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Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1984.

The death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has sent a 74-year-old song, "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead," flying into the UK charts, figures showed on Wednesday. 

The song from the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" was top of Amazon's most downloaded chart on Wednesday after a social media campaign to promote the upbeat track as a way for detractors to "celebrate" the death of Britain's most divisive postwar leader.

A spokeswoman from Britain's Official Charts Company said the track, sung in the film by the Munchkin characters alongside Judy Garland's Dorothy after the oppressive Wicked Witch of the West dies, would hit No. 10 in the singles chart on Wednesday.

"The surge in sales follows a campaign to get the track to Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart following the death of Margaret Thatcher on Monday," said the spokeswoman.

She said the song had sold over 10,600 copies by late Tuesday which was about 5,000 copies away from a Top 3 placing.

Another version of the song, by late U.S. singer Ella Fitzgerald, was ranked No. 5 in the Amazon download chart.

Amazon reviewers urged others to buy the track to show their disapproval of Thatcher whose free-market ideology drove policies which alienated the many Britons who demonize the "Iron Lady" as a destroyer of jobs and traditional British industries.

"For those genuine witches, who purposely destroy the lives of others for purely ideological reasons and with not one shred of apology or a single tear, this is the perfect funeral-day track," wrote reviewer Gareth Mark Gee from Nottingham.

A Facebook group, encouraging people to download the "Witch" song to get it to No. 1, had over 5,000 members by Wednesday.

Thatcher died at London's Ritz hotel on Monday after suffering a stroke. She was aged 87. 

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OPINION: There's no question that the original "Wizard of Oz" features some scary scenes -- we list the five most traumatizing in this story. So parents can be forgiven for wondering: Should I take my child to the new prequel, "Oz the Great and Powerful"? Fair warning: It is rated PG, whereas for all its scares, the original film was rated G, so you've got to expect it's less kid-friendly.

Walt Disney Pictures

Sure, Finley, the flying monkey on the left, is cute as all get-out, but check out that beast on the right.

Warning: Plenty of spoilers for the new movie ahead.

1. Scarier flying monkeys
There is one friendly flying monkey in the new movie. Cute monkey Finley is rescued by James Franco's Wizard and becomes his pal. He's a pretty cute doe-eyed creature, but he doesn't represent the actual army of flying monkeys in the film. They're explained as "flying baboons" to distinguish them from the nicer-looking ones, and they're terrifying, with giant fangs and a much more demonic and threatening look than the 1939 flock. They zoom out of the mist, hunt for our heroes in caves, and generally up the scary factor of the originals by tenfold. Who looked at the original "Wizard of Oz" and said, "That film was great, but you know what it needed? Even scarier monkeys."

2. Witch weirdness
The three witches in this movie all start out appearing good, but we know that, other than Glinda, the other two have to make the leap to the dark side. And there's a very physical transformation of one of them that's pretty Jekyll-and-Hyde like in its painful-looking appearance. The scariest moment for a 5-year-old: When the witch's now-green hand suddenly grabs a table and her talon-like nails drag slowly and painfully into the wood. Like nails on a chalkboard with a satanic twist.

Walt Disney Pictures

For one 5-year-old, the witch's green, taloned hand dragging through a wooden table (you can see it in the previews too) was the film's scariest moment.

3. Glinda is tortured
We love Glinda. She's Glinda the Good! In the original movie, she just floats around in a big poofy prom dress and helps Dorothy out. (Though really, would it have hurt her to mention the thing about clicking your heels to take you home a little bit earlier?) Anyway, it's agonizing to see her chained between two posts so the evil witches can zap her with some kind of supernatural electricity over and over again. She appears unharmed in the end and of course she triumphs, but that's a long drawn-out scene that is not easy to watch.

Walt Disney Pictures

Dear Glinda (Michelle Williams), we love you and don't like seeing you tortured.

4. Minor scares and a battle
There are some weird little scares throughout the film, some which appear to have been thrown in simply to take advantage of the 3-D. In perhaps the biggest jump-scare moment in the film, a random flower-thing with googly eyes leaps into James Franco's face. There are also little buzzing pixie sprites that gnaw at him in that same scene, but they're played for laughs. There's also a scary walk through a dark forest with a bunch of eyes lighting up in the trees behind. Yes, we saw this in "Snow White," but it was nerve-wracking there too. And there's a big battle scene, though it turns out the good army we see attacked is not anything that can be injured, and there's a nice "we won!" moment for the good guys.

