1986 saw the release of both the Henson / Bowie film Labyrinth and the Ravensberger board game Labyrinth. What was going on in the zeitgeist that created these two seemingly unrelated classics?
1986 saw the release of both the Henson / Bowie film Labyrinth and the Ravensberger board game Labyrinth. What was going on in the zeitgeist that created these two seemingly unrelated classics?
Neither seems to be inspired by the other, but share a lot of imagery and mechanics. Do they both owe a common precursor? Or is it the collective unconscious at work?
The 80s had a lot of fantasy and occult themes going on. There was the “Satanic Panic” that the religious right brewed up as a means of social control. Dungeons and Dragons was vilified (see Mazes and Monsters starring Tom Hanks). Heavy Metal—which leaned into mythical themes—was also targeted. And what the right tries to push down naturally gains interest in a rebellious way. Fantasy movies had a bit of a heyday. Conan the Barbarian, Clash of the Titans, Never Ending Story, Princess Bride, Willow, Dark Crystal, etc.
It probably helped that special effects were starting to get sophisticated. D&D had more exposure because of the religious panic. A lot of early computer/console games had fantasy themes.
So, they were both probably children of the zeitgeist. It was a weird time. Stranger Things does a pretty good job of capturing the vibe.
And the tie-in here is that traditionally, the labyrinth is a religious tool used for meditation. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth follows a single path, with places to stop and reflect.
So the re-use of the term to represent both the minotaur’s labyrinth and a story/game with a single conclusion following many twists and turns makes perfect sense for the time. Both the game and the movie were able to use all the religious symbols associated with the labyrinth and re-purpose them for a different story. But it meant they were both able to use a well established iconography and symbology that many people in the 1980s would be unfamiliar with.