Labyrinth 1986
Posted by PurplePenguinCat@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 775 comments
What kind of insane fever dream of a drug combination is this movie? Neither my husband nor I saw this as kids, so I thought why not. I think this is the craziest movie I've ever watched. What were Henson and Lucas smoking when they came up with it?
Anybody see this as a kid? What was it like with 40 years less experience?
peacefinder@reddit
80s fantasy triple feature idea: Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Legend
(In no particular order)
Bonus: Ladyhawke
JimYamato@reddit
I agree with all of this. 80s fantasy was just crazy. Also, Dragonslayer.
Billazilla@reddit
Dragonslayer was such a grounded fantasy movie. It was classic wild fantasy, but still so realistic in what people in a fantasy world might be.
Middle-Mirror2017@reddit
…Power of Voodoo
Carolineintheciti@reddit
Who do?
Dragonhatesreddit@reddit
Do what
Middle-Mirror2017@reddit
Remind me of the babe
Gafwaafaa@reddit
You do!
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
This has been my fav movie since I saw it at 12. The first vhs we ever rented. My mom was heartbroken for me bc it ruined other movies for a while bc the fantasy genre was kinda weak.
I can quote every line without thinking. I met a fellow fan one day just by how he said the word “hat”. One word. All it took. I got the reference.
Other loves: Neverending Story, obvs Goonies Clash of the Titans Legend ❤️ Mid 80s Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass tv miniseries
Look, I married a man who owns over 250+ board games now and something like 15 linear feet of rpg books. The nerd was always strong in me! 🤣
Last-Relationship166@reddit
Oh, man...I remember Carol Channing in that Alice In Wonderland miniseries...What a trip that was. Didn't Ben Vereen play the caterpillar?
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
I’d have to look. (I own the dvd) But it was PACKED w/ famous comedians & comedic actors from the 70s & 80s.
I think that’s the only reason I actually got to watch both parts. Bogarting the tv from my dad during prime time TWO nights in a row AND staying up past my bedtime‽ I can count on one hand how many times that happened!
Last-Relationship166@reddit
...looks like it was Sammy Davis, Jr. That seems more apropos, anyway. Looking at the list, I now remember Steve and Edie's Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum...as well as Martin Short's Mad Hatter. I have no recollection of Telly Savalas.
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
I think he was the Carpenter maybe in the Walrus & The Carpenter w/ Gene Wilder. Or maybe Gene was the Mock Turtle.
Damn. Rewatch needed soon!
cultvignette@reddit
Omg that Alice miniseries.
That song about jam lives in my head rent free some times to this day.
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
I still sing it on the reg!
fluffypinkblonde@reddit
It's so stimulating being your hat <3
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
That’s the one! Husband was buying a hat & at checkout the guy named the 3-4 things we had as he rang them up manually. When he got to it he said “and one leather noble style /hat/” in just the right back of the throat pronunciation - just that one word.
I immediately responded with the entire line … or maybe the 2-3 preceding as well! 🤣
Best part‽ He was likely GenZ! (maaaaaybe the babiest of Millennials, but def btwn 22-26 yrs) 😍
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
Elvira may have been the seed of my lifelong affection for Goth girls, but Mia Sara in Legend is the rainstorm that made it grow.
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
Mia & Tim showed me that I was bi in the most delightfully uncomfortable way 🤣
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
I get it -
Excerpt from a conversation I had with a girlfriend many years ago:
"...I know I'm not gay because even though I have watched both Rocky Horror Picture Show and Legend(many, many times each, I might add), I still wouldn't take Tim Curry to Pound Town, even with him all dressed up as The Darkness."
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
It is a solid litmus test 😆
Cynncat@reddit
I would so lose. Take me darkness Tim curry!
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
Every. Damned. Time.
Cynncat@reddit
Oh damn! That had to be fun /s
Cynncat@reddit
Omg same! Mine paints minis too and collects rpgs like they are candy. We are actually having to rearrange our tiny studio apartment (360sq ft) into a traditional modular mini art studio, a king sized bed room area (2 pithuahuas and we are not small people), and a computer gaming/digital art station at minimum. All so he can collect more minis and more books! Even I have a small bit of geeky ness in my area. I even have a tribute to Bowie as the goblin king on my wall.
Pardon the disorganization, it’s still under construction.
Sithstress_@reddit
Hahahaha, I met a fan once because of how I said “plastic” in an aisle at the grocery store 😂.
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
My husband always says plastic from Twin Peaks. No. It’s “Ooooo, Plastic!”, sir.
jimb575@reddit
Throw in Return to Oz…
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
Love Return To Oz! Was kinda mad they never made ALL the Oz books.
Cupcake541@reddit
I’ve never seen the Alice series! I’m intrigued. 🍄
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
SO many cameos! Gene Wilder, Carols Burnett & Channing and so so many more. Plus the Jabberwock really scared the crap out of me at 8 despite having read both books at least 5x.
Amazon did have it on dvd a few yrs ago. Blond girl on cover peeking around a big mushroom. Not animated.
call-me-the-seeker@reddit
The Jabberwocky was very frightening but for whatever reason, Carol Channing scared the lifelong living SH#% out of me, I can still hear her now, as soon as she starts showing Alice her finger and her voice starts getting slooowerrr…Alice starts looking unsettled and bam, taken straight to TERRORTOWN.
This adaptation is the first time I really got how unsettling, high-strangeness weird this story is, despite having seen other film adaptations and, as you say, having read the novels several times.
But yes, ‘everyone’ is in this movie, looking back almost the entire cast was famous, I just didn’t recon them all at the time (like maybe part of the reason the White Queen was able to scare me so bad is that was my first experience of Channing)
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
Yeah, the transformation was unsettling as hell.
But I still sing the Jam Tomorrow song so that was redeeming of her 😆
Just_Me_79@reddit
Random aside looking @ your username, Goodkind fan?
Loud-Bee6673@reddit
The Last Unicorn! I loved that one too. Like many stories, the book is even better!
Flaky_Web_2439@reddit
It’s so stimulating being your hat!
Just_Me_79@reddit
Your whole post is chef’s kiss the 80s were an unparalleled era in movies!
ChappedAss@reddit
If it wasn't for your username, I'd swear you were my wife. The other big red flag was that you didn't manetion your husbands love of Star Wars and Muppets.
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
What about Meet the Feebles?
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
Not muppets but he’s got a SW thing and we watch Trek with a friend every month for YEARS. Started with TOS. 😆
Username was Reddit assigned when I was new 😬
lyon9492@reddit
I love absolutely everything about your post.
Aamrie69@reddit
Loved this movie!
PinkedOff@reddit
I looooooooooooove this movie. I saw it in the theatre on original release, and rewatch it probably yearly. Soundtrack is a favorite as well.
SkirtTheBudgie@reddit
The directors cut didn't have the same music. Thankfully we got Tangerine Dream for the music. Best ever.
gumby_twain@reddit
I thought only boomers said "what were they smoking?" every time they saw a piece of nontraditional art. Our generation rose above judging artistic people and counterculture as all weird druggies. I guess not all of us.
for the record, nothing was smoked. Lots of cocaine.
Elliegorical@reddit
The Gen X version would be "What were they snorting... And where can I get some?" 😹
SkirtTheBudgie@reddit
I grew up with this movie. One of my favs. Watch Company of Wolves if you want an exally crazy movie.
HeyKrech@reddit
How is this the craziest movie you've ever seen? It's cool that it isn't for you, like you didn't enjoy it but it's a pretty basic coming of age story of a girl at the cusp of adulthood, holding onto the whimsy and magic of childhood while also wanting the power and self-determination of adulthood.
If you want a fever dream, acid trip, watch HR Puffinstuff.
nite_skye_@reddit
I loved HR Puffinstuff as a kid! I had forgotten about it until I saw your comment. Guess that explains a lot about me …
MirkatteWorld@reddit
I was 19 and obsessed with David Bowie when the movie came out. Saw it in the theater with my equally Bowie-obsessed BFF, and we were insanely jealous of Jennifer Connelly for all that sweet David Bowie contact.
PuzzleheadedBobcat90@reddit
Same. I would have stayed with Bowie and to hell with the kid!
SnowblindAlbino@reddit
Saw it in the theater. It was OK at best. Henson did a lot of whacky shit over the years though-- go look at his featured Muppet stuff from the entire first season of Saturday Night Live. Just crazy most of the time, rarely funny, and always out of step with the rest of the show.
believe_in_dog@reddit
I adore this movie - my friend had it on VHS and we watched it all the time. I think it’s a work of art- meticulously crafted by creative geniuses.
I showed it to my son when he was four, and he was immediately obsessed. He dressed up as Jareth for months, and would walk around belting out stuff like “a piece of cake is it? Let’s see how you deal with this little slice!”. We had to have quite a few conversations about why exactly it is that Jareth is alone.
I really like how this movie shows children that evil can be beautiful and alluring- bad guys aren’t always as obvious as they are in many movies. Although Bowie/ Jareth probably solidified my adoration of sexy bad guys lol. And it teaches that you shouldn’t put up with someone treating you like shit and throwing snakes at you, even if they’re sexy and are promising you the world.
I have this giant book “the ultimate visual history” and it’s awesome. They even discuss the pants.
Ok-Maize-284@reddit
I love this! I never noticed it’s a microphone 🤯 What book is that and where did you get it? How old is your son now? Does he still love it?! I’m so happy for you, because neither of my kids liked it at all and I was so disappointed 😭
believe_in_dog@reddit
“Labyrinth the Ultimate Visual History” … https://a.co/d/04HCtTQB got it for Xmas a few years ago. My son is 10 now and hasn’t watched it recently- we probably watched it 50 times at the age of 4-5! Here he is dressed as Jareth lol.
Ok-Maize-284@reddit
Oh wow that wig is perfect! I love the leggings too haha. Looks like Halloween (I see bats and spiders) Hopefully he rediscovers it again and still loves it when he’s older. I found the book on my country’s Amazon and have it saved. Thanks! 😃
Plastic-Ad-5171@reddit
I loved this movie! I watched it on VHS sooo many times! The music and puppets were amazing! I still love the movie though as an adult, I couldn’t get over the size of Bowie’s “package”! lol!!
Sonofsaturn24@reddit
Dark Crystal
VerdantPathfinder@reddit
It's fantastic. I own the movie soundtrack.
You remind of the babe What babe? The babe with the power What power? The power of voodoo. Who do? You do. Do what? Remind me of the babe...
DeaditeQueen@reddit
I saw my baby..
IndependentLab79@reddit
Crying hard as babe could cry, what could I do?
MariaInconnu@reddit
My baby's love had gone, and left my baby blue.
TheKindleGirl@reddit
A goblin babe. Well, laugh.
My sister and I quote this at eachother, and no one else gets it.
LawrenceSpiveyR@reddit
Wife's favorite movie. I thought the Dark Crystal was weirder.
thejohnmc963@reddit
Awesome movie. Saw as a child and adult. Loved it. Very imaginative and shows talent.
MariaInconnu@reddit
It is still a brilliant movie. The escher room was my favorite. Even at the time, the fire demons seemed not to fit with the rest.
Beyond_the_Matrix@reddit
Because it was Jim Henson it was fine.
The fact that David Bowie's character was after a teenager is pretty sick. But at the time, it didn't even phase me. I was more interested in all the creatures.
lwaxanawayoflife@reddit
Looking back, it seems gross. At the time, I would have been overjoyed to be kidnapped by David Bowie.
Beyond_the_Matrix@reddit
LadybugGal95@reddit
Plus it was David Bowie. Anyone else in that role probably would have made me question it more but at the time, I was focused on his voice.
Beyond_the_Matrix@reddit
And his hair and makeup, thought it looked so cool. Lol.
shadow8555@reddit
Yep, straight over our heads at that time. Didn't even notice
BrettNoe@reddit
How can 2 adults have grown up as GenX and not seen this? It boggles my mind!
