Mazes and Monsters (1982) Movie Review

I love watching movies where mazes and labyrinths are a key part of the movie. They usually make for some great maze movies. But there are also movies like The Funhouse Massacre and The Maze. So where does this TV movie from 1982 starring Tom Hanks rank ? I mean Tom Hanks is in it, it must be good !

Mazes and Monsters (IMDB) (Amazon)

Mazes and Monsters.png

Mazes and Monsters premiered on TV just after Christmas in 1982. This was a time when Dungeons and Dragons was becoming very popular (and in researching this it happens this game changes in popularity often) and the movie tried to play off of that. This was also a time when parents started to become worried about demonic influences in games/tv/video games that eventually led to congressional hearings.

The movie revolves around 4 college friends who play M&M together. One night they vote to play their next game inside the local caverns to add some excitement to the game. Of course things don’t go as planned, monsters begin appearing in dreams, and one of the players gets lost in the caverns (they are like a maze). Eventually the police begin searching for missing player but the caverns are difficult to search….

But this movie is NOT about some plot, it is about a moral that the viewer must learn and that is- Playing Mazes and Monsters (or in real life D&D) leads to dangerous and disturbing behavior (see what I did there, D&D) in players and mental health problems. Parents, be careful in what you allow your children to play/watch.

For Tom Hanks, this was his 6th ever credit as an actor, right after some single episode work on Taxi and Happy Days, and before a 3 episode run on Family Ties. But by March of 1984, 15 months after this TV movie first aired Hanks got his break in film by appearing with Daryl Hannah in Splash. As of this writing, Mazes and Monsters is considered the worst rated movie or show Tom Hanks was ever in !!! Don’t fight it, avoid this movie !!!!

OR. You can check out this short video:

The Maze (2010) Movie Review

I try to watch any movie that has a maze or labyrinth as an important part of the story. Usually that means some great maze movies like the ones I reviewed last year. I mean who doesn’t love the great world of Ready Player One, Inception, or Pan’s Labyrinth ? Of course, not all movies are good, ...um The Funhouse Massacre ? So where does The Maze come out ? Let’s find out….

The Maze (IMDB) (Amazon)

The Maze 2010.png

The Maze is a low budget horror film that follows a group of friends who decide it would be a good idea to play a game of tag in a corn maze at night. Unfortunately for them there is a killer in a red hoodie stalking the group of friends inside the maze. The nice part about the setting of the movie, besides being in a maze is that the setting does mean you don’t always notice the low budget. But those times are few and far between, because you will definitely notice the quality of the production.

As with most horror movies there is a twist at the end, but you will see it coming. Overall, I would put this as slightly worse than The Funhouse Massacre and I would avoid this movie aggressively. If you want to spend time with it, this trailer should be enough !! Yes, the quality of the trailer is poor, but that is what this movie deserves.

The Funhouse Massacre (2015) Movie Review

Why would I be reviewing a movie from 2015 now ? Well all of this staying-at-home means I have been watching a lot of streaming movies and shows…and well, I seem to be out of things to watch. Like my Que and Watch-lists got cleared out, and so I created new ones, then those got cleared out. So here we are, I’m looking for maze movies to watch. And there are some great maze movies out there, but this is not one of them.

The Funhouse Massacre (IMDB) (Amazon)

The Funhouse Massacre movie poster

So The Funhouse Massacre is a comedy horror film heavy on gore and light on comedy. Let’s start with the comedy. There are many lines that are meant to be funny, and for whatever reason, poor delivery, bad jokes, they just seem to just fall flat. I found myself noticing throughout the film, oh they thought that was funny. And that. And that. They were wrong. I did almost chuckle twice and thought - that was close.

The horror portion of the film is built around a great premise. It’s Halloween night and in a small town in Ohio during which there is a grand opening of a new Halloween fun-house. It just so happens that day a group of psychopaths break out of a nearby asylum and take over the fun-house unbeknownst to the customers. When customers do enter the fun-house they comment multiple times - oh my gosh that looks so real as previous customers are torn apart, tortured, and slashed. The film goes heavy on the gore to make things scarier. Also there is an evil clown, because of course there is, and an evil dentist (same same but different). Eventually the characters you are following begin to become victims and realize what is happening. They try to warn others who say - “wow that looks so real”.

Eventually we get a courageous fight back and a few plot twists leading to a final confrontation. But wait they aren’t dead the first time because this is a horror film, ok now they are dead. But wait after the credits now maybe they still aren’t dead and maybe there will be a sequel. Fade to Black. You’ve seen it before.