5. The destruction of China Town
There's a new element in this Oz, a place called China Town, made entirely of china dolls, dishes and the like. We don't see the town's destruction happen, but it's shattered by the flying baboons and we do see the aftermath. And when we met the character China Girl, her legs have been broken off (they're fixed by the Wizard) and we learn her entire family was destroyed, though that's not dwelled on.

Walt Disney Pictures

China Girl's village of China Town is destroyed, though we don't see it happen onscreen.

6. 3-D
The movie's in 3-D, which not only costs you extra but features things randomly jumping out into the audience. Mostly those aren't too aggressive or scary. But for sensitive kids who don't want to wear the glasses or don't like the extra dimension (or parents who want a cheaper ticket price), seek out a theater playing the film without the 3-D.

7. Length
The original "Wizard of Oz" is only 1 hour, 45 minutes long. "Oz the Great and Powerful" is 2 hours, 10 minutes. That extra half-hour could've easily been cut, as there are numerous scenes where the film just kind of drags, and one child in our screening briefly fell asleep.

8. The good things
All that said, the film treats the legacy of "Wizard of Oz" with respect. It doesn't mess around with the legend we already know, and it's colorful and lively, with some beautiful scenes. China Girl is a darling new character and the Wizard and Glinda are good guides through this strange and bizarre land. Older kids will enjoy it, and it's a good idea to rewatch the original first and discuss the differences together afterwards. We have even more details in our full review.

Should you take your child?
This mom wouldn't recommend it for anyone under 5. For 5- to 7-year-olds, you'll need to use your own judgment. I took my 5-year-old after reading the related picture book with her and making sure she knew things ended happily. She had a few climb-in-mom's-lap moments, but they weren't always what I thought they would be. I don't think she understood the bit about Glinda or China Town, it was the witch's hand dragging her fingernails into the wooden table that scared her the most. Kids over 7, unless they're very sensitive, will probably understand that it's a movie, that good triumphs and it does end happily. I still wish they'd come out with a director's cut that chops out a half-hour of unnecessary exposition -- although it does make bathroom breaks easier.

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REVIEW: You've got to have courage to take on a film that's as beloved as "The Wizard of Oz," but a heart and a brain help, too. Prequel "Oz the Great and Powerful" could use a little more of both.

Walt Disney

James Franco plays the young Wizard of Oz in the prequel to the classic film.

That's not to say it's terrible. If you're off to see the Wizard, you won't feel that the 1939 original has been dissed here. And some of the new creations, especially China Town, a marvelous town made of china dishes and dolls, are as memorable as the poppy fields of old.

The story poses an intriguing question: How did the cranky braying Wizard get to be the faker behind the curtain? James Franco plays Oscar "Oz" Diggs, a dashing young Kansas carnival magician who breaks hearts and fakes out audiences with his illusions. The early scenes are played in black-and-white just as Dorothy's Kansas scenes were, and the people Oz mixes with will return once he gets to the Land of Oz, just as her farmhands do. That's a nice throwback, and there are others.

But once Oz gets to Oz and the world turns into sparkling color, things get too complicated and go on for way too long. The three witches (Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams) don't really stand out, except to note that costuming Kunis in skintight leather pants, trotting around Oz's wilderness in spike-heeled boots was a decision made for much crasser reasoning than Oz tradition or logic.

Walt Disney

In "Oz the Great and Powerful," at least one flying monkey is friendly.

Instead of the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion, the future Wizard pals up with Finley a flying monkey, sweet little China Girl, and to a lesser extent, two forgettable characters dubbed the Master Tinker and Knuck. Finley is a cute idea -- take those flying monkeys that traumatized us as kids and make them likable -- especially since the majority of the flying monkeys in this film have been given a horror-movie twist and are creepy baboons. But to play off another throwback to a Kansas friend, he's voiced by Zach Braff, whose whiny tone never fits cuddly looking Finley's role.