TestesRex@reddit
57, never seen it
SoberDWTX@reddit
I’ve never seen it either and I’m a huge David Bowie fan. I’m just not that into the puppetry fantasy thing.
Charming-Insurance@reddit
I grew up poor and didn’t have cable until I was almost out of the house… I’ve never seen it.
Dear_Mess_1617@reddit
3rd Gen X adult here that never saw it
ElBorrachon73@reddit
Luckily my Mother and Father were big movie buffs. Mom was a sci fi, LOTR, Dragonriders of Perm kinda person while Dad was more Westerns, war Godfather kinda guy. So I was taken to see this when it was released and other insane things a kid probably shouldn't have seen like Excalibur and Apocalypse now hahaha. And as a good Father, I have made sure my kids got the majority of important films from my youth.
Broken420girl@reddit
Loved it has an old English sheepdog in it so it was always going to be a great hit with me lol Wordsworth from Jamie and the magic torch started that lol great film ❤️
polishprince76@reddit
Henson made some fantastically weird and dark stuff away from the Muppets and Sesame Street. Check out The Dark Crystal some time. Skexsis scared the crap out of me as a kid.
Last-Relationship166@reddit
I was hooked on The Dark Crystal as a kid...couldn't get enough of it.
WileyCoyote7@reddit
WE. WILL LIVE. FOREVAHHH!
AriadneThread@reddit
I had to leave the movie theater when they began sucking the life force from the (elves?) Traumatic for a little kid.
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
The Podlings and the Gelflings!
RaulDuke_76@reddit
Damn! Beat me to it! This scared the shit out of me so just imagine what it did to my little sisters!!😂🤣😂
Bug_Calm@reddit
I got the hell grounded out of me over going to this movie...
Last-Relationship166@reddit
...around the same time I was watching The Exorcist, Full Metal Jacket, Risky Business, Faces Of Deat, Cronenberg's "The Fly", Texas Chainsaw Massacre II, etc. at the neighbors' house.
Bug_Calm@reddit
Yeah, it wasn't the content. My friend and I got to the theater, and we decided we didn't want to fight the massive crowd to get in. I called my mother and let her know we had changed our minds and were grabbing some burgers then heading home. She absolutely lost her mind because our plans had changed, and grounded me for six weeks. What a nutjob.
Last-Relationship166@reddit
Oh...wow...gotcha. Parents were such fun...
dcknifeguy@reddit
The theme was recently used to make a pinball game and it is fantastic
urmama22@reddit
Well… don’t watch Dark Crystal.
Last-Relationship166@reddit
Dark Crystal was a favorite of mine as a kid. I watched it over and over again.
WileyCoyote7@reddit
Loved it immediately, still a favorite. David Bowie was amaing and scary at the same time. And, just so happens, it’s where I was introduced to Jennifer Connelly. She made me feels things. Still does.
mr_oof@reddit
classicsat@reddit
But David Bowie's codpiece.
Mysterious-Box-9081@reddit
You remind me of the babe
digdugnate@reddit
what babe?
Mysterious-Box-9081@reddit
The babe with the power
Spiritual-Cow4200@reddit
What power?
cnikkih@reddit
The power of voodoo
WileyCoyote7@reddit
Who do?
Mysterious-Box-9081@reddit
You do
Mysterious-Box-9081@reddit
The power of voodoo
corgi_glitter@reddit
What power?
noquarter1000@reddit
The Fire Gang still give me nightmares.
TrianglePope@reddit
I always skip over them. Love the movie but not them or their song.
noquarter1000@reddit
The song really sets the creepiness off
maleficently@reddit
Yes! It’s the head thing. Return to Oz traumatized me for the same reason
Admirable-Divide7731@reddit
I STILL skip that scene and I’m 49
rjgarc@reddit
They're headhunters
BaloneyCommercial@reddit
SMELL BAD
Fun-Jelly6976@reddit
Can you say you’re really Gen X if you never watched this 80’s fantasy classic starring Jennifer Connolly and David Bowie’s bulge?
corgi_glitter@reddit
I cackled and startled the cat on my lap at “David Bowie’s bulge”
JoeMillersHat@reddit
You have no power over me
digdugnate@reddit
I saw it in the theater and it's still one of my favorite movies; I watch it probably once every couple of weeks.
Fluffymanolo@reddit
One of my all time favorite movies. I have the soundtrack. I've watched the behind the scenes. I have a Funko Pop of Bluto and Jareth. I was a teen when I first saw it, so I related quite well with Sarah. Although, I think I would have chosen the old pervy guy to worship me, but I was also infatuated with Bowie at the time. I think my least favorite part was the Fireys.
Um, I love this movie so damn much.
brunch_blanket@reddit
Ludo, not Bluto.
13maven@reddit
I love it. David’s codpiece is legendary! Did you try watching Willow, the Dark Crystal or The Neverending Story? If not, try them next. Oooh! Also Legend!
CanIBeInvisible@reddit
Searches "codpiece." Not disappointed.
13maven@reddit
It’s a medieval fashion item that, along with catching print, could make a comeback!
thevoiceofalan@reddit
Watched it set to a live band at the usher hall Edinburgh recently. Amazing gig.
brunch_blanket@reddit
I'm seeing it with a live orchestra in Sydney, in September. Can't wait!
Kath-r-in@reddit
Same in the US!
brunch_blanket@reddit
Loved it as a kid, love it now.
Ok_Communication545@reddit
I wanted to wear a white ballgown and dance and marry the Goblin King. Did not understand why she was so against all of that😂
FlamingDragonfruit@reddit
It was amazing. It made perfect sense back then, in the context of 80's fantasy films.
meandhimandthose2@reddit
This and neverending story and bridge to terrifically. All a bit weird
Hyperion1144@reddit
What 80s fantasy movie wasn't weird?
Dada2fish@reddit
Exactly, and the 70’s and later half of the 60’s. Even Sesame Street with the Muppets could sometimes be a bit psychedelic.
And 70’s cartoons like HR (which stands for Hand Rolled) Pufnstuf. Sid and Marty Kroft were definitely using acid trips as inspiration for their kiddy cartoons.
draggar@reddit
I'll give you a hand with the childhood trauma.
https://i.redd.it/prritelgfh2h1.gif
Top-West1514@reddit
I learned what a cod-piece was from this movie.
IndependentLab79@reddit
Awesome movie. Totally scared of it as a kid when it first came out, but when I was older, it used to be the movie I threw on after first taking some psychedelics and waiting for them to kick in. By the time the little worm was talking, I was well on my way
Deep-Breath6736@reddit
Same.
OverMlMs@reddit
I saw this when I was a preteen. David Bowie definitely opened my eyes to some things, I can definitely say that
Lyragirl@reddit
Right?? The Goblin King awoke something in me!
IndependentLab79@reddit
Epic codpiece!
WhereItsAt75@reddit
My mom took me and a friend to see it in the theater. I was 9. I was obsessed with Jim Henson and Muppets. Loved everything about it. Except maybe Bowie's bulge. Lol
I_defend_witches@reddit
I rewatched as an adult with my kids and was horrified at the relationship of a 15 yr old and a 40 yr old adult male. Was too young for Pretty baby and Taxi Driver
Araneas@reddit
More like the relationship between an ageless Fae creature and a 15 year old girl. Even more ick, but that is one of the points of the movie.
If you want less disturbing actors in a far more disturbing roles, then look no further than the Twilight movies.
Sasquatchmas@reddit
I loved it! I have the album!
misting2@reddit
Loved this movie! “Hey, Lady! Yo head don’t come off!”
Araneas@reddit
It was awesome then and remains awesome now. Peak Bowie.
ThePsycHOTicNurse@reddit
I was born in 1979 and watched this movie when it came out. It was awesome lol one of my favorites for years as a child
Bahlore@reddit
I loved that movie, and so did my daughter, she watched it repeatedly as a kid.
daveescaped@reddit
Such a cool movie.
If you want a movie that goes even a step farther towards crazy town try Return to Oz. It’s truly a fever dream. And fun.
Old-Set78@reddit
the Wheelies are creepy AF
daveescaped@reddit
I know, right?!
pedsmursekc@reddit
💯
Ok-Intention-4593@reddit
Omg reliving the 80-90s with these comments. The heads you can switch. I haven’t thought about this in 30 years and I love it. Thank you Reddit friend.
Additional_Maybe1104@reddit
If you loved the movie, I also recommend the "Return to Labyrinth" manga
slimninj4@reddit
one of my favorites. let the kids watch it when they were little and they were like these are puppets. grrrrr
draggar@reddit
Just wanted to comment, when I first saw this post in my feed it had exactly 666 replies.
As for Lucas and Henson - who knows, but it must have been good.
Also - shoutout to Gates (Cheryl) McFadden (a.k.a. Dr Beverly Crusher in Star Trek) for the puppetry work
Also - shoutout to Toby Froud (Toby, the baby) - later went into special effects (Chronicles of Narnia, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance).
chano36@reddit
I’m an 80s kid and somehow never watched it until my 20s. Still love it.
Unkindly-bread@reddit
Never saw it. I guess now I’ll need to! I’ll try to remember to report back…
QueenMumof4@reddit
I watched it over and over and over and now my 4 adult children watch it over and over at least once a year. I was probably about 10 or 11 when I saw it and showed my kids around the same age. The story is so sweet...and David Bowie in tights!!!
dontwannaparticpate@reddit
Those tights did a number on my prepubescent self lol. Set things in motion for my future lollll
QueenMumof4@reddit
Same
OliveBadger1037@reddit
Did you enjoy being slapped in the face by David Bowie’s cock?
sjbluebirds@reddit
That's just him dancing the magic dance.
HavBoWilTrvl@reddit
It's magic all right! 🥰
Macha_Grey@reddit
Man I sure did...that and princess Leah being chained up are probably why I am the sexual deviant I am today! And don't get me started on Beauty and the Beast....
stemandall@reddit
You're a worm?
'sright. Come on in an 'ave a cuppa tea with the missus
thiswasyouridea@reddit
'Ello!
stemandall@reddit
Did you say hello?
Formal_Lie_713@reddit
I saw it in the theater when it first came out. I was about seventeen. My friend and I were big David Bowie fans. We both thought it was great.
DenseTime2100@reddit
Damn. This is my comfort movie. I watch it for my birthday every year.
Miserables-Chef@reddit
Wait til you see never ending story
togetherwegrowstuff@reddit
Yup. Also such a Classic!
Miserables-Chef@reddit
Some absolutely mad films in the 80's. Makes you wonder who was greenlighting some of the weird and wonderful films released that decade.
SpeedySpooley@reddit
Cocaine
Miserables-Chef@reddit
I was going to say earlier tbh lmao
keltsbeard@reddit
Hell, I still have the three issue comic from back then....
DeaditeQueen@reddit
That movie is my entire childhood. I listened to the soundtrack all the time. The beginning scene where she is running home through the streets? That is legitimately my hometown. Piermont , New York. I would go to the same street and run through it when it would rain and pretend I was in the movie. This was a gift of love to the world from Jim Henson.
coryphella123@reddit
I went to see this in the movie theater! I swear this movie is my origin story. It’s definitely what made me fall in love with Bowie.
PopcornGlamour@reddit
I’m 58 and have never seen it. It’s in my list on Tubi so I’m hoping to get around to finally watching it this summer.
QueenMumof4@reddit
Next rainy day...stop putting it off
InfectedSteve@reddit
Watched it later in life, never thought it looked interesting even when it first came out. A friend let me borrow it. I can say...I was not impressed. The puppets were interesting as all Jim's works were. But the plot was weak, and did not hold my interest.
rheagmb@reddit
Away with you!
theymightbezombies@reddit
Blasphemer.
