The Maze (2010)

Directed by Stephen Shimek [Other horror films: Nocturne (2016)]

I don’t know if The Maze is an easy movie to look at. Certainly I found most of the first 50 minutes rather unspectacular and quite generic, but the film also changes gears in the final 35 minutes or so, and while not executed amazingly well, I deeply appreciate what they were going for.

In fact, it’s because of the finale that I remember this movie as much as I do. I saw it many years back (since the movie came out 2010, I’d wager to say I saw it no later than 2013, and it’s March 2022 as I write this), and really, the only thing I remembered about it, aside from the fact much of it took place in a corn maze, is the finale, which I thought was stellar. Well, the execution isn’t stellar, but seeing it again, damn it, I still liked it.

The first 55 minutes, though, is, as I said, rather generic, following a group of five friends being stalked and killed while playing tag in a corn maze. There’s not much here that’s really interesting – even the killer, who perpetually wears a red hoodie, is utterly unspectacular – and it can feel pretty dull, even once the tepid killings begin.

Luckily, the latter portion of the film follows the only survivor as they’re taken in by the local police and has an opportunity to relay what happened to their friends. Naturally, the killer isn’t happy that one of his would-be victims got away, so attempts to remedy this by going after them, even if they’re in police custody. It might not sound like much, but it’s also here that we discover more about the killer, and I entirely dug it.

There’s not much in the way of memorable performances. I sort of liked Seven Castle’s (what an interesting name that is, on a side-note; sounds like an amusement park – oh, and she was in 2015’s Delirium) character, though, like many of her friends, we never learned a whole lot about her. Related, Clare Niederpruem (Zombie Hunter, Nocturne, and Thirst) was sort of fun – at least, I liked her Velma scene – but she doesn’t make a huge impression. Luke Drake (who sort of rocks a Cillian Murphy vibe) shines at times, though, which is something.

None of the kills, even toward the finale, are all that interesting, and like I said, the killer, or more particularly, the design of the killer, is rather unremarkable. I don’t know if the flawed finale makes up for any of these shortcomings, but I can say that I personally rather enjoyed what the movie tried to do. It may not have succeeded – at this time, The Maze sports a 3.8/10 on IMDb with 1,068 votes – but I definitely appreciated what they were going for.

It’s because of that that I can’t really say I disliked the film. I don’t think it’s particularly good, and I can’t say that the movie overcomes it’s flaws altogether, but I can see myself both recommending it and personally watching it again in the future due to the almost clever direction the movie takes.

I’d never go as far as to say The Maze is required watching, though, even for a fan of slasher movies, but I think I probably see the film as around average, which is definitely more than what most people apparently take away from the movie.

7/10