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 (as Steven H. Stern)

Writers:

Tom Lazarus (teleplay by), Rona Jaffe (from the novel by)

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
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 | role playing game | suicidal | suicide plan | suicidal teen | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is clearly a social commentary on the Dungeons & Dragons controversy occurring during this period.

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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

Kate Finch: Jay Jay, that was really stupid, jumping into the pit without using your sonar first!

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Connections

Referenced in Suburban Knights (2011)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

So bad it's good

Mazes and Monsters was the made-for-TV special at the head of the anti-Dungeons-And-Dragons movement, spearheaded by Patricia Pulling who blamed the game for her son's suicide the same year. I know people whose parents confiscated and threw out/burned all their gear as a result of this film, which suggests such games cause loving, sensitive kids to go insane and suicidal.

For a made-for-TV, it's pretty well done, despite the fact that its premise is rather, well, inflamatory. It's wholly designed to make parents fear their kid's imagination. Still fun to watch and laugh at. Although it launched Tom Hank's movie career, I've heard he won't acknowledge having made it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 December 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dungeons & Dragons

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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