Timely-Youth-9074@reddit
Being in love with a 14 year old girl, though
QueenMumof4@reddit
So many questionable movies from our time with suggestions of statutory or date r@p3...I choose to ignore the reality and remember it was just fantasy and I could pretend that they are somehow age appropriate for one another in the Goblin realm
rheagmb@reddit
One of my absolute fave comfort movies. Smell baaaaaaadddd……
gelfbride73@reddit
Loved it. Kids loved it. Kids Are adults now and we all watched it together. Some of us were stoned.
taintedblood@reddit
My love for all things Bowie led me see Labyrith during it's cinema run in 1986. Bias aside, I've since watched the film dozens of times (including every year around Bowie's birth/death day). There are so many quotes from Labyrith that I use on a near-daily basis. ("Come inside! Meet the missus!" and "The path you will take will lead to certain DESTRUCTION!" are my faves)
I kinda look at Labyrith as the 80s response to The Wall.... a surreal ride through what-the-fuck-itude.
CatPurrsonNo1@reddit
I LOVE this movie, and it’s one I can watch over and over.
My fiancé and I saw it in the theater a few years ago, and one of my roommates and I just watched it a few days ago! It was his first time seeing it, and he’s older than I am.
I was a pretty precocious kid, and I was fascinated by Bowie’s Bulge. I wanted to be Sarah SO BADLY. I love the scene at the masquerade ball.
Sharp-Parfait1188@reddit
Pants, magic pants!
QueenMumof4@reddit
Not ot objectify Bowie, his mind was AMAZING too....but, oh those pants!
-w-0-w-@reddit
I love that movie and I still watch it when I'm sick in bed sometimes, we had it on VHS and it was a sick kid tradition to watch it when we stayed home from school growing up! My dad's a theater guy though, so we always saw all the cool creative movies that came out back in the day.
QueenMumof4@reddit
Same
Fantastic-Swim6230@reddit
Jim Hensen was David Bowe's crotch's puppeteer for the film.
QueenMumof4@reddit
I would have volunteered for that job without a second thought!
sfdsquid@reddit
Crotch Puppeteer would be a good band name.
Ready_Sky_4253@reddit
Ah yes, David Bowie and his super tight pants.....
addctd2badideas@reddit
David and his Bowie.
No-Heat-436@reddit
Best pants in the world! 🌎 👏🙌
morts73@reddit
Giving nightmares to kids for 40 years.
HighJeanette@reddit
It’s Perfect
Cutthechitchata-hole@reddit
Sarah was my real first friend. I ruined the relationship. Not her
QueenMumof4@reddit
Awww, is that you Hoggle ?
Cutthechitchata-hole@reddit
Engchik79@reddit
Love this movie! Even had the book back in grade school.
theinnerspiral@reddit
Still have mine!! Couldn’t part with it in all my moves.
Life-Sherbet-7942@reddit
Love this movie. Hoggle was such a tortured character! 💕
Puzzled_State2658@reddit
I met Hoggle! He is currently living in Scottsboro, Alabama inside a store called Unclaimed Baggage. He was lost in transit and later discovered by the store when they purchased an unclaimed shipping container. He was lovingly restored and greets customers at the store’s entrance today. I was absolutely giddy to see him there!
amosc33@reddit
Poor Hoggle.
CappuccinoBreve@reddit
I only ever saw it once in the theater with friends who didn't like it. I feel I need to watch it again to get a real appreciation of this film.
Round-Public435@reddit
I was a teenager when it came out and loved it, and my kids/grandkids do too. The only creatures in that movie that I don't like are the "helping hands" and the Fireys. They just creeped me out.
Robviously-duh@reddit
we enjoyed it back then and now.. a permanent place in the dvd library
sputtertoo@reddit
Saw it as a little one and still watch it today
BuhByeNow01@reddit
Sister and I used to fight over who was gonna kiss tv screen Jareth back in the day!
jseger9000@reddit
Labyrinth is a beautiful movie, but after The Dark Crystal it felt like a step backward.
Itsholyman666@reddit
Wife’s favorite movie as a child
heffel77@reddit
The guards at the two doors helped me in college with that thought experiment!!
I love Labyrinth! It was creepy for a kids movie but the bog of eternal stench is amazing!!
Plus, Bowie at his somewhat weirdest..so much more fun than Dark Crystal! Great movie
fridayimatwork@reddit
All of our entertainments were from coke or acid
219_Infinity@reddit
The power of the babe!
BeenDragonn@reddit
What babe?
infanteer@reddit
The babe with the power.
Scuttler1979@reddit
What power?
Daetiralso@reddit
The power of voodoo.
heffel77@reddit
The power of voodoo
Who do? You do
What?
Remind me of the babe
theymightbezombies@reddit
What babe?
Diaper_Donnie_Sux@reddit
Banana peels. They we're smoking banana peels
Aussiechicky@reddit
You remind me of a babe...
Cthuluconcarne@reddit
What babe?
believe_in_dog@reddit
The babe with the power!
jaxjags2100@reddit
What power?
Retoromano@reddit
The power of voodoo.
Robodie@reddit
Who do?
Greasystools@reddit
You do!
LadybugGal95@reddit
What?
Retoromano@reddit
Remind me of the babe.
pomegranatepants99@reddit
Who do?
CountHonorius@reddit
Nothing crazy about it - it's the Wizard of Oz of our generation! Bowie created a memorable character in Jareth, the music was great, and the visual experience was outstanding. Saw it a few times during its theatrical run in '86.
krypt3ia@reddit
Same
IHeartCuteThings@reddit
IDK what he was smoking - but I wish there were a bit more of it!
Brian Froud's art definitely adds a flavor that throws everything into a fantasy land...
Have you seen The Dark Crystal?!
LadybugGal95@reddit
Also another favorite of mine.
sec1176@reddit
This and Edward Scissorhands are my favorite movies. I was in love with Bowie and my name is Sarah. 5 star!
LadybugGal95@reddit
I loved Labyrinth. Watched it hundreds of times. In fact, seeing a copy of Labyrinth on my husband’s shelf when we were dating is one of the ways I knew he was the one.
Healthy-Grape-777@reddit
I loved it as a teen, as an adult. I take it with a different viewpoint because it’s an adult character played by David Bowie, who’s obsessed with a kid romantically so that of course was like ick wth were the writers of that thinking.
Robodie@reddit
If it makes you feel any better about the whole thing, or at least David Bowie's part in it: I read that there was originally supposed to be a kissing scene, and Bowie refused because he thought it was inappropriate.
I loved this movie as a kid, and still do. Though I could've done without the giant codpiece...
CarevaRuha@reddit
It was AMAZING. I saw it a bunch of times (I think we had the video at one point? Or at least kept it out from the store way longer than we were supposed to). I watched it a few years back with my grown-up GenX bf, who had never seen it. I was excited to share this glorious film with him, but, uh... he was mostly confused and a little horrified, I think. 😞
If you liked Labyrinth and you haven't seen any of these, I highly recommend:
Legend
The Neverending Story
The Dark Crystal
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
The Lost Boys
Time Bandits
Ladyhawke
(I saw someone recommend Return to Oz, but I still have nightmares from that, so can't recommend it in good faith.)
ChemicallyAlteredVet@reddit
Absolute legends in our house(I was born 1979.) my kids love Labyrinth, never ending story, Lost boys, Time bandits. Oh the memories
CHNLNK@reddit
Also: Legend Excalibur The Adventures of Baron Von Munchausen Willow
PMFSCV@reddit
Vibes
Carolineintheciti@reddit
YES!!
pdx-peter@reddit
“Where don’t you want to be shot?”
laughingpuppy20@reddit
I watched it several times as a kid and several times as an adult. I love that movie.
Lost_Taste_8181@reddit
Loved it as a kid. Watched it years later and was very confused.
Gym_Rat222@reddit
You should check out Legend with Tom Cruise then.
amosc33@reddit
Tim Curry as the Devil…swoon-worthy!
ratsta@reddit
By 15 I had a head full of fuck, which was compounded with the travails of teenhood so I'd been escaping into fantasy fiction (LotR, Belgariad, Dragonriders of Pern, etc.) for a long time. Jennifer Connelly is almost exactly the same age as me and, not to beat around the bush, utterly gorgeous. Then you take Sarah, a normal girl thrust into adventure and turned into the textbook white boy image of a princess and yeah. I never stood a chance. Complete infatuation with the girl, the character and the story. No drugs required.
I haven't seen it in a long time but thanks for the reminder. I'm pretty sure it is in my media library somewhere!
Our group is still playing D&D type games and still drops quotes to this day.
She chose doooowwwwwn!
Half of the worm scene. Did you say hello? No, I said allo, but that's close enough / No, I'm just a worm / Come inside, meet the missus. I'll put the kettle on. / Oh you don't want to go that way... That'll take you straight to the castle!
Smellll baaaaad!
ChemicallyAlteredVet@reddit
And “Dance Baby, Dance Baby “. Whilst throwing goblins around. My fav.
SubstanceNo1544@reddit
It happened during the crest pf puppets and Jim Henson. Take it with a grain of salt.
Carolineintheciti@reddit
Labyrinth is literally my favorite movie of all time!!! 😍😍😍😍😍 Therefore, I’m in love with this thread and all the comments. But, I haven’t seen anyone suggest or recall the best series of the 80’s… The Storyteller. Also Jim Henson. Also, absofuckinlutely fantastic 🤩
placeadvisor23@reddit
What kind of magic spell to use ?
placeadvisor23@reddit
This is probably one of my most watched childhood movies, recorded it off TV onto a Video tape
ChemicallyAlteredVet@reddit
I was 6 when it came out so I Didn’t see it until I was like 10. But it’s one of my all time favorite movies to date. I loved watching it with my kids when they were old enough and it’s one of their favs also.
marugirl@reddit
I was 19 when it came out and freaking loved it.
poodleflange@reddit
It was written by Terry Jones from Monty Python which might explain some of the weirdness.
LilyDaze10@reddit
Seen it? I practically had it memorized and still quote it all the time with my siblings.
If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend The Dark Crystal that Henson did. Unlike Labyrinth, Dark Crystal was all puppetry with no human characters. Phenomenal world building.
im_dead_sirius@reddit
I had a dark crystal comic book as a kid, The first part of the story, I think. I loved it, wanted the rest. Somehow, I never watched the film. Always better options I suppose, possibly with bewbs.
Finally, as an adult I came across reference to it online. I thought, 'Let's cross this off the list".
I could not watch it. I found it terrible. The discordant music bothered me greatly, and the stop motion was janky as hell. Plus life had better options, as always.
DrAsthma@reddit
I don't think you saw the dark crystal... You may have seen a dark crystal, but you didn't see the dark crystal. I still think the effects hold up today. Ogra is fucking kickass.
Aggressive-Tune-7256@reddit
Stop motion? It was puppets.
DrAsthma@reddit
This was one of my favorites as a kid. The ones that struck me as hard to grasp back then (and now, too) were Legend and the last unicorn. I tried rewatching last unicorn a few years back and I was more confused as a 40 year old than a 4 year old, I think.
truckerlivesmatter@reddit
The last unicorn was just so dark to me.
DrAsthma@reddit
I loved it as a kid. I was into anything with kickass creatures and that opening circus scene had me all in from the first watch. But yes, so dark. Also the dark crystal, the neverending story, and the Hobbit were my other dark fantasy faves as a kid.
mambopoa@reddit
Saw it as a kid when it came out and loved it
hicjacket@reddit
It's a kind of coming-of-age story with fairy tale tropes, but about a young girl instead of a young boy, which makes it something rare and changes a lot of things including how well it has aged.
I am unhappy about the crying baby in the first part. Babies don't act. How many times did they shoot that scene?
I have not been able to resolve this issue enough to watch it again.