The nice part about this movie is, other than an appearance by Robert Englund, is that it can always be found streaming for free somewhere. So you won’t feel any guilt turning it off before it is over just because you paid for it. And after 90 minutes (ok, maybe 10) you might realize, like me, that despite taking place in a maze, this isn’t a very good maze movie.

The Top 18 Movies Containing Mazes or Labyrinths

I love watching movies and I love making mazes. You might not think so, but there is a good amount of overlap between the two. Mazes have been popping up as plot devices in movies since they were first being made. Want to create tension for your characters ? Get them lost in a maze being chased by a villain. Sometimes characters need a challenge to overcome to get to their destination, so how about solving a puzzle or series of puzzles like a maze. When I set out to compile a list of maze movies I never realized how great the movies would actually be. I think you’ll agree.

Here are my top 18 favorite movies containing mazes (IN RANDOM ORDER):

1 . Ready Player One (2018) IMDB Prime Video

Steven Spielberg directed this great movie from the best selling book. In the year 2045 a virtual reality world called the OASIS can be won by the person who can find a series of Easter Eggs hidden in the virtual world. To find the Easter Eggs you need to solve puzzles using details about pop culture from the past (our present). With cameos by over 120 characters this movie is one you can watch again and again and never see all the hidden cameos. Oh, and did you notice the Ready Player One logo is a MAZE ! You start from the initial R and work your way to the center of the O.

Ready Player One Logo Maze

2. Inception (2010) IMDB Prime Video

Inception movie poster

At the time of this writing this is the highest rated Science-Fiction movie of all-time on IMDB. A group of thieves go into dreams to steal corporate ideas from the minds of people. This time they need to plant an idea in a CEO’s head during a dream (what they call an inception). To do this they will need to circumvent the maze of subconscious dream worlds they’ve created - a dream world within a dream world within a dream world. Sounds like that will be easy to execute. And the ending !!!

3. The Shining (1980) IMDB Prime Video

The Shining movie poster

One of the best horror movies of all time is also one of the best movies of all time. Stanley Kubrick as the director of a Stephen King best selling book with Jack Nicholson as the lead character….Yes please ! A writer takes a job as a caretaker of a secluded hotel that is closed for the Winter with his wife and young son joining him. Oh, did I mention the hotel is also haunted ? As the writer’s mental state deteriorates, his wife and son try to leave but he won’t let them. Can they escape a secluded hotel in the middle of winter ? I would try using the hedge maze outside….just a thought. If you want to explore the symbolism in the film check out the documentary Room 237.

4. Prisoners (2013) IMDB Prime Video

Prisoners movie poster

A man (Hugh Jackman) tries to hunt down his 6 year old daughter and her friend who have been abducted. As he gets closer to the suspected abductor he finds a man obsessed with making mazes (I do not support this premise). Can he find the children in time to keep them safe ? A really tense thriller I highly recommend.

5. Cube (1997) IMDB Prime Video

Cube movie poster

6 strangers wake-up in a giant cube shaped maze that is bobby trapped and trying to kill them. They don’t know why they are there or how they got there but they know they need to try and escape. Are they making the right or wrong choice as they choose each passageway ? Only one way to find out. Now this is some maze horror !

6. The Maze Runner (2014) IMDB Prime Video

The Maze Runner movie poster

So you wake up with no memory of your past trapped with others just like you in an enclosed environment. Well, not completely enclosed. There is a maze surrounding you patrolled by cyborgs you need to go thru to escape. You get the chance to solve the maze each morning when a large door opens. That same door closes each night, and if you get stuck in the maze overnight, you die. You don’t know why you’re there or who put you there. Escaping the maze seems like the right move…run.

7. Labyrinth (1986) IMDB Prime Video

Labyrinth movie poster

Jim Henson, Lucasfilm and David Bowie collaborated on this fantasy movie. A teenage girl is angrily babysitting her younger baby brother and wishes he would be taken away. The Goblin King grants the wish and takes the brother. Her only way to get him back is to solve a Labyrinth in 13 hours or her brother will permanently become a goblin in this weird fantasy world. Includes a wonderful tribute to MC Escher.

8. The Collection (2012) IMDB Prime Video

The Collection movie poster

After escaping from a serial killer known as The Collector a man is sent back to the serial killer’s hideout to rescue a kidnapped girl. The only problem is that hideout is a booby trapped maze he needs to get thru to save the girl. Can he save her in time ? Another nice horror maze movie.

