Gale: Yellow Brick Road

Gale: Yellow Brick Road
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDaniel Alexander
Written byMatthew R. Ford
Based on
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
by L. Frank Baum
Produced byTenisha White
Starring
  • Chloë Crump
  • Laura Kay Bailey
  • Karen Swan
Edited byDaniel Alexander
Production
companies
  • Chilling
  • Daniel Alexander Films
  • Maggy Road Pictures
  • Pretty Hate Productions
Distributed byFathom Entertainment[1]
Release date
  • February 11, 2026 (2026-02-11)
Running time
106 minutes[2]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Gale: Yellow Brick Road is a 2026 British independent horror fantasy film[3] directed by Daniel Alexander in his directorial debut,[4] from a screenplay by Matthew R. Ford. The film is a horror reimagining of L. Frank Baum's children fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.[5] It stars Chloë Crump, Laura Kay Bailey and Karen Swan. The film is about Emily and her grandmother Dorothy who always warned her about the danger of the place called Oz.[6]

Plot

A troubled artist named Emily Gale has been experiencing reoccurring nightmares involving her grandmother and a mysterious woman named Dorothy. Due to her fascination with these nightmares, she ends up isolating herself from the world, drawing imagery from her dreams.

One day, she discovers a journal that seemingly belonged to her mother. The journal contains various sketches of a magical realm called Oz, along with a phone number for a mental institution. Fascinated by the discovery, Emily goes to the mental institution to potentially discover what happened to her mother and to find answers about her family's past.

However, after confronting the sinister head of the institution, a sudden thunderstorm forces Emily to stay inside the asylum. Overtime, the lines between reality and fantasy start to blur as she starts to discover she has a dangerous connection with Dorothy and Oz.

Cast

  • Chloë Crump as Emily Gale[7]
  • Laura Kay Bailey as Dr. Appleton/Mombi
  • Hassan Taj as Munchkin
  • Karen Swan as Dorothy Gale
  • Rachel Hassett as Evil Woman
  • Dara Abasuté as Linda
  • Sarah Feltham as Patches
  • H.C.A. Taylor[8]
  • Vivien Weigand as Young Emily Gale[9]

Production

The film is directed by Daniel Alexander in his first feature film.[10] The film stars Chloë Crump, Laura Kay Bailey, Hassan Taj, Rachel Hassett, Dara Abasuté, Karen Swan, H.C.A. Taylor and Sarah Feltham.[11] On November, 2025, Fathom Entertainment announced the film and the release date of it.[4][12]

Release

The film had a one day theatrical release on February 11, 2026, under Fathom Entertainment.[3][13]

Reception

Grant Hermanns of Screen Rant gave the film a negative review and a 2 out of 10 rating and wrote: The creepy imagery in the first act improperly sells just how dull the movie ultimately ends up being for the majority of its overlong runtime, and while its snail-like pacing and lackluster acting fail to make its psychological themes land with anything more than a mute thud.[14]

Paul Lê of Bloody Disgusting gave the film a rating of 2/5 and he wrote: It is too overwhelming and weighs on everything. The lack of cool-downs and breathers, plus the hasty pacing, indeed ensures this film is as nightmarish as possible; however, in the long run, not much of this nightmare will probably be remembered once it is over.[15]

Kevin Taft of We Live Entertainment gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 saying: Alexander and co-writer Matthew R. Ford have crafted an unusual, horror-inflected take on Oz, leaning into mood, trauma, and fractured memory rather than whimsy. It's familiar, but refracted through grief and unease. As an indie production, the film stretches its scope impressively without ever fully pulling back the curtain. Visually, it looks more expensive than it likely was.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Gale: Yellow Brick Road (2026)". IGN. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Gale: Yellow Brick Road". Fathom Entertainment. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Return to Oz with 'Gale: Yellow Brick Road' Poster by Creepy Duck Design, In Theaters in February [Exclusive]". Fathom Entertainment. December 2, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Gale Yellow Brick Road Release Date and New Poster Revealed". The Movie Blog. December 2, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  5. ↑ Lyons, Ben (January 9, 2026). "The wonderful world of Oz gets a terrifying twist in Gale: Yellow Brick Road". GAMEREACTOR. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  6. ↑ Stenzel, Wesley (January 8, 2026). "Dorothy's granddaughter braves the Yellow Brick Road in wickedly dark Wizard of Oz horror reimagining (exclusive)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  7. ↑ McNeely, Kelli Marchman (December 4, 2025). "'Gale: Yellow Brick Road' Is Blowing into Theaters for One Night!". HorrorFuel. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  8. ↑ "'Gale: Yellow Brick Road' One Night Only presented by Fathom Entertainment". Fantasy Land News. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  9. ↑ Wilton, Mike (December 2, 2025). "'Gale: Yellow Brick Road' Heading to Theaters for One Night Only in February 2026". All Hallows Geek. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  10. ↑ "'Gale: Yellow Brick Road' teases horror twist into 'Wicked: For Good'". Geo News. January 9, 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  11. ↑ Squires, John (January 8, 2026). "'Gale: Yellow Brick Road' Official Trailer – 'Wizard of Oz' Horror Movie Promises Violent Terror". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  12. ↑ DiVincenzo, Alex (November 24, 2025). "Wicked: For Bad – Three 'Wizard of Oz' Horror Movies Coming in 2026". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  13. ↑ Rawles, Timothy (January 7, 2026). "Hot Horror Titles Coming to You In February 2026". iHorror. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  14. ↑ Hermanns, Grant (February 11, 2026). "Gale: Yellow Brick Road Review — This Horror Riff On The Wizard Of Oz Moves Like Molasses & Is Atrociously Dull". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  15. ↑ Lê, Paul (February 11, 2026). "'Gale: Yellow Brick Road' Review – A Much Too Severe 'Oz' Reimagining". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  16. ↑ Taft, Kevin (February 10, 2026). "'Gale: Yellow Brick Road' Review: Reimagines a Familiar Myth by Painting A Darker Oz". We Live Entertainment. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
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