A lot of it is v beautiful though.
darkest_irish_lass@reddit
To be fair, though...babies cry and are sad at least once a day. And do you remember being a baby? Do you remember all the times you cried and were sad?
hicjacket@reddit
Are you actually arguing that it is ok to film a teenage girl speaking angrily to a crying baby?
Just curious.
Not responding further.
darkest_irish_lass@reddit
No, my argument is that the baby was naturally sad at some point in the day.
Suspicious_Sundae931@reddit
Fun fact - the baby grew up to work in movies as a special effects puppet creator and sculptor. His parents both worked on Labyrinth doing the same kind of stuff. So don't feel bad for the baby - he was born into it!
Another fun fact - David Bowie made the gurgling baby noises in the song Magic Dance.
hicjacket@reddit
I know
FROG123076@reddit
I love it. Had my kids and now grandkids watch it.
hicjacket@reddit
Happy for you
GenX-tragicwaver@reddit
That movie (and soundtrack) defined my childhood so much that I just booked tickets to see the film with a full symphony orchestra accompaniment to celebrate its 40th anniversary - I can't wait!!
Carolineintheciti@reddit
Where is this happening?!?
GenX-tragicwaver@reddit
I'm in Australia and there are several shows in Sydney and Brisbane in September - I'm going to one of the Brisbane shows with my mother who also has fond memories of watching it with me when I was little 😊
ORF1Live@reddit
Omg I need this in my life! Lord of the Rings was awesome with the orchestra
Astralglamour@reddit
Return to Oz...
Old-Set78@reddit
Wheelies man. The Deadly Desert great special effects
youngkpepper@reddit
That movie was seriously wack. Princess Mombie was nightmare fuel.
DJ_Vigilance@reddit
The Wiz
cl0ckw0rkman@reddit
That movie IS a fever dream, filled with pure nightmare fuel!
Astralglamour@reddit
I still love it!
cl0ckw0rkman@reddit
Oh yeah. Same!
Fraerie@reddit
I saw this in 1987 as a double feature with Flesh Gordon at my university Student Union cinema.
It was a very strange evening.
platypusandpibble@reddit
Flesh Gordon? Bold choice for a student cinema. Now, FlAsh Gordon I could understand. 😆
youngkpepper@reddit
Flesh Gordon exists. I worked in a video rental store in summer of 87; we had a small porn section and that movie was part of it.
Fraerie@reddit
I have seen Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty books in the children's section of the library...
Old-Set78@reddit
wtf yo
platypusandpibble@reddit
I know - that’s why I was laughing about showing it on campus.
Fraerie@reddit
It's entirely possibly it was intended to be Flash Gordon, though it was a midnight screening. Flesh Gordon is more of an exploitation film than actual porn, IIRC it's R not X rated, like Barbarella.
iloveairportsushi@reddit
Unmmmm
moopet@reddit
I liked it as a kid and as a young adult. It's fun, it has memorable characters, puzzles, adventures, betrayal, funny smells and the rocks are Ludo's friends. What's not to love?
maleficently@reddit
You should also watch The Dark Crystal and Legend. Those three were the trifecta of my childhood obsession with the fantasy genre.
Carolineintheciti@reddit
SAME!! 🤩 Bowie is my favorite artist because of Labyrinth. Tim Curry is my favorite actor cause of Legend. Jim Henson is my favorite director because of… everything 🥰 Also, don’t forget The Storyteller series! Best series of the 80’s!
RaulDuke_76@reddit
After watching The Dark Crystal when I was 6-7, Labyrinth was a walk in the park when I was 10!😂🤣
These mf’rs had me checking my closet at night for a year!
maleficently@reddit
This. Dark Crystal walked so Labyrinth could run. Those monster bird things gave me nightmares.
Old-Set78@reddit
Skeksis
Pink_silv@reddit
I’m the opposite. I was scared to watch Labyrinth. I was scared of David Bowie.
PrivilegeCheckmate@reddit
Squash the Beef!
moopet@reddit
I think you need to chilly down.
pdx-peter@reddit
“Fever dream” is essentially correct. All of the primary action of the movie takes place in Sarah’s head. All the main characters and locations are drawn from objects in her room: dolls, games, statues, bookends, etc. Jareth, the seductive, dangerous manipulator, is Jeremy, the actor that Sarah’s mother left her father for. He offers the fulfillment of desires at the cost of family destruction. He saddles Sarah with responsibility for her half-brother, which she initially resents. The movie is a fantasy as she works through her feelings about her parents’ divorce, her mother’s choices, her new and unwelcome responsibilities, and her transition from childhood into adolescence. Also, there’s a little bit of Jareth/Jeremy is (from her perspective) a bad guy, but also a sexy (literal) mother fucker. It’s a bonkers movie for sure, but less so if you view it not as a depiction of objectively real events, and rather as a dreamlike kind of emotional work that Sarah undertakes to arrive at acceptance of the difficult changes in her life.
Old-Set78@reddit
lol spoiler alert for a 40 year old movie
DDlg72@reddit
The Bog of Eternal Stench!
Carolineintheciti@reddit
The farting noises were the most ridiculous and hilarious part of the movie 🥹
ORF1Live@reddit
It's a masterpiece and David Bowie is hot in it!
Carolineintheciti@reddit
dorritosncheetos@reddit
😬
Tennis_Proper@reddit
Saw it with friends as a teen, probably older than the intended audience, but we all loved it and quoted it for months afterwards. Calls of “Lluuuudoooo” were common among us.
Our kids liked it and played it regularly, and it was an obsession with our oldest grandkid a few years ago.
Awesome movie that seems to speak to kids in a way most don’t, a genuine classic.
Grobbekee@reddit
Smell baaad. Is what I said a lot afterwards.
ratsta@reddit
I still do, but I also used to.
chaosrulz0310@reddit
Saw it as a kid absolutely loved it then and still love it now.
Ha
bananamanapie@reddit
Pump your brakes bitch That movie is an absolute classic
Justdonedil@reddit
Love, Love, Love it.
The staircase at the end is an Escher Painting. The maze at the beginning is on his estate.
I watched it the first time IN Geometry class because my teacher was a huge Escher fan.
Jennifer Connely and David Bowie...... I mean really.
AreYouDoneNow@reddit
Yeah, so many elements of the story map back to little posters and trinkets you see in Sarah's room at the start of the film.
Five_String_Serenade@reddit
Um, that’s fucking cool. All of it.
Pmood@reddit
IDK but I want it pumped straight into my brain! Can you fucking imagine the glitter budget for this movie?!?
Less-Weekend8647@reddit
Saw it 32 years ago. Just watched it again with the woman of my dreams. Can safely say princesses do love goblins.
togetherwegrowstuff@reddit
I did, it was a favorite movie. So wild. Cool. Strange.
sysaphiswaits@reddit
I assume this is why my parents wouldn’t let me see it in the theater.
Sharp-Parfait1188@reddit
Yes! Pants, magic pants!
readingwritingreefer@reddit
The podcast “What Went Wrong” covered this exact question recently!
AtheistCarpenter@reddit
You remind me of the babe...
itslonelyinthevoid@reddit
What babe?
AtheistCarpenter@reddit
The babe with the power
LackOfStack@reddit
What power?
GennieP@reddit
The power of voodoo
redstapler4@reddit
Who do?
AlmostRosie@reddit
You do
AlmostRosie@reddit
Who do
Sea-Dish4364@reddit
You do.
notmyrealnamefromusa@reddit
Who do?
IxI_DUCK_IxI@reddit
You do
karatekate@reddit
Do what?
forthetrees28@reddit
Remind me of the babe!
warrenao@reddit
What power?
randombarbs@reddit
what power?
MsMisty888@reddit
After Watership Down, it was a fun, and regular movie for me.
Superb_Yak7074@reddit
Labyrinth was my daughter’s favorite movie, so we watched it many times during her childhood. She got an anatomically correct boy doll one year for Christmas and she named him Toby. She got a second ale doll and named him Ludo. Personally, I would have named one of them Gareth cause David Bowie was smoking hot in that movie. LOL
Five_String_Serenade@reddit
After reading several comments, it appears that I need to revisit just to check out some schlong. That part didn’t make it to my memory. Was it all Robert Planted out, or what?
trxxxtr@reddit
It's not really schlong. They put David Bowie in tights, and to avoid schlong, they had him wear a jock.
Sooo ... he has a fairly prominent bulge in the jock area. For the entire movie. The kids' puppet movie.
ThumbsUp2323@reddit
*codpiece
Five_String_Serenade@reddit
Schweet! I gotta rewatch!
Grobbekee@reddit
I saw it in 1986 with a school mate as a teen. I liked it and didn't think it was extra weird.
NephthysShadow@reddit
I was 6 when it came out and Mom was afraid it would scare me in theaters after the rather vocal response I had to Return to Oz, so I had to wait until it was on HBO when I was 12. And Mom was right the Fireys alone would've sent 6 year old me screaming from the theater, but its one of my favorite fever dreams.
kydi73@reddit
If you watched it at the right age, like around 12ish, you would find yourself in love with David Bowie for the rest of your life.
pdx-peter@reddit
There are many roads to lifelong Bowie love.
padall@reddit
No, he creeped me out. I've never understood why so many women were attracted to him.
_Lane_@reddit
Wait, women like him too??? Honestly thought it was just us gay men and straight guys.
kydi73@reddit
Well, your loss, at least you realise that you're in the minority.
iloveairportsushi@reddit
Can confirm
Eldritch-banana-3102@reddit
Yep. Same.
East_Vivian@reddit
I loved it as a kid/teen. Then saw it in my thirties and thought it was awful and didn’t hold up, then I watched it about a year ago and enjoyed the heck out of it. So, yeah. I love weird shit though.
Go watch The Apple (starring Catherine Mary Stewart from Night of the Comet and Nightflyers!) if you want to see some really questionable eighties weirdness. Also Nightflyers and Night of the Comet. I love Catherine Mary Stewart, what can I say?
Five_String_Serenade@reddit
I loved it back then. My favorites were when he sang to (or about?) the baby, and the Bog of Eternal Stench.
CawlinAlcarz@reddit
I watched it as a kid on VHS then again a couple months ago in the theater when it was released for the anniversary.
It was not particularly weirder than a lot of other films of its nature at the time.
The Dark Crystal, Goonies, Time Bandits, etc. were all quirky, creative, weird films of the 80s.
Sithstress_@reddit
Can’t forget The Adventures of Baron Munchausen!
CawlinAlcarz@reddit
I've never seen this and will add it to the list!
Sithstress_@reddit
It’s fun! Depressing, but fun. You know. Like the others 😂.
_sunshinelollipops@reddit
Can't forget Stand By Me. It was such a good movie but is a pretty dark and disturbing story looking back at it. 4 kids from dysfunctional families head out to find a dead body while trauma bonding over stories of horrific abuse.
CawlinAlcarz@reddit
I would put Stand By Me in a different category, but that is somewhat arbitrary.
Either way, it was a great movie.
Big_Statistician2566@reddit
You remind me of the babe (what babe?)
Babe with the power (what power?)
Power of voodoo (who do?)
You do (do what?)
Remind me of the babe
sageberrytree@reddit
I still sing this randomly! His codpiece is 😳
_Lane_@reddit
As we all should!
jcsnipes1969@reddit
I love Labyrinth even though it was just marketing campaign for David Bowie’s crotch.
_Lane_@reddit
Joke's on them -- I was already into his crotch as a baby gay teen BEFORE the movie came out.
MurderedRemains@reddit
Worth it for the codpiece alone really.
Mister_Brevity@reddit
The “David Bowie Area”
Awesomesince1973@reddit
It's such a fabulous movie! I love everything about it, including David Bowie's package. 😂😂😂😂😂.
It's a wild ride, but so, so, so good.
