Right Twists and Wrong Turns: Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth” Turns 30

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true: this month, the ever-popular film Labyrinth turns 30 years old. Unsurprisingly, it’s an old favourite with the folks here at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game.

Starring a very young Jennifer Connelly, the film follows the somewhat tempestuous teenager Sarah as she attempts to rescue her brother back from Jareth, the Goblin King (the unforgettable, late, great David Bowie)—who she sort of accidentally maybe gave her baby brother away to.

It’s hard to say what’s most memorable about the film. Is it Sarah’s insanely gigantic ball gown, the Goblin King’s many song and dance numbers, or perhaps the image of one dog using another dog as his steed? When it comes down to it, it’s really the Labyrinth itself that sticks in the brain: the sprawling, constantly changing, dangerous and tricksy maze that dominates the entire story.

Here are some of the best wrong turns the Labyrinth has to offer.

The Oubliette

Though she just wants to get away from the creepy hands that compose the walls of the hole she has fallen into, Sarah never should have instructed them to send her downwards.

The Fireys’ Forest

After she becomes separate from her gigantic furry friend Ludo, Sarah unfortunately runs into the domain of the Fireys, who are convinced her head can come off just as easily as theirs.

The Bog of Eternal Stench

An act of kindness—kissing her reluctant helper Hoggle after he saves her—lands Sarah and company quite suddenly in the Bog of Eternal Stench. Luckily, Sir Didymus and Ambrosius are there to help them get back on track.

The Junk Yard

For a split second, Sarah gets to think her experience in the Labyrinth has all been a dream. Until the walls of her room come crashing down, and she realizes she is, in fact, in the middle of a trash heap.

The Escher Staircases

It all comes to a head when Sarah finally confronts Jareth in his castle—and finds herself in a vertigo-inducing mishmash of staircases straight out of an M.C. Escher drawing.



Love labyrinths as much as we do? Check out this previous post on real-life labyrinths and mazes before booking your own escape adventure at one of our four escape rooms, here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

Top Five Historical Labyrinths and Mazes

The concept of trapping people in a confusing space goes way, way back. But while escape rooms are all about a great night out, historical escape challenges—like mazes and labyrinths—haven’t always been about fun and games.

First designed for spiritual contemplation, it took quite a while for labyrinths to become the discombobulating entertainment we know today.

3000 BCE—Labyrinths of Bolshoi Zayatsky

Image: Vitold Muratov (CC)

The greatest number of ancient labyrinths still existing are found on remote islands in the White Sea of Russia. Made of boulders placed in spiraling patterns on the ground, there is definitely no danger of getting lost in these labyrinths.

Instead of being used to confuse and trap people, these structures were more likely used for religious contemplation or even potentially as traps to catch fish in low tides.

1800 BCE—The Egyptian Labyrinth

Image: Archive of Affinities

Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Amenemhet III was behind the construction of this gigantic labyrinth, which spanned 12 courts connected by crisscrossing corridors and shafts, with a few fake doors thrown in for good measure.

According to the historian Herodotus, the massive maze was made up of 3,000 rooms and housed the tombs of many kings.

1500 BCE(?)—The Cretan Labyrinth

Image: AnonMoos (CC)

Perhaps the most famous labyrinth of all is King Minos’s inescapable construction on the Mediterranean island of Crete.

Designed by Daedalus and his son Icarus (yes, that Icarus), the labyrinth was a site of sacrifice to the gods. Completing all these sacrifices was the Minotaur, a half-man/half-bull creature who was fed a stream of young kids every seven years.

1675 CE—The Labyrinth of Versailles

Leave it to French king Louis XIV, known for the decadence and splendour of his court, to take the religious and sacred labyrinth and turn it into a pleasure garden.

Designed with an Aesop Fables theme, the 5.6-acre labyrinth at the Palace of Versailles was constructed out of 5-metre tall hedges and included 39 fountains. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in 1778 by Louis XVI.

1880s CE—Gustav Castan’s Mirror Maze

Image: Dave Shafer (CC)

While the date and location of the first Mirror Maze is disputed, its creator is not: Gustave Castan.

Castan, who patented his invention in 1888, took a cue from the distorting House of Mirrors often found at fairgrounds, an attraction that in turn took inspiration from the famous Hall of Mirrors at—you guessed it—Versailles. Thanks, Louis!

You can visit Vancouver escape game Krakit seven days a week. We promise: no Minotaurs.