The Wizard of Oz (1939)

 Palpitating In My Pajamas

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?" (4/10) Dumb. "The Hills Have Eyes?" (3/10) Boring. "The Exorcist?" (6/10) Humorous. "The Shining?" (8/10) Lots of fun. Any of them scary? Naw. Why not? Because as a kid, I survived a viewing of "The Wizard of Oz."

It is true that I no longer find movies frightening. Some of them, like "The Shining", are downright creepy, but I haven't been scared by a movie since I was a young boy. "The Wizard of Oz" with its evil flying monkeys, wicked witches, and the gigantic phantom-like head of Oz himself - accompanied by smoke and fire - was frightening enough to make me hide under the bed for the rest of my life. I'm telling you, that scene where the Wicked Witch of the West throws a fireball that ignites the scarecrow nearly made me mess my little drawers. Even the opening scenes with the dread Almira Gulch and the nasty Kansas twister had me palpitating in my pajamas. 

Although I won't admit to being scared by it anymore, I still watch The "Wizard of Oz" every year or two. It is incredible that this film was made in 1939. The special effects for that day and age are astounding (I still don't know how they did those soaring simians). The whole movie seems fresh and ageless. The entire cast is outstanding, led by Judy Garland's unforgettable turn as Dorothy Gale. Heck, even Terry as Toto gives one of the most memorable canine performances of all time. 

Perhaps the most enduring and endearing scene is Garland's rendering of the Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg song "Over the Rainbow." Just watching that scene makes me think of spring - you know; rainbows, bluebirds, skies that are blue, and impending tornadoes. 

Director Victor Fleming gives us the film's opening and closing scenes in sepia-toned black and white. The scenes in Oz are in Technicolor. This is a stroke of interpretive genius, giving the whole Oz experience a fantastic dreamlike quality. The fact that Fleming directed this and "Gone With The Wind" (8/10) in the same year is astounding. 

I'm not sure I've seen a movie this decade that can match either of those.

Rating: 10/10