9. Dave Made A Maze (2017) IMDB Prime Video

Dave Made a Maze movie poster

Dave builds a cardboard fort in his living room. It looks small from the outside, but once you enter it gets much, much larger. Dave gets lost. Dave’s friends join him against his advice to stay outside. Now everyone is lost. To return to civilization they need to band together and escape the cardboard maze. You haven’t seen this, and maybe you don’t THINK you want to see this, BUT YOU NEED TO SEE THIS. Destined to be a cult classic circa 2035. Possibly 2037.

10. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) IMDB Prime Video

Pan's Labyrinth movie poster

In 1944 Spain a young girl escapes a world at war by escaping into a fantasy world at the center of a secret underground labyrinth. The girl meets a faun (totally normal) who takes her to the center of the labyrinth. She learns she can become an immortal princess in this fantasy world but must prove herself first by completing 3 tasks. Winner of 3 Oscars and over 100 movie awards.

11. The Lady From Shanghai (1947) IMDB Prime Video

The Lady from Shanghai movie poster

Rita Hayworth plays a vixen that gets director/actor Orson Welles mixed up in a murder plot in this film-noir classic. They find themselves caught in a fun-house mirror maze in a key plot moment that involves gunshots…if they can find what they are shooting at ! One of the few maze films that involves a funhouse mirror maze but is not a horror film.

12. The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) IMDB Prime Video

The Man with the Golden Gun movie poster

The ninth James Bond film. A professional assassin with a golden gun charges a million dollars per kill. He trains against other assassins in a room that is set-up like a fun-house, including multiple mirror mazes (and in the opening sequence !). Can Bond find him and spoil his current plot ?

13. Us (2019) IMDB Prime Video

Us movie poster

Jordan Peele knows how to make an interesting horror film. A young girl wanders off from the amusement park on the beach and enters a deserted fun house. When the lights go out she tries to exit, but the mirror maze makes it difficult for her to find her way. Oh, and so does the girl in the mirror. And that’s when you know this thing is about to get sinister.

14. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) IMDB Prime Video

Perfume- The Story of a Murderer movie poster

A young boy is born with a sense of smell more powerful than anyone in human history. With it he obsessively works to create the perfect perfume. Unfortunately, that includes some secret ingredients that are against the law. Of course, he finds some of these ingredients when they are lost in a hedge maze. It gets very weird multiple times at the end, but you can’t say it’s something you’ve seen before !

15. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) IMDB Prime Video

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie poster

The fourth Harry Potter movie/book. At one point Harry and his other competitors(champions) in the Triwizard Tournament are stuck in a hedge maze for part 3 of the tournament. A very active hedge maze that seems to be alive. Harry must escape to move forward.

16. The Maze (1953) IMDB Prime Video

The Maze (1953) movie poster

The film deserves to be included despite being of slightly lower quality than the other movies for 2 main reasons: 1) The title is The Maze so it definitely qualifies 2) The movie starts with shots of the hedge maze that is central to the entire story. That story is of a Scotsman who moves into a castle that has an adjoining hedge maze. There is only one rule for the maze - do not enter it. Which means of course you are going to enter it. I’m sure everything will be fine…right ? You can give it a watch here. And from a historical note, the very first 3D color movie came out April 10, 1953 from Vincent Price, The House of Wax. This film followed shortly after in 3D in July of the same year.

17. Muppets from Space (1999) IMDB Prime Video

Muppets From Space movie poster

Not the best Muppet film, but this one is led by Gonzo instead of Kermit and the main supporting actor…uh…supporting Muppet is Rizzo the Rat. Now during a key scene Rizzo gets captured by the bad guys and gets put into a cage with lab rats. I should have said Spoiler before that. My Bad. Anyway the lab rats are put into a rat maze during the next scene.

18. It Chapter 2 (2019) IMDB Prime Video

It Chapter 2 movie poster

The newest movie on the list. The Losers Club is called home 27 years after their encounter with Pennywise in Derry, Maine. He seems to be in a very bad mood. Eventually we have a few characters stuck in a fun-house mirror maze with the sadistic clown Pennywise. And things get intense. Running in a mirror maze is a BAD IDEA.

Now if you are like me, and you probably aren’t, because we are all different and special in our own way. Anyway, If you are like me you are going to head to your local library to check these out for free. At the time of this writing a few of these are available to stream online. My favorite site to check what is streaming where is Justwatch. Now, make some popcorn and sit back and enjoy the show ! Want to know what the best maze movie posters are ? I’ve got you covered !

A box of popcorn maze