Dave Made a Maze

Lore & Background

The film follows 30-year-old Dave, who, while his girlfriend Annie is away for the weekend, works on his next art project. Dave has a habit of not finishing things, is apparently jobless, and receives income from his parents. He builds a small cardboard fort that is supposedly bigger on the inside. When Annie returns, she discovers the fort and, after calling friends, a group enters the maze, encountering living origami birds, deadly traps, and a Minotaur. The maze grows on its own and may be connected to Dave's imagination.

Reader's Guide

Dave Made a Maze is notable for its inventive, low-budget approach to fantasy horror, using cardboard as the primary material for its surreal set design. The film received an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising director Bill Watterson as a fresh and inventive filmmaker, though Metacritic gave a score of 60 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews. Its premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival and subsequent Audience Award highlight its appeal within independent cinema. The film's legacy lies in its creative use of practical effects and its blend of comedy, adventure, and horror, establishing Watterson as a distinctive voice in genre filmmaking.

Did You Know?

• The film won an Audience Award for Best Narrative at the 2017 Slamdance Film Festival.
• Dave's hand becomes made entirely of cardboard after he sticks it into an odd vulva-shaped hole in the maze.
• When characters die in the maze, they sometimes squirt red yarn and confetti instead of blood.
• The film's title was suggested sarcastically by Dave in the story, despite another character insisting the structure was a labyrinth.

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