Sick Cinema: Return to Oz

Sick Cinema is Sickhouse’s platform dedicated to film—a space where we celebrate everything from cult classics and misunderstood gems to rare finds and rather commercial titles. Each month, we host a curated screening that visually explores Sickhouse’s annual research theme.

This year, under the theme Return to Dreamland, we dive into the world of dreams, both in daytime and nighttime, along with some nightmares in between. Expect films that blur reality, challenge perception, and transport us into surreal, oneiric landscapes.

We kick off the season with Return to Oz (Walter Murch, 1985) setting the tone for a year of cinematic dreaming.

What started as Disney’s attempt to be bold and provocative, with twisted visuals and a darker tone, became a cult classic, especially for those who grew up in the 1980s. Yet, at the time of its release, Return to Oz was anything but a success. The film struggled at the box office, and it was even reported that people walked out of the cinemas as children burst into tears.

If you think Wicked is too pink, this is the version of Oz for you. In Return to Oz, Dorothy’s adventures are dismissed as delusions, she’s sent to a hospital where electric shocks are meant to erase her memories and she escapes only to return to an Oz that’s even more nightmarish than before.

Starring a young Fairuza Balk—a full decade before her iconic role in The Craft—, with traditional visual effects, cool animatronics, and a uniquely unsettling atmosphere, Return to Oz is the strange, haunting version of Oz you’ve never seen—and one you’d want to return to.

DATE: Friday, March 21st
TIME: 21:45
LOCATION: Concordia, Oude Markt 15, 7511 GA Enschede
PRICE: 8 € (Cineville card accepted)

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