5 Reasons 1988’s Alice Is The Best Twisted Alice In Wonderland (& 5 It’s American McGee’s Alice)

Alice In Wonderland is a fairly messed up book as it is, but there may be two pieces of media that top it. In 1988, Czech surrealist Jan Švankmajer brought Alice to the world. An uncompromising depiction of the Lewis Carroll classic, it was the most twisted depiction of the story for years.

Then twelve years later, game director American McGee gave fans American McGee’s Alice. A video game that thrusts a more mentally fragile Alice back into a more sinister Wonderland to redeem it, both are just as dark as the other, but what makes them such twisted adventures in Wonderland?

10 Alice: Jan Švankmajer’s Pedigree

Born in Prague, Jan Švankmajer had already crafted a strong legacy as a surrealist artist and filmmaker long before he made Alice. Directing experimental short films like Jabberwocky, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Pit, the Pendulum, and Hope, Jan Švankmajer made his feature film debut with Alice.

Alice is emblematic of the director’s unique, surreal style, crafting depictions of iconic characters in fashions fans had never seen prior. Švankmajer’s work as a stop-motion animator and filmmaker has influenced many people, including Monty Python director Terry Gilliam.

9 American McGee’s Alice: American McGee’s Pedigree

Born in Dallas, Texas, American McGee (yes, that is actually his name,) is an auteur director much like Švankmajer, only his canvas is video games. Having gotten his start at Id Software, McGee cut his teeth working on games like Doom II and the Quake games. After being fired from Id, he moved to EA.

While at EA, he worked with Rogue Entertainment to craft American McGee’s Alice, as according to him, he was tired of guns and space marines. From that day on, McGee would become the shepherd of the American McGee’s Alice franchise, alongside his other projects.

8 Alice: Nightmarish Character Design

Whereas most depictions of the inhabitants of Wonderland are often portrayed as cute, cuddly, and eccentric, Alice depicts them as eccentric, yet far from cute and cuddly. Put together through common, everyday items, Švankmajer’s versions of the characters will keep any viewer up at night.

Examples include the David Lynch-esque Caterpillar crafted from a stocking, a taxidermized White Rabbit, The Queen of Hearts being a cutout from a playing card, and a disturbing marionette as The Mad Hatter. American McGee’s depictions are also eerie, but nothing tops how uncomfortable they are in Alice.

7 American McGee’s Alice: Wonderland Is A Nightmare

When Alice went mad, Wonderland went even madder. Now under the iron grip of The Queen of Hearts, Wonderland has been thrown into disarray and misery, with anything and everything out to get Alice.

Though she has allies like The White Rabbit, The Cheshire Cat, and The Gryphon, the majority of Wonderland is out to get Alice in her most vulnerable state. In American McGee’s opinion, if Lewis Carroll could see the game, he’d “probably freak and run out of the room.” Given the nature of Wonderland, this opinion may be valid.

6 Alice: Stripped Down Sets

McGee’s Wonderland is like something out of a nightmare, but it is far more colorful than what Švankmajer offers. Whereas most depictions of Wonderland portray the fantasyland as fun with bountiful amounts of flora, Švankmajer’s Wonderland is cold and drab.

Though this would normally be frowned upon, the propensity for cramped rooms of a dull color actually fits with Alice’s unbending feel. Regardless, the stripped-down sets add to the film’s creep factor.

5 American McGee’s Alice: Chris Vrenna’s Musical Score

A huge component of what makes American McGee’s Alice so special is the utterly haunting score by former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna. According to McGee, Marilyn Manson was brought in to work on the music initially, but he ended up leaving which led to Vrenna stepping in.

Vrenna’s compositions are unsettling, creepy, child-like, and dripping with sadness with every track. While all the tracks are phenomenal, it’s “Flying on the Wings of Steam” that will etch its way into most player’s craniums.

4 Alice: An Unyielding Realism

As Caryn James from The New York Times put it, while Švankmajer’s Alice “strips away all sweetness and light, he does not violate Lewis Carroll’s story.” To be forthright, Alice refuses to soften how the story would truly play out if it were to actually happen.

Švankmajer described Alice as a realized dream, giving the film a sense of realism that no other version of Alice In Wonderland has. While Švankmajer’s oddly grounded vision does allow for some wacky visuals, they are never cutesy.

3 American McGee’s Alice: Voice Acting

While most versions of Alice In Wonderland hire multiple to play the different characters, Švankmajer has Alice’s actresses Kristýna Kohoutová and Camilla Power do all the voices, as if they were from Alice’s imagination. It helps with the unnerving tone, but the vocal cast of American McGee’s Alice is second to none.

All of the voice acting in American McGee’s Alice is perfectly fitting for the game’s tone and style, but the actors who steal the show are Susan Brann as Alice and Roger L. Jackson as The Cheshire Cat. While Brann was solely focused on Alice, Jackson also voiced The Jabberwock and The Dormouse in the game.

2 Alice: It’s A True Adaptation

American McGee’s Alice is certainly faithful to Lewis Carroll’s vision, but it serves as a sequel to his work, whereas Švankmajer’s film is an adaptation of it. Švankmajer adapts Carroll’s first novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and dials up the creepiness by eleven.

This a true accomplishment, as Lewis Carroll’s classic is already pretty creepy as it is, yet Švankmajer wished to put a unique spin on the source material. Alice is also a fairly faithful adaptation, yet it does trim some stuff out like The Cheshire Cat.

1 American McGee’s Alice: Premise

Švankmajer may have chosen to adapt Carroll’s novel, but McGee’s desire to follow it up will hit fans with a curveball. After watching her parents die in a fire, Alice goes completely insane and is committed to an asylum, only to be dragged back to Wonderland.

However, much like her life, Wonderland is in shambles, with Alice having to take more violent measures to save it. American McGee’s Alice twists the original stories in creepy directions whilst also remaining true to their spirit.

About The Author

Seth Rector
(172 Articles Published)

Ever since he was a young lad, Seth Rector has had a love for all things that reek of geek. Movies, tv shows, comic books, and video games are what he considers his wheelhouse. A writer at heart, Seth says he’s over the moon now that he can write about what he loves. When he isn’t writing for Screen Rant, he is putting his film degree from Lights Film School to good use by working on future film projects.

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