The Labyrinth

The Labyrinth is a 2011 anthology horror film directed by various filmmakers, including Mike Flanagan, who would later become a prominent name in the horror genre. The film is a series of six shorts, each dealing with a different aspect of the unknown, the unexplained, and the unimaginable. The film begins with a framing device featuring a mysterious, eerie figure called "The Labyrinth Keeper" who presents the stories as a way to keep the audience entertained while they wait in line. The Keeper's character plays a minor but intriguing role throughout the film, and its enigmatic presence helps to create an eerie atmosphere. The first segment, titled "The Labyrinth," is directed by Mike Flanagan and stars Brian Carlson and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The story revolves around an isolated gas station along a desolate highway where a driver stops for gas on a stormy night. As the driver attempts to find a safe place to wait out the storm, he becomes aware of an unseen presence lurking in the background. The segment cleverly uses the atmosphere of isolation and claustrophobia to build up the tension, eventually leading to a shocking revelation. The second segment, "Midnight," is an animated short directed by Lee Cronin and stars Sean Tighe and Brian O'Driscoll. The story is set in a rural town where a group of friends decide to take a journey to a local, supposedly haunted, amusement park. However, upon arrival, they find the park closed, and the ride's operator missing. The boys soon find themselves navigating through the park's winding paths and encountering supernatural entities. In "The Night Watch," the third segment, Mike Flanagan once again takes the helm, this time directing a segment with stars Brian Carlson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Robert Russell. The story follows a father who becomes obsessed with the supernatural entities in the woods near his home and decides to set up a surveillance system to capture evidence. As he waits and observes, strange occurrences become more and more prevalent, ultimately leading him to discover a horrific secret. The fourth and fifth segments, "The Highway" and "The Home," star and are directed by different filmmakers, focusing on different tales. "The Highway," directed by John Poliquin, tells the story of a hitchhiker who accepts a ride from a seemingly friendly driver but ultimately finds himself at the mercy of the driver's sinister intentions. "The Home," directed by Chris Peckover, is a segment about a woman returning home after her mother's funeral. Upon arrival, she discovers an unsettling presence that threatens the tranquility she desires to achieve. The second-to-last segment, "The Highwayman," tells a different story of survival, this time directed by Lee Cronin and star Sean Tighe and Brian O'Driscoll. In this tale, a lone driver, a young man who has just survived a near-fatal accident on a desolate rural highway is stalked by his unseen killer. As the man tries to stay alive, he becomes trapped in a series of eerie encounters that make him question his perceptions. The final segment of the film is the longest, directed by Neil Mesler, but also is "Darkness," which wraps up the series in a dark and chilling note. This final segment follows a family on a camping trip as a young boy discovers that they are being stalked by supernatural forces that seek their demise. The Labyrinth is an effective anthology that presents its audience with the unexplained and unknown in a series of compelling, suspenseful, and terrifying tales. While some of the stories may not be as strong or polished as others, the film as a whole is a chilling and thought-provoking experience that explores humanity's fears and the darker side of our existence.