PMFSCV@reddit
Now watch The Hunger
standsure@reddit
I went and saw this movie every chance I could that summer holiday. It's aged beautifully.
Went back to school and got laughed at for liking the 'baby puppet movie'.
seeingeyegod@reddit
who ever said that is so cringe
standsure@reddit
Bet they're sorry now...
ThoughtIknewyouthen@reddit
Sorry, neither you NOR your husband had ever seen it? Such an odd GenX thing to say lol.
SushiGirlRC@reddit
I've not seen it. Older Gen-x. A lot of movies that get called Gen-x came out when I was already out of high school & working: Breakfast Club, Purple Rain, etc.
ThoughtIknewyouthen@reddit
Well I will admit I'm also remembering when my ex bought the VHS cassette so our kids could watch it. Pretty sure I've seen it upwards of 55 times.
CHNLNK@reddit
Watched it over and over as a kid and still watch it at least once a year and my kids now love it too!
JD_tubeguy@reddit
Never saw it thought you meant Pan's Labyrinth at first which is also trippy AF.
AntiSnoringDevice@reddit
Saw it and loved it!
Smithy365@reddit
This is one of my comfort movies. I watch the first half at least a handful of times a year.
Thumper13@reddit
Saw it, loved it. Watch it like once a year. It's weird and fantastic!
MotoXwolf@reddit
Saw it when i was a teenager. Loved it. Saw it a few years later on some good mushrooms. It was mind blowing for sure. I get what OP is saying about fever dream movie, but as a young kid growing up with Sid and Marty Krofft shows and the introduction of the Muppets and Fraggle Rock, it felt right. Also loved The Dark Crystal. Good stuff.
Puzzleheaded_Two7358@reddit
Labyrinth is an amazing movie. If you were this freaked out I really suggest Time Bandits be your next watch.
Imaginary-Bumblebee8@reddit
I was 14 years old and lost my damned mind. Still love it dearly to this day
ihavemytowel42@reddit
I was 9 the first time I saw it and rented it practically every weekend when it came out on VHS in my small hometown.
I love everything about this film. Sets, costumes, music… David Bowie. Brian Froud is an amazing artist and I’ve collected a number of his books.
anon2univ@reddit
One of my absolute favorite 80s flicks, but I have so many. Fell in love with Jennifer Connnelly and later admitted to myself the strong attraction I had to Bowie as well.
Still own the soundtrack on vinyl and multiple movie releases on dvd, Blu-ray, & 4k.
xocolatte@reddit
I got to see this as an anniversary release this year on the big screen. What a fucking treat. I have seen this movie a million times. Love it so much. The bird hat guy is my fave. And Bowie and Jennifer both broke open my childhood sexual awakening.
thepaintedballerina@reddit
If anyone is in vicinity of NYC or visiting there… the Museum of the Moving Image has a huuuuuge Henson exhibit, complete with costumes from Labryrinth.
I can neither confirm nor deny taking several photos of Jareth’a cod piece, I mean costume.
worrymon@reddit
Is that a permanent exhibit? I went a few years ago and loved it.
flippasefloppase@reddit
I saw this when I was like 3-4 and was traumatized, convinced myself I dreamt it. Years later I mentioned some details to a friend- a baby gets taken and is crawling on the ceiling, theres a sexy man wearing eyeliner and tights who has a floating crystal ball….and she said “omg that’s labyrinth, David Bowie.” And I haven’t been the same since 😂 I watch it every few years and can’t believe how it rearranged parts of my brain when I was so young.
earthican-earthican@reddit
This is hilarious, thank you 🤣
SadMud7637@reddit
This movie (and also dark crystal) gave me the worst nightmares! I still hate hate hate puppets to this day because of this crap
1block@reddit
Yep, those and the Watership Down cartoon.
rmhoman@reddit
Dark Crystal, saw it once as a child never, ever, ever again. Nightmares galore. This coming from a former child who at 11 years old would a chapter or two of IT before turning off the light and going to bed.
MeowMeowCollyer@reddit
We’ve ALL seen Labyrinth
Now you need to watch Time Bandits and The Dark Crystal
Szarn@reddit
Terry Gilliam double-feature of Time Bandits and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
Robin Williams as a gigantic detached head floating in space is like the pinnacle of coked out 80s wtf 🤌
xdarius@reddit
Also The Warriors!
cakevictim@reddit
Yes, that movie belongs in this alternate-reality discussion too, I love it
suddle@reddit
I was ten years old. David Bowie awoke something in me. I still love bleach blonde bad boys! 🥵
Extension-Rabbit3654@reddit
Oh my sweet summer child, all of the 80s movies were insane coke-fueled fever dreams
Neverending story, Dark Crystal, Terminator, Robocop, Legend, Krull, Star Wars
If you asked my grandparents about them theyd say they were made by druggies and hippies
Nancy Reagan really killed original with her war in drugs lmao
TrumpTheAntichrist@reddit
I see your Krull and raise you Beastmaster and Dragonslayer.
C-romero80@reddit
My kid loves the dark crystal and found a series. Its definitely... imaginative.
TallStarsMuse@reddit
I saw Labyrinth, Legend, and Dark Crystal all at around the same time. Somehow it was Legend that really stuck with me.
Sithstress_@reddit
This is actually my fav movie, I named my son after Bowie’s character.
mommacat94@reddit
You named your son Goblin King?
Sithstress_@reddit
Yeah, you got a problem with that? 😂🤣😂
Jknzboy@reddit
David Bowie’s crotch should have won the Best Actor Oscar that year, he was robbed! And yeah David Bowie should have won Best Supporting Actor as well.
Cynncat@reddit
Jknzboy@reddit
I would have let him juggle my balls
Disastrous-Exit7614@reddit
It qas great then and it's still great today. Great soundtrack and a good story with it just being a little scary for little kids.
jupitergal23@reddit
Hahhaha, I just watched it for the first time two weeks ago and had the same reaction.
Hubby saw it in theatres as a kid and he loved it.
The only thing I understood about the movie after watching it is why so many Xennial kids consider David Bowie their sexual awakening.
TrianglePope@reddit
Saw it when I was 10, maybe 11. Tipped me right over into a lifelong lust. I thought I’d easily trade in a whiny half-brother in exchange for Jareth! Also I kept wondering why Sarah didn’t just climb the damn walls.
HavingNotAttained@reddit
Not the Bog of Eternal Stench!
JaneReadsTruth@reddit
Remind me of the girl.
What girl?
The girl with the power.
What power?
Voodoo? Who do? You do! Do what?
Remind me of the girl...
truckerlivesmatter@reddit
The *babe
Active_Video_3898@reddit
I saw my baby Crying hard as babe could cry What could I do?
moreoftenthansum@reddit
One of my absolute favourites! Introduced my daughter to it when she was 7 & she became a Bowie super fan.
Admirable-Divide7731@reddit
Ditto and ditto (my kids LOVE that movie and Bowie)
Threefrogtreefrog@reddit
Me three! Bowie was the second artist my daughter could recognize on sight and by ear, his look and sound vary more than Willie Nelson’s.
truckerlivesmatter@reddit
Me too!
BizzyQueenBee@reddit
I saw this movie at my YMCA after school care! I didn’t realize how weird it was then. Same with Dark Crystal!
They also showed us a movie called Watchers in the Woods and that scared the shit out of me. I wouldn’t look out a window or in a mirror for weeks!!🤣
arothmanmusic@reddit
"The Watcher in the Woods" gave me nightmares for ages when I was a kid. I read the book it was based on eventually (different than the movie) but I never bothered with Melissa Joan Hart's remake of it.
BizzyQueenBee@reddit
I never knew that Clarissa remade it!
chickennuggysupreme@reddit
Watcher in the woods with Betty Davis, I believe. Man, that movie scared me when I was young. My wife and I can’t seem to find it for sale or streaming anywhere. Thought it would be cool to re-live that old ghost movie.
Lilpunkrkgrl@reddit
Yes, awesome movie! Also Return to Witch Mountain.
Alone-Tomorrow-6389@reddit
https://archive.org/details/the-watcher-in-the-woods-1980_202412
chickennuggysupreme@reddit
Thank you for this!!!!!
BizzyQueenBee@reddit
YES! I looked it up as an adult a while back and could not believe it was Disney!!
Astralglamour@reddit
The Lady in White, that 'have you ever seen a dream walking line' - still gives me chills.
ArugulaNuts@reddit
This is the best movie ever made in my opinion.
Zaphod1620@reddit
I loved it, I was 11 when it came out. I thought Sir Didymus and his mount Ambrosius were hilarious.
It was weird but there was al ot of weird shit for kids back then. Dark Crystal, Return To Oz, The Black Hole, The Secret Of NIMH,... there was lots of other stuff.
Lilpunkrkgrl@reddit
The Black Cauldron!
vantablalicious@reddit
Tally Ho!!!
Don’t forget Neverending Story
Self-Comprehensive@reddit
My grandma took me to see it when I was 12. Amazing movie, still a favorite.
BlacksmithNew4557@reddit
I literally thought about this movie the other day. I saw it several times as a kid and remember loving it, it was such an adventure. I remember thinking it was kinda weird, but also in awe.
Fast forward to 2020, I take my wife to a drive in to see this - she hated it, and it nearly ruined my memory of it. It certainly hasn’t aged well, it was such a bad experience watching it as an adult.
Never again.
ClockWeasel@reddit
Have you seen the 1985 live action Alice in Wonderland miniseries? 1984 Neverending Story? 1982 The Last Unicorn? We expected our fantasy to be scary-crazy to go with the intelligent writing and lovable characters
levianan@reddit
We all have. if you bring up The Last Unicorn in a new thread you will see the same adoration.
ClockWeasel@reddit
I would have expected all GenX to have been obsessed with at least one of these
Adorable_Bag_2611@reddit
My first step mom took us to see this 3 or 4 times in the theater. She loved movies & we saw a lot of them & many we saw more than once.
Seeing it on the big screen as an adult I understand her reasoning. And her crush on Bowie. (Well, the crush I always understood. I just didn’t realize my step mom & I had a crush on the same guy!)
Heathster249@reddit
hmmmmmm. the ‘80’s coke vibes.
mouse_attack@reddit
Yes! I took ALL my friends to see it for my 10th birthday.
What did I think? That David Bowie was the definition of sexy.
I watched it again in my 20s and cringed at the memory of my tween self salivating over those purple leggings, but whatcha gonna do?
The awakening happens how and when it happens.
Significant-Froyo-44@reddit
David Bowie’s codpiece should have had its own credit.
iloveairportsushi@reddit
I wonder where it is now???
zetagea@reddit
It's a classic
Dapper_Tap_9934@reddit
This movie is definitely a VIBE!
Tribe303@reddit
My ex wife used to rub one out to Bowie and his codpeice from this. 🍆
iloveairportsushi@reddit
Bowie and his teeth in this were what gave me a tooth fetish. Then he went and got them fixed dammit
SenseEuphoric5802@reddit
And we should warn you, one of us always tells the truth! And one of us always lies.
HistoricalTowel1127@reddit
Still love the movie and have yet to shake off my crush for Jennifer Connelly. Yum. Now she is old like us. Still yum.
New-Caterpillar6747@reddit
She's ageless. So beautiful.
cyberspaceChimp@reddit
Smelll!
kydi73@reddit
Bad!
Flaky_Web_2439@reddit
This movie has all the power over me!!!!!
The__Relentless@reddit
What power?
snyde21@reddit
The power of voodoo
The__Relentless@reddit
Who do?
AuntZilla@reddit
Do what?
Flaky_Web_2439@reddit
Do what?!
kydi73@reddit
Remind me of the babe
AuntZilla@reddit
Remind me of the babe!
Tibbiffinnys@reddit
Who do
Synsin01@reddit
My 4 year old daughter just saw this for the first time. She was a little weirded out at the fire gang scene, but couldn’t get enough of the movie for a few weeks.
