This Creepy ‘80s Children’s Fantasy Adaptation Still Gives Me Nightmares (And Is Almost Impossible to Watch Now)

The 1980s were such an interesting time for television. It was a decade that saw cable networks really start to become prominent and gave us some iconic television series on network broadcast as well, with shows like Magnum, P.I., The A-Team, Dynasty, and Dallas, the latter of which had audiences notably wondering who shot J.R. It was also a time of made-for-tv glory, with movies and miniseries produced specifically for the small screen being a whole thing but there is one program that even now, 41 years later, might just be one of the best fantasy adaptations ever — it still gives me the creeps.

In 1985, CBS debuted a two-part, made-for-television musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. While the overall special was titled Alice in Wonderland, each part adapted one book and was broadcast on December 9, 1985, for part one and December 10, 1985, for part two. The special had an insanely star-studded cast and might just be the most accurate adaptation of Carroll’s classics to date, but it’s also the trippiest thing ever and while you can find it online, it’s not easy to track down.

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The 1980s Alice in Wonderland Was Whimsical, Weird, and Surprisingly Dark

CBS’s Alice in Wonderland was, as you’d expect, the story of a little girl named Alice who after seeing a white rabbit running by saying that he’s late, she follows him and ends up falling down the rabbit hole into a strange, magical world full of unusual creatures and she finds herself on an adventure trying to make her way home. It is, after all, a classic story that’s been adapted many times, most famously with Disney’s animated version. But what set the CBS version apart is this one is entirely live-action — and it had a massive cast. Natalie Gregory played Alice while Red Buttons played The White Rabbit. Sammy Davis, Jr. starred as The Caterpillar, Telly Savalas was The Cheshire Cat, Ringo Starr appeared as The Mock Turtle, Beau Bridges was The Unicorn, and Carol Channing was the White Queen just to highlight a few. Scott Baio, Roddy McDowall, Merv Griffin, Patrick Duffy, Harvy Korman, and even John Stamos appeared in the production and we’re just scratching the surface.

With the entire production being live-action, that meant that the fantasy characters — most of which not being human — required some elaborate costumes and that’s where things get weird and a little freaky. While we’re already talking about 1980s production values here and 1980s television production values at that, these costumes are kind of insane. Davis, Jr.’s hookah smoking Caterpillar looks like a strange, Technicolor junior cousin of a Dune sandworm gone slightly wrong. Starr’s Mock Turtle weirdly looks like a cat. But the freakiest thing — and the part of the whole adaptation that terrified and thrilled children (and still haunts me to this day) is the Jabberwocky. There is no way to fully accurately describe this beast, portrayed excellently by Tom McLoughlin. The creature looks something like a giant larvae with wings and tiny t-rex arms that wanders around looking vaguely sticky as it menaces people, complete with glowing eyes and horns. He is creepy as all get out, but he’s also not the creepiest thing about the movie.

While the Jabberwocky (and the costumes) are scary, it’s the human actors and their scenes that are downright bizarre and frightening. The Queen of Hearts (played by Jayne Meadows), at one point, sings a song about decapitation that is far too catchy to be okay. There are also moments where people are turned into live animals, which is pretty unsettling if you’re a kid, and while Channing’s white Queen isn’t supposed to be scary, there is something really off about her.

Despite Being a Surreal Nightmare, Alice in Wonderland Is Faithful to the Source Material (And Hard to Find)

While the television Alice in Wonderland is so weird it’s creepy, it’s also surprisingly very good. While most audiences are familiar with the story because of Disney’s animated classic, that’s not the most accurate version of the story. Carroll’s books are unsettling and surreal in their own right and this live-action version captures the vibes of the original works very well. This adaption does an excellent job of truly portraying Alice’s perspective and how she grows and changes because of what she experiences while still reminding the viewer that she’s really just a child trying very hard to be grown up. There are a lot of layers to this and it’s very well done, once you get past getting the heebie jeebies from the Jabberwocky.

But if you want to see this fever dream of an actually good adaptation (and maybe not be so scared if you saw it as a child and are now an adult), you’re going to run into a rabbit hole journey of your own. The film is currently not available to stream anywhere. The production was released by Warner Home Video on VHS in 1986 and it was released again in 1993, though it was edited to remove a vital cliffhanger (one that was admittedly pretty scary as a kid). It was also released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on DVD in 2006, restored to the original broadcast edit, but those physical copies can be hard to find. It has appeared uploaded to YouTube in the past, both in parts and in its complete form so you may be able to find it with some sleuthing. It’s definitely worth checking out if you can find it. Just… beware the Jabberwock and keep the lights on.

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