Mazes and Monsters

The film opens with a reporter meeting police at a cavern where investigators discuss the Mazes and Monsters game getting out of hand. The conversation establishes that fantasy has begun to spill into real danger. The cavern itself becomes a looming venue for the events that will unfold.

Robbie Wheeling begins his freshman year at Grant University and quickly falls into a tight circle of four friends. Jay-Jay, Kate, Daniel, and Robbie share a fascination with Mazes and Monsters while concealing personal troubles. Robbie's family turmoil, including his missing brother, colors his world.

Despite reluctance, Robbie's friends push him to restart Mazes and Monsters. They hope the game will help him cope with his issues and bring the group closer. The decision reopens the line between fantasy and reality that defines the film.

Robbie and Kate grow closer, and their relationship deepens as he shares nightmares about his missing brother. The boundary between his real life and Pardieu's cleric persona starts to blur. The group's hobby begins to serve as an escape from painful truths.

Jay-Jay, feeling left out, returns to a cavern with a drastic plan. He intends to commit suicide, but instead kills off his character to force the group into a new, more immersive campaign. He pushes for playing in a condemned cavern despite warnings.

The friends agree to launch the Mazes and Monsters campaign in a disused, condemned cavern. They ignore safety concerns and launch into a reality-blurring fantasy night. The night marks a turning point where fantasy becomes dangerously indistinguishable from life.

During the spelunking session, Robbie experiences a breakdown and relives the last moments with his brother, believing a monster in the game is real. He identifies himself as Pardieu and begins mapping the Great Hall, guided by dreams that demand he seek a sacred place. The fantasy spirals into a dangerous delusion.

Robbie's friends alert the authorities while continuing their own cave expedition in hopes he is alive somewhere. Investigators search for him, treating his disappearance as a real crisis rather than a game mishap. The boundary between their game and the real world has now shattered.

Robbie leaves for New York City and commits a violent act against a mugger he believes is a monster. He experiences blood on his knife and clothes, briefly tugging him out of his fantasy long enough to call Kate from a payphone. The city becomes a new stage for his deteriorating grip on reality.

Robbie's delusions lead him toward the Twin Towers, where he wanders the subway in a disordered state. He equates the Two Towers with the World Trade Center and imagines he can cast a spell to fly. His friends work to track him through the urban maze of the city.

Robbie reaches the South Tower lobby and prepares to jump, convinced his spells will enable flight. His friends intervene, applying the game's rules to pull him back from the edge and end the immediate danger. The moment makes the real-life stakes painfully clear.

The friends visit Robbie at his parents' estate, and he undergoes regular counseling. Although the immediate crisis passes, he remains trapped in his imagined world, convinced of an inn and a lurking evil. Feeling partly responsible, the group agrees to play Mazes and Monsters one final time, with Robbie dictating the events.