Mazes and Monsters

The story unfolds in a contemporary early 1980s setting, a time when dungeon-crawler RPGs were popular among college students. Family pressures, academic stress, and personal aspirations shape the characters’ choices within this period. The urban backdrop, including references to the Twin Towers, anchors the fantasy elements in a recognizable era.

Locations center on Grant University where Robbie and friends connect through Mazes and Monsters, an abandoned cavern used for the game, and the urban expanse of New York City. The Twin Towers appear as a real-world landmark that intersects with the fantasy imagery the group blurs into their campaign. The film shifts between campus life, subterranean spaces, and dense city settings to illustrate how fantasy intrudes into ordinary life.

🧠 Mental Health

The film probes how immersive gaming can intersect with real psychological distress. Robbie's delusions and psychotic episodes reveal the fragility of identity when fantasy bleed into reality. The narrative also shows the ripple effects on friends and family as they confront the consequences of his unraveling.

🪄 Fantasy vs Reality

Mazes and Monsters acts as a battleground between escapist fantasy and harsh reality. Robbie's conversion of the cleric Pardieu from game to perceived identity demonstrates how a fictional world can distort perception of danger and control. The story questions where imagination ends and life begins.

🤝 Friendship & Responsibility

The core group’s relationship tests loyalty as peer pressure and guilt surface. The friends’ attempt to manage Robbie’s crisis exposes the limits of helping someone slide deeper into fantasy. The ending suggests a reluctant, ongoing responsibility to support him, even as they confront their own complicity.