Elijah Alvarez on Dorothy: The Haunting of Oz

Striving to set his movie apart from other public domain slashers, Elijah Alvarez is using the format and the genre to tell a bigger story. His inspiration comes from wonderfully layered films like Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.

“This movie is about my generation,” Alvarez stated. “How Gen Z is fractured by the internet and still trying to find ourselves while life keeps stripping pieces away. We document everything, we chase feelings, and still we can’t stop the darkness from arriving. I took inspiration from George Lucas and the way he made American Graffiti, telling stories about the youth of his era in his own voice. At its core, Dorothy: The Haunting of Oz is about grief-shaped identity, the ways evil enters through the fractures in our lives, and what happens when the thing haunting us is also the part of ourselves we refuse to face. For me, horror is a powerful way to explore not just defeating the monster, but learning how to live with it.”

When Does Dorothy: The Haunting of Oz come out?

Dorothy: The Haunting of Oz is finishing up in post-production, so an exact release date has yet to be announced. The director is targeting a Fall 2026 release that Entertaining Options hopes coincides with Halloween.

To get the latest updates on Dorothy: The Haunting of Oz, follow Elijah J. Alvarez on Instagram.

All stills and artwork courtesy of Buddy Pictures.