Gale: Yellow Brick Road

Gale: Yellow Brick Road is a 2026 British independent horror fantasy film. It marks the directorial debut of Daniel Alexander, who worked from a screenplay by Matthew R. Ford. The movie reimagines L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz* as a horror story. The cast includes Chloë Crump, Laura Kay Bailey, and Karen Swan. The plot centers on Emily, a troubled artist, and her grandmother Dorothy, who always warned her about the dangers of a place called Oz.

The story follows Emily Gale, an artist plagued by recurring nightmares about her grandmother and a mysterious woman named Dorothy. These dreams fascinate her, causing her to withdraw from the world and draw images from them. One day, she finds a journal that appears to have belonged to her mother. It contains sketches of a magical realm called Oz and a phone number for a mental institution. Intrigued, Emily visits the institution to learn about her mother and her family’s past. After confronting the sinister head of the asylum, a thunderstorm traps her inside. As time passes, the line between reality and fantasy blurs, and Emily discovers a dangerous connection to Dorothy and Oz.

The cast includes Chloë Crump as Emily Gale, 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, and Vivien Weigand as Young Emily Gale.

Production was handled by Daniel Alexander in his first feature film. In November 2025, Fathom Entertainment announced the film and its release date. The movie had a single-day theatrical release on February 11, 2026, through Fathom Entertainment.

Reception was mixed. Grant Hermanns of Screen Rant gave it a 2 out of 10, writing that the first act’s creepy imagery poorly sells the film’s dullness across its overlong runtime, with slow pacing and lackluster acting failing to make its psychological themes land. Paul Lê of Bloody Disgusting rated it 2/5, noting the film is overwhelming and lacks breathers, making it nightmarish but ultimately forgettable. Kevin Taft of We Live Entertainment gave it 4 out of 5, praising Alexander and Ford for crafting an unusual, horror-inflected take on Oz that leans into mood, trauma, and fractured memory rather than whimsy, and noting the indie production stretches its scope impressively.