Mazes and Monsters (1982)

Bound together by a desire to play "Mazes and Monsters," Robbie and his three college classmates decide to move the board game into the local legendary cavern.

Director:

Steven Hilliard Stern

Writers:

Rona Jaffe (novel), Tom Lazarus (teleplay)

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Wendy Crewson, David Wysocki

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Robbie Wheeling
Wendy Crewson	...	Kate Finch
David Wysocki	...	Daniel (as David Wallace)
Chris Makepeace	...	Jay Jay Brockway
Lloyd Bochner	...	Hall
Peter Donat	...	Harold
Anne Francis	...	Ellie
Murray Hamilton	...	Lt. John Martini
Vera Miles	...	Cat
Louise Sorel	...	Julia
Susan Strasberg	...	Meg
Chris Wiggins	...	King
Clark Johnson	...	Perry
Tom Harvey	...	Hayden
James O'Regan	...	Paul

Storyline

Bound together by a desire to play "Mazes and Monsters," Robbie and his three college classmates decide to move the board game into the local legendary cavern. Robbie starts having visions for real, and the line between reality and fantasy fuse into a harrowing adventure.

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Plot Keywords:

cavern | quest | world trade center manhattan new york city | role playing game | college | 

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Taglines:

Danger lurks between fantasy and reality.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and mild violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 December 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dungeons & Dragons

Filming Locations:

World Trade Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

McDermott Productions, Procter & Gamble Productions (PGP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First leading role for Tom Hanks.

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Goofs

It is unclear when this story actually takes place. During the opening sequence, Robbie Wheeling and his parents drive by a cinema playing 'The Empire Strikes Back' which would place the film in 1980 or 1981. At Jay Jay Brockway's "Brigitte Bardot" party, Jay Jay makes a remark regarding the bottle of wine he is given by Robbie as "1987". Throughout the film, there are numerous signs in the dorm that refer to the year 1982, yet the calendar in Kate Finch's dorm room shows November 1983.

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Quotes

Daniel: What do you guys think happened?
Lieutenant John Martini: One of the players Robbie played with got carried away and killed him.
Daniel: That's kind of far out.
Lieutenant John Martini: Mazes & Monsters is a far-out game. Swords... poison... spells... battles... maiming... killing!
Daniel: Hey, it's all imagination!
Lieutenant John Martini: Is it? I'll be talking to you.

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Connections

References The Maltese Falcon (1941)

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Soundtracks

Friends in This World
Music: Hagood Hardy
Lyrics: Judith Lander
Performed by Judith Lander and Cathal J. Dodd (as Cal Dodd)

User Reviews

Ahh memories

This movie is a classic. OK not in the "what a masterpiece" sense or the "what a great undiscovered gem" sense but more along the lines of "Oh my God I am gonna pee my pants laughing at this early 80s fear-mongering flick which happens to feature a young and bewildered Tom Hanks." This is right up there with "Plan 9 from Outer Space" or "Reefer Madness." Not a movie to take seriously AT ALL, just a nice slice of Reagen-era silliness for your Sunday afternoon perusal. If you haven't seen it, it is well worth rooting out, though I fear you won't "get" the beauty of it if you are not a thirtysomething former nerd who lived through the "D&D is a product of Satan and responsible for warping my child's fragile mind" eighties. Then again people are making the same complaints about "Grand Theft Auto" and "Hitman" so perhaps it still holds its charm...