Gale: Stay Away From Oz – Review
28 Minutes, Not Rated
Written by Daniel Alexander and Matthew R Ford
Directed by Daniel Alexander
**NOTE: I don’t know that we will actually have the chance to talk about this one. Until then, you can read Mark’s review below. And as a bonus, you can use one of the links to listen or watch as Mark talks to the writer/director Danial Alexander about this one. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
Synopsis:
Long gone are the days of emerald cities and yellow brick roads. In this dark re-imagining of the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy Gale is now an elderly woman, broken by years of paranormal entanglement with a mystical realm.
It’s tough to write a decent review on a short film, since most of them run 12-15 minutes or so, so when you find one that’s nearly half an hour, you’d better take advantage of the opportunity.
Taking advantage of the opportunity is exactly what Daniel Alexander does with this foray into longer-form (though still technically a “short”) material. More than a proof of concept piece like you see some sci-fi, effects-driven shorts try, and not a simple sizzle reel, but a solid piece of narrative goodness.
Emily is haunted following the death of her mother, and her dreams are haunting her in a way she cannot understand. Seeking help from a therapist, she finds more an more detail she believes to be important, and the chance discovery of something in her mother’s things sets her on a journey that will change her life forever.
A solid premise, some disturbing visuals, and a good performance from Chloe Crump as Emily becomes a welcome appetizer for what is already in the works to become the feature-length film its creator envisioned.
Definitely give it a whirl(wind) if you can.
Gale is now available on Chilling* and stars Laura Kay Bailey, Chloe Crump, Clara Emanuel, and Karen Swan.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
*Chilling is a new platform (with app support) designed to give independent creators an outlet to share their works without getting lost in the shuffle of bigger, studio-backed releases, while also providing access to a wider variety of horror films.
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