Say this about the original "Oz," the plot was simple. Follow the Yellow Brick Road to ask the Wizard for home, a brain, a heart, and courage. This one's all over the place, with the witches conniving against each other, China Girl's hometown destroyed and never avenged, and extraordinarily complicated battle-prep scenes. The movie is a groaningly long two hours plus, and one youngster in my screening fell asleep.

The film's in 3-D, apparently so things can fly at the screen randomly, but it rarely lives up to the jacked-up ticket price. Kids under 7 are going to face some scary scenes, including the more-terrifying monkeys, a weirdly frightening googly-eyed flower, and a creepy scene where the good witch Glinda is tortured.

In the original film, the Wizard was a big faker, hiding behind a grander image because he knew he wasn't what he pretended to be. "Oz the Great and Powerful" can't live up to a grander image either, but there's enough magic to make it enjoyable for what it is.

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In "Oz the Great and Powerful," opening March 8, James Franco plays a young Kansas magician who ends up the wizard of that magical land. Thinking of bringing your child to the new "Wizard of Oz" prequel? Parents, take note: The two-plus hour movie is rated PG "for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language."

Everett Collection

We hate you, flying monkeys of Oz.

Action and scary images, huh? Yeah, we saw the original 1939 "Wizard of Oz," and we're here to tell you: Some of those "scary images" stayed with us for life. Here are five that we've clawed out of our memory banks.

1. The flying monkeys
It doesn't seem that terrifying when you write it down. Monkeys, eh, not the most frightening member of the animal kingdom. Why does adding wings make them the worst thing this side of Freddy Krueger? They're unnatural, of course, and just creepy. And when the witch sends them en masse after Dorothy and friends and they darken the sky with their numbers, well, any kid who had nightmares knew exactly what caused them.

Walt Disney

Finley, a flying monkey from "Oz the Great and Powerful," isn't as scary as the 1939 flying monkeys.

2. 'How about a little fire, Scarecrow?'
Scarecrow was the most beloved of Dorothy's Yellow Brick Road companions. Yet he was also the most vulnerable -- it's a lot easier to beat up on a guy stuffed with straw than an axe-wielding tin man or a lion, even a cowardly one. Early on, he confesses that fire is his nemesis, and the witch teasingly pelts him with a fireball. Later on, his legs are literally torn off, and in a super-heart-rending moment near the end, the Wicked Witch taunts him with "How about a little fire, Scarecrow?" before setting his arm on fire. Thankfully, Dorothy's mad splash saves him, leading us to ...

3. The melting witch
Oh, we all wanted the Wicked Witch to get killed, no question about it. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a little jolting to see her slowly sizzle and melt into the ground, screaming all the while. More than a few of us felt the same way about water when Mom insisted we take a bath, so we could relate.

Everett Collection

She's mellllllting!

4. Miss Gulch takes Toto
One little nip, and that's all it took to condemn Dorothy's sweet little dog to death at the hands of evil Miss Gulch. We have to say, Auntie Em and Uncle Henry were zero help here. We were completely traumatized until sweet little Toto escaped the Bike Basket of Death and was once again reunited with Dorothy. It doesn't get a lot better for dog lovers on the Oz side of the curtain, where the witch threatens to drown the little pup.

5. The Wizard's floating giant head
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! No problem, we're too busy staring at the creepy giant floating green head that the Wizard somehow thought would be an impressive and majestic representation of himself to keep Oz in line. Are we sure this was supposed to be a kids' movie?

What's your scariest "Wizard of Oz" memory? Vote in our poll, and share with us on Facebook.

Related content:

• Review: 'Oz the Great and Powerful' could use more heart
• Dorothy's blue 'Oz' dress sells for $480,000 at auction

Joe Klamar / AFP - Getty Images

Judy Garland's blue gingham dress from "The Wizard of Oz" sold for $480,000 at auction on Nov. 10.

LOS ANGELES -- Judy Garland's blue and white gingham dress from "The Wizard of Oz" sold for $480,0000 at a Beverly Hills auction on Saturday, while a slice of Prince William's wedding cake fetched $1,375.

Julien's Auctions said the price for the pinafore dress and white puffy-sleeved blouse that Garland wore throughout the 1939 film classic was in line with estimates. 

But it was well below the sky-high figures paid last year for Hollywood costumes worn by Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, and a similar dress worn during tests for "The Wizard of Oz" that fetched $910,000 in 2011. 

