Over three decades since it was first released, Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel remains one of the most debated movies of all time. Did Kubrick hide hidden messages in the plot of the film? Is it just a horror movie or an analogy to the persecution of Native Americans? Countless documentaries and websites exist to debate the labyrinthine nature of THE SHINING, but even from a purely visual level, this maze of a movie is brilliant. Plus, there is no question the closing chase through the Overlook Hotel hedge maze makes it the clear number one for this list.
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Jim Henson’s film is both a titular labyrinth as well as a fantasical real life MC Escher drawing. Firmly rooted in the 1980s, this movie is as dated as David Bowie’s hairstyle, but it still works to this day as a wonderful fantasy adventure. Full of unique character designs and a crush-worthy Jennifer Connelly, LABYRINTH is a classic.
A cult classic, CUBE is a horrific maze of the highest order. What if you, and several strangers, were trapped within a cube booby-trapped with fatal surprises? Each cube leads to another cube which will eventually lead you to freedom…maybe. A brilliant concept and what it must feel like to be stuck inside a Rubik’s Cube.
Leave it to Guillermo Del Toro to create a fantastical nightmare dreamscape populated by creatures no one could possibly fathom. One of the best movies of the 21st century, PAN’S LABYRINTH is itself a maze that must be traversed much like the one discovered by Ofelia.
Less a labyrinth than a turducken, the puzzle box that is INCEPTION is a dream within a dream within a dream. That layered mystery requires unraveling that will ultimately lead you to question if you truly are in reality or still asleep in a lucid dream. Brilliantly executed, this is one of the best unconventional mazes in cinema.
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The terror of the Hogwarts labyrinth is less what monsters may jump out at you rather than what your fellow competitors may do to you. All of the twisty turns of the maze lead to the prize that is actually Lord Voldemort himself. With all of the stuff Harry Potter went through during the franchise, it always makes me wonder why he thought going into the maze was a good idea.
There are few things as jacked up as Clive Barker’s vision of Hell. The Cenobites, led by Pinhead, have always been the stuff of nightmares, but the second film in the franchise takes it to a whole new level. HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II shows us the realm of the Cenobites as a nightmarish maze. Definitely not a place you would want to visit, let alone be stuck in.
Based in Greek mythology, you would think it would be hard to mess up the Minotaur and classic maze. While CLASH OF THE TITANS was a shitty remake of the original, WRATH OF THE TITANS is slightly better thanks to the dark design of the maze our heroes are forced to navigate.
While it may be a rip-off of BATTLE ROYALE and THE RUNNING MAN, the Jennifer Lawrence franchise has presented the best modern interpretation of a labyrinth crossed with the satire of reality television. THE HUNGER GAMES is brilliant in making the maze an open landscape with only the strongest able to survive.
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Since the invention of virtual reality, using characters trapped in a computer has always been a nice stand-in for the traditional maze. The low budget Full Moon film ARCADE presents a group of teens fighting to escape from the evil A.I. that runs the titular game. Cheap special effects but still an entertaining romp.