SenseEuphoric5802@reddit
One of the best Jim Henson films. A classic.
goosebittentwiceshy@reddit
I was 10, and oh my goodness, my cousins sang “Dance Magic Dance” repeatedly after seeing it. Also, we all wanted to strangle the worm. Still to this day, my favorite part is the farting rocks 😂 and I will admit “you have no power over me” has come in handy multiple times as an adult.
CrazyButterfly11@reddit
I sing it to my dog most days! But she is The Babe With The Power!!
goosebittentwiceshy@reddit
The power of voodoo!
CrazyButterfly11@reddit
Who do??
WorshipHim9713@reddit
One of my absolute favorites. It’s a classic!
MiniPoodleLover@reddit
Naked lunch.
HistoricalTowel1127@reddit
Rub some bug powder on my lips Bill
AggressiveKing8314@reddit
I’m moving to the Interzone next month.
adrianhalo@reddit
I saw it at age 12 (Xennial here- so this was 1994) and it was kinda my sexual awakening lmao. Also, Jennifer Connelly is seriously underrated as an actress, on top of being fucking stunning. As for David Bowie…goddamn I miss him so much. “Dance Magic” is a brilliant example of puppetry + choreography too. Jim Henson was a genius.
Grouchy_Vet@reddit
Dance Magic was so fun.
That baby is in his 40’s!!
East-Garden-4557@reddit
That baby is now a puppeteer just like his parents who worked on the set of Labyrinth. He worked on the TV adaptation of The Dark Crystal that Netflix did a few years ago.
East-Garden-4557@reddit
One of my absolute favourite movies. I have watched it countless times, I can recite every line in the movie and every song lyric in perfect time. My kids have grown up watching it constantly, they all love it too. We recently all went to see it at the cinema for the 40th anniversary and everyone in the audience sung along to all the songs.
Electrical-Donut-854@reddit
The Labyrinth is one of my most favorite movies of all times!!!! I am such a fangirl of anything/everything from Jim Henson. I remember showing my grandma the dark crystal. She was schizophrenic by that time so it scared me that she felt we were very close, mentally, but now I would wear that as a badge of honor. In touch with my dicotomy. In touch with each side of my existence.... She was empathetic and gorgeous!!!! Such an amazing human being. I wish I could talk with her now.
lalacourtney@reddit
I like your gma! RIP gma 🩷
jetpack324@reddit
Weird but still great movie.
xenya@reddit
I loved this movie when it came out and still love it.
Bowie's penis should have had its own credit though, tbh.
jcsnipes1969@reddit
Pretty sure its screen name was Monty Python.
charliefoxtrot9@reddit
Goblin Fruit Salad
xenya@reddit
I was so uncomfortable when Hoggle was hugging his knees. lmao
Tired_o_Mods_BS@reddit
Have you seen The Dark Crystal? There was a time in in the mid 80s where the movies got crazy. Time Bandits. Krull. Legend.
Morningstroll13@reddit
The Last Unicorn, Ladyhawk, The Neverending Story, Beastmaster
General-Character842@reddit
Good lord, those were heartbreaking. The Last Unicorn was sad, but then you had an actual horse in The Neverending Story. There's the triuphant scene at the end, but I'm like... what about Artax?
Anonymoustard@reddit
Return to Oz
Independent_Baker712@reddit
Now do the dark crystal
Ok-Concert-6475@reddit
I thought it was great as a kid. I love it as an adult. And the soundtrack is stellar.
kivsemaj@reddit
That fucking bulge
Mike9797@reddit
It’s the star of the movie.
BraveLittleFrog@reddit
I loved it as a kid. Our kid loves it. It’s fun and the anti-materialism message is nice. Plus, I don’t know…a stranger danger reminder that creeps might be after teen girls? 😂
Pristine_Main_1224@reddit
It was AMAZING! If I ever have an Old English Sheepdog he will be named Merlin.
punkwalrus@reddit
Or Ambrosius.
Pristine_Main_1224@reddit
Obviously I really need TWO OES males!
Ribbitygirl@reddit
I watched it repeatedly as a kid, mostly because I was in love with David Bowie. My dad and I also had some really great meaningful conversations about the various moral lessons throughout - the bog of eternal stench, the junk lady, the firey gang - they all sparked some great conversations. I still love that film to this day!
VioletSmiles88@reddit
This, Willow and The Princess Bride were on rotation every school holidays when I was a kid.
mouse_attack@reddit
Let’s be best friends.
Supremelordbeefcake@reddit
I’m coming over too
EIO_tripletmom@reddit
Of course I watched it, it was on TV all the time.
judgeejudger@reddit
They were smoking absolutely everything
blackcurrents78@reddit
TOBY!!!!
federal_employee@reddit
Crazy stairs, a white owl, and hogwarts. JK Rowling must have been a fan.
GwonWitcha@reddit
Nggyuhh! It’s Hoggle!
niemesrw@reddit
I let / made my daughter watch it. She loved it. The other day she had one of her friends over (who had not seen it) and they were watching it. She’s 14!
Kestrel_Iolani@reddit
Parenting win!
Ok_Pitch5865@reddit
I love that movie. Watched it dozens of times as a kid. It truly is a wild kaleidoscope of cinema.
jimb575@reddit
Fun fact: the whole story is reveled in the first few minutes of the movie. Go back and watch it again. Every character and scene is in her bedroom…
Was it all just a dream…? 😊
clamdigger@reddit
The Princess Bride did the same bit a year later
HawthorneMama@reddit
My partner and I often say, “Don’t go that way! Never go that way!” The power of bad advice, cheerfully delivered 🌟
WhiteRabbitFox@reddit
Come inside, have a nice cup of tea, meet the missus.
Just_Me_79@reddit
Xennial here (79) and I grew up on this, the Dark Crystal & Legend, I still love them all, they’re simple and crazy and magic escapism. Jim Henson was a genius, and Brian Froud’s art and creature design is second to none!
kivsemaj@reddit
Yeah '79!
TryingToMakeItBruh@reddit
A classic!
Quadfather44@reddit
"You remind me of the babe, What babe? The babe with power! What power? The power of voodoo! Who do? Do what? Remind me of the babe"
Reverend_Tommy@reddit
🎵 I saw my baby, Crying hard as babe could cry...what could I do? 🎵
Excusemytootie@reddit
They took a very famous, very old folktale that’s been around forever and a day—-and gave it the muppet (Jim Henson) makeover. The story Jim tells is very, very different but I’m fairly certain that’s where is all started.
SamanthasPlace46@reddit
Saw as a kid and thought Magic was Amazing. And loved the goblin king. 80s had Magic in the Movies. Remember the The Golden Child ? Still watch them all. The Neverending Story. Dark Crystal. Legend.... These were the Times. And We Loved them All.
Virtual_Trouble1516@reddit
It's a bit of a trip. It is literally my wife's favorite movie. I didn't see it until I was in High School (born in '74) and was distracted by Jennifer Connelly.
ScarletCarsonRose@reddit
lol who wasn’t
Rosemary_Woodhouse@reddit
"You have no power over me."
I loved that movie and watched it over and over again as a kid. I thought the movie was a way for adults to tell kids that they don't have to listen to adults who hurt them. But then, "fever dream" does describe much of David Bowie.
BarbaraDoreen@reddit
Watched it MANY times as a kid , it was one of my faves !
lilspark112@reddit
My siblings and cousins rented it for movie night when it first came out.
My first impressions as a child:
I loved it - instant rewatchable favorite. Was already a big fan of Henson and Dark Crystal, muppets etc.
I was very intrigued by Jareth/Bowie. Didn’t know who Bowie was at the time and the gender-bending style had me convinced he was a woman for the first half of the movie. To be fair in the 80s I was also gender-confused regarding Michael Jackson (thought he was she) and the Bangles (thought they were he, because all the other hair bands were men). lol
I loved all the music
I thought Jennifer Connelly was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen
I especially loved: the “helping hands”; the hand juggling; ludo; the fireys; the worm
the bog of eternal stench was HILARIOUS and continued to be so for years of future rewatches
I thought baby Toby was annoying and stepmom was mean. Didn’t see Sarah as selfish in the least, from my child pov
I was entirely confused by the dynamic between Jareth and Sarah, as a child. Jareth was threatening, so why was he also seductive? Why was he acting like he was in love with her in some scenes while bullying her in others? And especially in the end, why did he say “love me, do as I say and I will be your slave” - what did that even mean, it didn’t make sense?
Many years later as an adult, and after a few destructive relationships, on rewatch i saw it in a completely different light. Sarah was a naive child, over-confident in the beginning; she falls under the spell of a seductive and manipulative man who upends her sheltered perspectives - she thinks she’s getting smarter and smarter as she navigates through his world, but it’s all an illusion to strip her of any of her own agency. He’s just power tripping over her and toying with her, trying to convince her it’s all for her own good. Just like an abusive partner or manipulative boss or cult leader. She only breaks the spell after she realizes: “you have no power over me.”
Tl;dr now I see the movie as a metaphor about leaving abusive relationships/situations.
NikiDeaf@reddit
I am in 100% agreement with you. Every single point you made is exactly what I would have said. I’ve been in a few abusive relationships (married a dude who was later diagnosed with NPD) and the points you made about the dynamic between Sarah and Jareth are spot on. I’m just sad that it took me so much longer to “break the spell” that guy had over me; I had a lot of self-loathing, so that made me a prime target for that type of dude (I refuse to call him a man since he’s never learned how accept responsibility for his own actions. No accountability, no adulthood, is my thoughts on this one.)
lilspark112@reddit
I had a similar reaction to the live action Where the Wild Things Are; though at the time I saw it, I was still inside that abusive relationship. It felt so much like a metaphor of living with someone with uncontrollable anger. I haven’t been able to rewatch that one.
splorp_evilbastard@reddit
Regarding The Bangles... Even more confusing for you might have been learning that one of the members was named 'Michael'.
TheNeonCrow@reddit
Perfect synopsis. Absolutely perfect
revmanda@reddit
Hahaha it’s still one of my favorite movies of all time. Your description is perfect, and describes so much from that era. I have seen it at least a dozen times and love it every time.
QuietParsnip@reddit
Saw it in the theatre as kids. We thought we were going to see Ferris Bueller but we either ended up in the wrong theatre or the film was switched. I was entranced, it was crazy and fantastic and totally right up my alley and I really identified with Sarah, she was so me! Yes, it was crazy and weird but we had a blast and I still love it so much. Funny enough, the fire gang didn't bother me, I mean, they were muppets, of course they can do wacky body part-removing dances. But what I call "Fetuses on sticks" really unnerved me. 😃
levianan@reddit
How about Artax? Just checking the age...
QuietParsnip@reddit
That is a pain of which we do not speak.
levianan@reddit
...
largos7289@reddit
It was nuts. I mean it's probably makes more sense drunk then it does sober but, there are worse movies out there.
PurfuitOfHappineff@reddit
You remind me of the babe.
rckblykitn14@reddit
What babe?
karatekate@reddit
The babe with the power
rckblykitn14@reddit
What power?
karatekate@reddit
The power of VOODOO!
rckblykitn14@reddit
Who do?
karatekate@reddit
You do
rckblykitn14@reddit
Do what?
PurfuitOfHappineff@reddit
Remind me of the babe
rckblykitn14@reddit
I can't begin to count how many times I've done this on reddit over the years and it never fails to amuse me. Cheers friend 🍻
itslonelyinthevoid@reddit
The babe with the power…
Independent-Wheel354@reddit
The babe with the power.
bradzero@reddit
The babe with the power
PsycDragon@reddit
You remind me of the babe...
disobedience-civilly@reddit
What babe?
ButYouGotTheClio@reddit
The babe with the power
Loud-Bee6673@reddit
What power?