Auctioneer Darren Julien said the price difference was due to the fact that only a few test dresses were made for "The Wizard of Oz," while there are about seven versions of Garland's signature gingham pinafore. 

The buyer of the Judy Garland dress, made by MGM costume designer Adrian, was not identified. 

Other highlights of the two-day Hollywood Icons sale included a green floral dress worn by Julie Andrews in several scenes of the movie "The Sound of Music," which sold for $38,400. 

A racing jacket belonging to Steve McQueen sold for $50,000, while a purple wool skirt worn by Monroe in Canada while making the 1954 film "River of No Return" also went for $50,000. 

Cake from two British royal weddings also fetched high prices at the auction. Julien's said that representatives of PawnUp.com led the bidding to obtain the slice of cake from Prince William's and Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding, as well as a piece from Prince Charles' and Princess Diana's 1981 nuptials ($1,375). 

Prices have soared in recent years for top Hollywood costumes. Marilyn Monroe's white "subway dress" from the 1955 movie "The Seven Year Itch" sold for $4.6 million last year, and Audrey Hepburn's Ascot dress from "My Fair Lady" fetched $3.7 million. 

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Dorothy’s blue gingham dress and white blouse from “The Wizard of Oz” is a Halloween costume favorite, and now, if you have a cool half a million dollars to spare, you could buy the real deal. Julien’s Auction House in California is putting the original outfit worn by actress Judy Garland in the 1939 film up for sale.

The iconic costume traveled from the yellow brick road to New York City to make its media debut on TODAY Thursday.

The starting price is $200,000, but “we estimate it at $400,000 to $600,000,” said the auction house’s Darren Julien.

Turner Entertainment, AP

The white blouse and blue pinafore Judy Garland wore as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" will be auctioned for an expected $400,000-$600,000.

The pinafore is part of the “2012: Icons and Idols Hollywood auction” — an enormous sale on November 9 and 10 of more than 800 lots of film memorabilia, as well as items from Hollywood stars’ personal and professional lives.

Two dresses from “The Sound of Music,” a video of Marilyn Monroe singing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy, and two slices of royal wedding cake will go under the hammer in Beverly Hills next month.

Story: Marie Antoinette's supposed slippers sell for $81,275

Die-hard fans and serious collectors won’t be the only ones to bid, according to Julien.

“People are starting to collect pop culture in the hopes that it will continue to increase in value,” he said.

The simple dress worn by Garland was the work of legendary Hollywood costume designer Adrian. According to the fantasy film, it was made by Dorothy’s Auntie Em, so to make it look authentic, Adrian made the garment from cheap gingham on a treadle sewing machine.

Although several identical dresses were created for the production, Julien’s Auctions claim it was the only version used in the film and is the only complete dress still in existence 73 years later.

The short, puff-sleeved blouse has a label inside reading “Judy Garland 4461.”

In one of the seams, there is a hidden pocket where Judy kept her cigarettes.

It has been claimed that Garland had to wear a painful corset to look flat-chested and fit into the youthful costume, which is being sold by an anonymous New Jersey couple. The husband purchased it in 1981 for his wife, who loved the film.

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To give an idea of what "Oz" memorabilia can sell for, the film's famous ruby slippers were expected to garner $2-$3 million at auction last year. A group of “angel donors” headed up by Leonardo di Caprio and Steven Spielberg purchased them for an undisclosed amount on behalf of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

juliensauctions.com

Julie Andrews wore this dress in several scenes in "The Sound of Music." It is expected to sell for $40,000-$60,000.

Julien’s also displayed two rare dresses from “The Sound of Music.” 

“Like 'The Wizard of Oz,' there’s very few items that are available from 'The Sound of Music,'” Darren Julien told TODAY.

The demure green, floral dress Julie Andrews wore as Maria in the 1965 film is expected to fetch $40,000 to $60,000. Andrews wore the butterfly-sleeved confection while singing “The Lonely Goatherd,” in the gazebo while singing “Something Good” with co-star Christopher Plummer and while Plummer sang “Edelweiss.” The dress has a “20th Century Fox” label attached at the waist.

