Mazes and Monsters (1982) (TV)

User Rating:

4.2/10   

Director:

Steven Hilliard Stern

Writers:

Rona Jaffe (novel)
Tom Lazarus (teleplay)

Release Date:

28 December 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Drama

Plot:

Bound together by a desire to play "Mazes and Monsters," Robbie and his four college classmates decide...

Plot Keywords:

College | Cavern | Mental Illness | Dungeons And Dragons | Tragic Events

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Robbie Wheeling
Wendy Crewson	...	Kate Finch
David Wallace	...	Daniel
Chris Makepeace	...	Jay Jay Brockway
Lloyd Bochner	...	Hal
Peter Donat	...	Harold
Anne Francis	...	Ellie
Murray Hamilton	...	Lieutenant John Martini
Vera Miles	...	Cat
Louise Sorel	...	Julia
Susan Strasberg	...	Meg
Chris Wiggins	...	King
Clark Johnson	...	Perry
Tom Harvey	...	Hayden
James O'Regan	...	Paul

Also Known As:

Dungeons & Dragons (USA) (working title)
Dungeons and Dragons (USA) (video box title)
Rona Jaffe's Mazes and Monsters

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and mild violence.

Runtime:

USA:120 min (including commercials) | USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 | USA:PG (2005)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

McDermott Productions

Quotes:

Robbie Wheeling: I am Pardue, and I am a holy man.

Movie Connections:

References The Slayer (1982)

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.