PsycDragon@reddit
The power of voodoo.
HawthorneMama@reddit
Who do?
Chad_Hooper@reddit
You do!
tronassembled@reddit
DO WHAT
Chad_Hooper@reddit
I see the Goblin Chorus is right on cue!
Remind me of the babe!
PsycDragon@reddit
You do!
Mitsuman77@reddit
The power of viodoo
Glittering-Stuff-599@reddit
The power of VOODOO!
Faeillus@reddit
The power of Voodoo
No-Syrup-3746@reddit
The babe with the power!
Grouchy_Vet@reddit
My best friend and I went to see it in the theater. It was awesome- quirky and fun
tronassembled@reddit
YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME
Buffalippo@reddit
I was eleven in 1986 and to this day Labrynth is the one 80s movie that I haven't seen.
Should I watch it?
Stevie-Rae-5@reddit
It’s one of those that if you didn’t see it when you were younger then it wont live up to the hype.
caryn1477@reddit
Agree. It is one of my absolute favorites but I also first saw it when it came out. If you watch it now you're probably going to be like WTF
activelyresting@reddit
Yes. Go right now and watch it
LoveListenLetthem@reddit
My aunt introduced me to it as a kid and I watched it all the time. Still watch it now sometimes. Even have a labyrinth tattoo. I’ve always loved weird and it’s definitely weird! So good!
FewOwl5771@reddit
Next you need to watch Legend. Tom Cruise, notwithstanding, it's an incredible fever dream, just like Labyrinth.
Zaphod1620@reddit
And Krull.
smokythejoker@reddit
This ^^
CooperSTL@reddit
The movie co-stars David Bowies crotch.
Stevie-Rae-5@reddit
It really dominates every scene he’s in.
Recently did a first watch of it with my middle school aged kids and they were both like OH MY GOD. I’d heard the stories but nothing prepares you.
BlacksmithThink9494@reddit
Thats all I remember from watching it.
LadyNorbert@reddit
Loved it then, love it now. (And I have never used drugs.) It's absolute madness in its way, but a glorious madness.
caryn1477@reddit
My favorite!!
caryn1477@reddit
Um, I'm a young Gen X and this movie was everything when I was a kid. LOVE it. The movie. The soundtrack. Bowie. Everything. Love.
txtw@reddit
Watched it many times, came for Bowie, stayed for the rocks.
urbanhag@reddit
The rocks that farted when they stepped on them crossing through the Bog of Eternal Stench?
Zaphod1620@reddit
I laughed my ass off at Didymus and Ambrosious crossing those when I was a kid. "pbth pbth pbth pbth pbth"
IRingTwyce@reddit
Jennifer Connelly…Jesus, I had the biggest crush on her after Labyrinth.
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
Whaddya mean had? She's still one of the hottest women on the planet. That Geoffrey Chaucer is one lucky bastard, I tell ya.
levianan@reddit
Stop.
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
Drop.
Shut 'em down,
open up shop!
randombarbs@reddit
true, but.... her husband and depp's friendship....
levianan@reddit
Stop.
IRingTwyce@reddit
True true true. She's still a stunner. : drool emoji :
shackledtodesk@reddit
Wait until you watch the Dark Crystal.
levianan@reddit
We all saw the Dark Crystal.
im_dead_sirius@reddit
I didn't.
I finally tried as an adult, watching it online. Nope, hated the production and music, turned it off.
levianan@reddit
It was bad. Literally, bad. I think it was Henson's first full, like full, production film. I remembered it magically from Cinema, then watched it sometime in the 2000s. Of all, and every film here, which I can watch with the same eyes. The Dark Crystal just fell apart.
jungle4john@reddit
Cocaine, lots of cocaine.
I saw this in the theaters when I originally came out. I believe I've owned it of 3 or 4 formats through out my life. It's probably where my life long love of David Bowie started. Welcome.
Fun fact, Dr. Beverly Crusher herself, Gates McFadden, was the choreographer for the movie.
metricnv@reddit
Michael Moschen (pronounced like "motion") is thr contact juggler whose hands manipulate the balls in Labyrinth. https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/s/1lxo5KkCSl
Suspicious_Sundae931@reddit
He was great at juggling Jareth's balls!
readermom123@reddit
You should also check out the Dark Crystal and the Last Unicorn.
docdeathray@reddit
GeoHog713@reddit
It scares the shit out of me, seeing it in the theaters.
Between that giant orange monkey and Bowie's trouser snake..... Nightmares
DelvianSeek@reddit
Labyrinth is why I've had a crush on Jennifer Connelly since I was 13
SubBass49Tees@reddit
This is also my origin story, but I was 9 at the time. 🤣
aftrnoondelight@reddit
I think that’s when Paul Bettany fell for her too.
ktappe@reddit
And oddly, she's as pretty now as she was then. Vibes of Jane Seymour.
MattyHerv@reddit
Ah, the movie that made me bisexual
DevolvingSpud@reddit
It only had half that effect on me but I get you.
JackWylder@reddit
Jareth definitely raised a lot of questions for teens of that era
CrimsonMascaras@reddit
I remember they rolled out the tv vcr trolley into the school library ( next to the av room) for my primary school class to watch.. good times!
Dahrache@reddit
My first viewing was at school at the end of 6th grade. Was the start of a life long crush on David Bowie.
CrimsonMascaras@reddit
It was the start of my worship of Sir Didymus and his ferocious and brave steed 'Ambrosius!'
AnastasiaNo70@reddit
It’s on Tubi, and we also never saw it. In 86, my husband was a senior in high school and I was a sophomore. We saw it as a kid’s movie.
So we got high and watched it recently. It is a TRIP.
Ineffable2024@reddit
It's sooooo good!
ParkingTradition799@reddit
Love this film!! 'The bog of eternal stench thats what we called our sons room when he was a teenager!!
ParkingTradition799@reddit
Just remembered The Dark Crystal as well. So very very good! Watch the film the the series!
7figureipo@reddit
One word might suffice: *awesome*.
Labyrinth, Princess Bride, The Dark Crystal and The Neverending Story are *the* movies that absolutely defined my childhood.
As a child that feeling of awe, of shared despair when Artax drowned or Hoggle betrayed Sarah, and the giddy feeling of found power and resilience to overcome whatever obstacles they faced, was profoundly impactful for me. These movies are why I’m such a fantasy genre addicted today. I still love and watch them semi-regularly when I’m looking for a hit of nostalgia or comfort.
Mephisto40K@reddit
You left off Legend.
7figureipo@reddit
I didn’t forget it, it just wasn’t as impactful as the ones I listed were for me. And I actually made my kids watch it with me once. They weren’t impressed, as I was when I was their age. Younger than them the first time I saw it, actually. Perhaps that’s why.
levianan@reddit
Yep. They always forget poor Tim and his band of amazing.
Grndmasterflash@reddit
Don't forget Time Bandits!
levianan@reddit
This was a good reminder, Time Bandits was a thrill.
levianan@reddit
Did no one see Legend? FFS?
Hatdude1973@reddit
You forgot Krull
levianan@reddit
They always forget Krull.
newpthankstho@reddit
Absolutely love it on every level from childhood to now. One of my top 5 favs. It really isn’t all that fever dreamy when you consider the really old fairy tales and how insane they were before being dumbed down and overly sanitized.
Loud-Bee6673@reddit
I love this movie so watch. Now that I am an adult, it is more apparent how it really doesn’t make sense. Still love it.
Fantastic-Regular614@reddit
My grandpa would record movies for us and he recorded Labyrinth for us. We (5 kids) watched that movie so many times we could see the shadows of the movie that Grandpa recorded over in the background. I love Labyrinth.
Limp_Ice_3248@reddit
Mumble mumble mumble.....
vgaph@reddit
It was among my favorites as a child.
I also saw David Bowie live in concert in 1995 and 1997.
levianan@reddit
I guess I saw Floyd a few times but never Bowie. So, a little jealous there.
People are overthinking this flick. Way too much observations on the tight pants.
pirate_of_hole@reddit
I was obsessed with this as a kid. I liked it because it was a female protagonist that has an adventure. Adventure films are awesome and the weirdness and muppets made it an interesting watch. Did I like all of them? No. But it was a good film. Still holds up imo.
Zerocool_6687@reddit
I loved this shit… I was about 8 when in came out but I think i got heavier into it a couple years after this time when I got it on home video
IfICouldStay@reddit
A childhood staple.
Bushwazi@reddit
There is a VR mini golf game that has an 18 hole course for this movie. It’s wonderful.
bethiec1976@reddit
It’s one of my favorites from childhood! 😍and so began my love of David Bowie ❤️
Mysterious-Brain-639@reddit
My parents were very strict but for some reason we watched the craziest movies (in retrospect…at the time we thought they were awesome and still are). Labyrinth, time bandits, never ending story, dark crystal
Wickedwitch79@reddit
You just named some of the most awesome movies ever!
Mysterious-Brain-639@reddit
Right?
Alman54@reddit
I know a lot of people love this movie, but I saw it only once and didn't like it at all. I guess "hated it" would be more accurate.
Ever since my first viewing, I've never wanted to see it again.
levianan@reddit
The bog of stench whatever fart land did not age well at all. I can stand the rest.
Did you like the darkness of Legend (1985) or whatever from the period?
SergeantChic@reddit
Watched it many, many times as a kid, it was a favorite whenever my classroom had a movie day on Friday. Dark Crystal was the other Henson classic from that era.
PlumSome3101@reddit
My first Halloween as a mom my baby son and I went as Toby and Jareth. And the first dance song at my wedding was As The World Falls Down.
Sudden_Fix_1144@reddit
So at the time there was a lot of movies that were a bit far out.
Unlike now, where everything is cookie cutter and rehash
CrazyButterfly11@reddit
That is so true! Everything seems to be a remake!
DidelphisGinny@reddit
You are definitely in the minority. What the hell is wrong with you? Get off my lawn, ya grown-up. Ew.
levianan@reddit
You are bad and you should feel bad.
Dry-Drink-9297@reddit
I remember watching it at least 40 times in a years... I loved it.
Mostly because of Bowie.
PufferFishInTheFryer@reddit
One of my favorite movies
MaybePleasant1313@reddit
I was obsessed with this movie and watched it every day for years. I became similarly obsessed with Bowie. My parents were concerned. I have watched it as an adult and the there is a lot there to unpack. There are parts that make me a bit uncomfortable but mostly it is beautifully done 80’s goodness.
tragicsandwichblogs@reddit
I think it's one of those movies you have to see at the right point in your life. I saw it a bit too late, but I do still like the ball. It really does have a dream-like quality in its unreality.
mighty3mperor@reddit
I loved it as a kid when I saw it in the cinema. Went to see it last month at my local community run cinema in an eighties movie night, which gets rowdy, and it was a riot. One group cheered David Bowie's bulge every time it appeared. Something I, oddly, didn't pick up on first time around.
Commercial-Letter252@reddit
I watched it then and it was one of my favorite movies. I still watch it and it is still one of my favorites. Bowie was awesome.
seattlemh@reddit
I saw the movie when it came out. I was 10. It's been a favorite ever since.
IRingTwyce@reddit
Let's not neglect to mention the soundtrack. It's still awesome.
ea70266@reddit
Hunted down the album and still have it. Kiddo (grown) and i rewatch every year or so and frequently quote or break into songs. Love it!
CurlyCupcake1231@reddit
I barely remember watching this when I was a kid. I’m not even sure I finished it from being scared!
tarmgabbymommy79@reddit
Your imagination is more in tune as a child. Sorry you thought it was a fever dream lol
spargel_gesicht@reddit
I was junior high or early high school when I saw it. It was … well, let’s just say Bowie’s pants were an awakening for me.
