Shudder’s acclaimed documentary series is back as more cursed films are explored in this brand new series starting tomorrow (April 7th).
Exploring the facts and myths surrounding a brand new batch of famous films a new clip has been released in advance of the series premiere as The Wizard of Oz and the myth surrounding the hanging munchkin is explored.
The munchkin theory has to my knowledge been debunked yet it’s still explored in this documentary to post the ‘what if it was real’ debate.
For those who aren’t familiar with this theory, let me discuss it.
Dating back to the 90’s this rumour has certainly been doing the rounds over the years and in 2011 with the introduction of YouTube the theory exploded into the mainstream.
The video claimed to be footage of an old VHS copy of the film depicting a scene in the forest not long after Dorothy, The Scarecrow and the Tin Man sing “We’re Off to See the Wizard’.
In the scene there is a shadow dangling in the background which resembles a small person hanging from a rope.
The alleged story is that one of the munchkins on set committed suicide on set by hanging himself from the roof of the studio.
During the 1988 restoration of the movie the horrific incident was supposedly edited out and replaced with the bird seen in all the modern versions of the movie.
This was later debunked (to my knowledge) as original pre-1988 copies of the film were unearthed which still showed a bird on screen and the hoax was most likely conducted by the YouTuber who uploaded the footage.
The hype to this day still has people talking it seems as this brand new clip (see below) discusses it!
The new season will not just feature The Wizard of Oz but will dive into such titles as Rosemary’s Baby, Stalker, The Serpent and the Rainbow, and Cannibal Holocaust.
Featuring new interviews with FX expert and former Mythbusters host Adam Savage, Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins, actor Bill Pullman, and director Ruggero Deodato, among many others.