Another dress was worn by Charmain Carr in her role as Liesl von Trapp as the children sing "Do-Re-Mi" and is expected to sell for $8,000 to $10,000.

John F. Kennedy’s birthday celebration film is a media treasure in the auction's collection: Shot by a member of Ella Fitzgerald’s band, it shows Marilyn Monroe’s famous serenade to the president.

“It’s 50 years since Marilyn passed away and the love affair still goes on; people can’t get enough of her,” said Julien’s Martin Nolan.

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Though there's no sound in the film, which was shot less than three months before Monroe's death, it's expected to sell for $5,000 to $8,000.

Some of Monroe’s personal photographs and makeup will also be featured at the auction.

juliensauctions.com

This gown, worn by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1951 film "A Place in the Sun," is estimated to sell for $20,000-$30,000.

Among other costume highlights will be a yellow gown designed for Elizabeth Taylor in the 1951 film “A Place in the Sun,” estimated to sell for $20,000 to $30,000. The style became the template for popular 1950’s prom dresses. Designer Edith Head won an Academy Award for her costumes in that movie. 

Auction hopefuls will also bid on Bruce Lee’s weaponry, clothing, and jewelry, a special effects costume worn by Superman Christopher Reeves, and Angelina’s Jolie’s "Girl, Interrupted" costume.

In addition to Hollywood memorabilia, a couple of royal slices of souvenir wedding cake will go under the hammer; one from the 1981 marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and another from the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

“This is where you can’t have your cake and eat it too,” joked auctioneer Nolan.

He added that the confection was well “past its sell-by date.” Despite being preserved in a freezer and on dry ice, it is no longer edible, he said.

Given that the last piece of Charles and Diana cake the Julien’s duo sold went for $6,000, one hopes it wouldn’t be consumed anyway.

After wrapping up their media appearances in New York City, the iconic dresses and costly cakes will return to Beverly Hills. A free public exhibition will be held at Julien’s Auctions from November 5 to 9.

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Don't be afraid! Well, be afraid for your wallet, if you've got a hankering for one of the two known Cowardly Lion costumes from "The Wizard of Oz." The lion costume will be joining one pair of Dorothy's ruby slippers (as previously reported) from the film in an auction later this month, according to The Daily Mail. Each piece is expected to fetch up to $3 million.

MGM

The sale of Dorothy's red slippers and the Cowardly Lion's costume would fund a lot of round trips from Oz to Kansas.

The Cowardly Lion costume -- which is made from real lion hide -- was being preserved at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and is seen in the movie when the Lion meets Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road and actor Bert Lahr sings, "If I Only Had the Nerve" and "If I Were King of the Forest."

Meanwhile the sparkly shoes, which were used by Judy Garland in the 1939 film when Dorothy clicked her heels three times to return to Kansas, are getting a private showing in New York City on Dec. 5 at the Plaza Athénée before winging their way west for the auction.

The auction, to be held at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Dec. 15 and 16, is being coordinated by Joe Maddalena, who owns memorabilia auction house Profiles in History and who stars in the reality show "Hollywood Treasures."

Both costume and shoes will be part of a larger sale of memorabilia that will include Bela Lugosi's cape from "Dracula," the DeLorean from "Back to the Future III," Marilyn Monroe's wedding ring from her marriage to Joe DiMaggio and a Marilyn Monroe nude painting by Earl Moran.

What one piece of Hollywood memorabilia would you most like to have? Let us know in the comments.

Related content:

• 'Wizard of Oz' munchkin Karl Slover dies at 93
• 'Wizard of Oz' ruby slippers could fetch millions

Charles Sykes / AP

Karl Slover, one of the last surviving actors who played Munchkins in the 1939 classic film, "The Wizard of Oz," has died. He was 93.

The 4-foot-5 Slover died of cardiopulmonary arrest Tuesday afternoon in a suburban Atlanta hospital, said Laurens County Deputy Coroner Nathan Stanley. According to friends, as recently as last weekend, Slover appeared at events in the suburban Chicago area.

Slover was best known for playing the lead trumpeter in the Munchkins' band but also had roles as a townsman and soldier in the film, said John Fricke, author of "100 Years of Oz" and five other books on the movie and its star, Judy Garland. Slover was one of the tiniest male Munchkins in the movie.

Read the full story.