Immediate_Many_2898@reddit
I loved that movie. My kids love that movie. Ludo ❤️
Honest-Layer9318@reddit
My kids do too and I was worried they wouldn’t because it’s a favorite of mine. Only person I know who didn’t like saw it as an adult after hearing everyone else hype it up. Can’t go into it with expectations just enjoy it for what it is.
BringBackHUAC@reddit
Watched at a sleepover when I was 10 or 11. We put it on again in the morning before everyone was even awake, and there were some girls who were quite annoyed when their parents came to pick them up lol. Much more entertaining than the weird apple bobbing and spaghetti brain setup they had in the basement (October birthday). Good times.
zabacam@reddit
Saw it in 86 in the theater - my Mom and Aunt took my younger cousin and I. I would have been almost 15. Loved it then - watched it with my wife in the early 2000’s - wasn’t her cup of tea. Tried to get my kids into it - they weren’t interested. Next weekend I’ll have the house to myself for 3 days - I may just watch Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and Legend for the fun of it!
fungusamongus8@reddit
legend !!!! ive been meaning to watch it
zabacam@reddit
Totally worth the time - do it! 😃
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
An admirable use of said free time.
Flimsy_Fee8449@reddit
I'm so glad my kids appreciate it.
nonotburton@reddit
It was a fantasy story about kidnapping a child to become the new goblin king/Prince. It's pretty bog standard fairy/changeling story.
With the awesome singing and performance of David Bowie. Please ignore the trobor three crotch shots of Mr Bowie.
It was hella fun as s kid, and possibly more fun as an adult.
ThisIsWhereULeaveMe@reddit
I watched it new times as a kid and it’s still one of my all-time favourite movies. It always makes me so nostalgic.
GNTKertRats@reddit
Loved it as a kid. I didn’t even know who David Bowie was.
ophymirage@reddit
I sure as hell did afterwards, though. ;) luckily it was his Blue Jean/Thin White Duke era, so he was even more extra gorgeous..
Mom should probably not have let me watch The Hunger at quite that early an age…
bluenoser613@reddit
The power of the babe!
mrsristretto@reddit
Which babe?
pneighthan@reddit
The babe with the power.
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
Wut powah?
7figureipo@reddit
Power of voodoo
LilyDaze10@reddit
Who do?
Three3Jane@reddit
The babe with the power!
warrenao@reddit
Great movie. Bowie.
In tights.
Nuff said.
newhappyrainbow@reddit
Did anyone escape this movie without a crush?
warrenao@reddit
All it did for me was ram it in deeper.
lifesshortgoplay@reddit
No, I don’t think so
smile_saurus@reddit
Loved it as a kid, still do now. I had no idea who David Bowie even was at the time.
Not recommended to have a Jennifer Connely marathon and watch Labyrinth followed by Requiem for a Dream
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
https://i.redd.it/qpqyp2a73e2h1.gif
StringAndPaperclips@reddit
Best plot summary of this movie I have ever seen.
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
I was giggling to myself like a crazy person for days after I saw it for the first time.
Suttree1971@reddit
Not everyone that has imagination is on drugs.
levianan@reddit
I think we all saw it. Minus you maybe?
wmnoe@reddit
saw it at a press screening that summer and had insta crush on Jennifer Connelly. Love that movie and watch it annually if not more often. Have the soundtrack too
EvilDan69@reddit
I saw this when I was a kid. Still love it, and had my daughter watch it.
walkingonlemons@reddit
Oh my, David Bowie and his bulge! 😍
rarelyapropos@reddit
https://i.redd.it/m67zecup6e2h1.gif
Pro_Ana_Online@reddit
I always make the joke that David Bowie's bulge actually deserved its own line in the credits.
ArmpitNoise@reddit
Never go that way!
goosebittentwiceshy@reddit
That would have taken her right to the castle!
supenguin@reddit
I didn't see it as a kid but was introduced to it in college and loved it.
Flippynuggets@reddit
Yeah I recently watched this again for the first time in many decades. While I can still appreciate the creativity, the whole thing just seems like crazy nonsense. Like the actual story is all over the place with random songs jammed in. I just felt a bit weird and cringe. That's sad I was never a huge fan as a kid anyway.
lifesshortgoplay@reddit
As a kid, this was magical and dreamy and a little bit scary. I already loved Henson’s puppets, so this was easy to love.
I watched it about a month ago in the cinema, for a 40 year anniversary screening. I loved it even MORE!
As a kid, I didn’t recognize the life lessons embedded in the story. As an adult I appreciate how themes of friendship, trust, perseverance, whimsy, and responsibility are presented in a fun and engaging way. And really, the puppetry is still something to marvel at!
GennieP@reddit
This movie is the perfect one to then say, "The 80s were wild." It was a kid's movie because OF COURSE it was a kid's movie. I remember watching it at a few sleepovers.
But could you imagine this being made today?! Absolutely not.
I still went to see it when it was in the theater for a week in like 2023.
GennieP@reddit
Oh! And a childhood friend went to Jennifer Connolly's school. We would all freak out/fangirl when she would mention seeing "Sarah" walking around.
pdxtee@reddit
I loooooove that movie. That’s when I started to listen to David Bowie & watch his videos. It’s quintessential 80s along with most of the Muppet movies, The Never Ending Story, & The Dark Crystal.
Quirky_Commission_56@reddit
I saw it in theaters with my best friend and both of our moms when I was 11 and she was 12 and we absolutely loved it!
Inner_Republic6810@reddit
Saw it age 20, when it came out. I’m still enraptured by Bowie’s performance. And I adore Ludo!
StringAndPaperclips@reddit
I named a pet Ludo after Labyrinth
Ruenin@reddit
Ludo friend!
jprennquist@reddit
My wife adores the movie. I have done a few re-watches of it with her and I appreciate the artistry. But I agree that it is pretty weird.
I like that they were trying to tell different kinds of stories. Somewhere around that time Henson had a series of folk tales that were told using live actors and muppets. I really liked those and I think I might appreciate a re-release of them and streaming them as an adult.
charliefoxtrot9@reddit
Loved it. It was the first movie I ever wanted to see from the preview.
Heavy_Spite2105@reddit
One of my favorite movies as a teenager! Bowie in those pants. The closeups of said pants. The best line in the movie is, "You have no power over me."
Queeby@reddit
I saw it in the theatre. Loved it and still. Introduced my kids to it. The worst part is that Jennifer Connelly hasn't aged and I have.
kevbayer@reddit
It's excellent. Saw it when it when it first came out (I was 9) and have loved it since. Introduced my kids to it as soon as I could.
Our youngest (24F) got the soundtrack on vinyl for my wife for Mother's Day this year
This movie and Dark Crystal were Muppet movies when there were no Muppet movies available.
NeedleworkerLow1100@reddit
Bowie and that codpiece.
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
... there's a gif for that, one of my all-time favorites (see my standalone post in this very thread).
rckblykitn14@reddit
Hahahhahahahahahha I knew exactly what it was before I even looked. That has to be my most-used gif EVER 😂
Three3Jane@reddit
David Bowie brought up some feelings in 15 year old me...
princessbubblgum@reddit
Now watch Time Bandits!
Slitheytove1031@reddit
I second this ! And then the Dark Crystal. And then The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
Labyrinth is just a drop of water in the Bog of Eternal Stench that is 80s Henson. Add a dash of Terry Gilliam to reallbget the party started.
CK_CoffeeCat@reddit
Very empowering to watch as a teen girl living through the 80s. >!“You have no power over me. [world shatters]”!<
Dark-Wolf-Angel@reddit
So true.
itslonelyinthevoid@reddit
I was 7 or 8 when I saw it. Whatever year it made it to HBO
PapaByrd75@reddit
Saw this at a drive in laying on the roof of my grand pa's station wagon couldnt stop looking into the wood line.... loved it.
thecrowtoldme@reddit
I thought it was so dreamy. But I was 9.
ContributionGood7351@reddit
I remember watching it on VHS in the 80s . I had to of been in the second or third grade at the time .
rckblykitn14@reddit
This movie was my gateway drug into David Bowie when I was like....idk, maybe 8 or 9. I still watch it a couple of times a year. I just watched it like 2 weeks ago.
567Anonymous@reddit
Loved it!! David Bowie was awesome!!
CSILalaAnn@reddit
I loved it as a kid! I still love it. So does my daughter.
Plastic-Sentence9429@reddit
My wife recalls it fondly, I've never seen it that I can recall (I was smoking a lot of stuff back then), but it's not high on my list to check out.
fungusamongus8@reddit
i saw it as a teen. rewatched it a month ago. it was some wierd ass shit
KatJen76@reddit
I absolutely loved this movie as a kid. I saw it in the theaters, in fact. It's always been a favorite. There was stuff in it that I knew I didn't understand but I liked the characters and the feel of it. As a teen, I picked up on the sort of sexual overtones, but as an adult I understood them more, how the movie is a metaphor for the journey to adulthood and how the Goblin King's final offer to Sarah meant to represent fantasy and pretend, which she successfully put in its place by turning to real life, without forgetting the lessons about friendship, loyalty and imagination she'd learned on her journey.
VerbosePlantain@reddit
They’re trying another one, I think.
Ruenin@reddit
NOOOOOOO!!!!
13maven@reddit
I wish they would leave it alone
ArtSlug@reddit
I remember it playing on a TV on a cart in the junior high art basically on a loops while we worked on clay whistles
13maven@reddit
I loved the final dance fever dream with her big 80s dress and hair with pearls dripping down….
Historical_Bath_9854@reddit
I love that movie then and now!
Ruenin@reddit
It's called "imagination". It used to be celebrated.
nakapozian@reddit
Saw it as a kid. 46 years old now, and still one of my favourite movies
Pure_Floyd_Smernitch@reddit
Smack that baby! Make him peeeeeeeeee!
gentle_sounds987@reddit
Dance the magic dance
GarionOrb@reddit
Saw it in theaters when it came out. I absolutely loved it and I watch it regularly to this day!
bee_keo@reddit
Same, loved it!
for many years would use the lying/truthful door logic puzzle to help me fall asleep instead of counting sheep
Otherwise-Knee-6461@reddit
Me too!! Favorite movie of all time!
Wraisted@reddit
My guess is cocaine and pcp
Feelin1972@reddit
Saw it in the theater at 13 years of age! I loved it, thought Bowie was the coolest, and Jennifer Connelly made a big impression on my young mind 😝
TheBroWhoLifts@reddit
Same. Core memory, and it holds up. What an adventure!
p8nt_junkie@reddit
Sarah
Own_Celebration5462@reddit
It’s my daughter’s favorite. She’s 27.
FREDICVSMAXIMVS@reddit
A large part of Jim Henson's genius was his totally demented sense of humor 😄
iamJestersCupcake@reddit
This is my favorite movie. I adore it. Ive shown my kids multiple times and they think im insane. But they know all the songs 🤣
Nervous-Visit-791@reddit
Loved it as a kid and love it as an adult. My kids even love it. We went and watched it in the theaters when it was re-released recently. Sure, it's weird and wacky, but a lot of 80s movies were.
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
I recently got to see it in theaters for the first time during rerelease! I also got to see it done with a live band a year or so ago for Labyrinth In Concert - SO much fun!!!
GeorginaNada@reddit
The old woman who loads the main character up with all her old possessions haunts me to this day.
ConsequenceFeeling96@reddit
Oh my gosh, yes!!! So terrifying! Being sucked back down into infantilizing crap. I truly shudder at this scene.
justimari@reddit
Me too. That freaked me out
pinkbev71@reddit
never cared for this one 🤷♀️
Novel_Librarian_6828@reddit
I think there is a straight line between Labyrinth (and Legend) and the Romantasy genre.
Bright_Owl5421@reddit
Its one of my favorites!
Accomplished_Sky_31@reddit
Absolute favourite movie ever! A masterpiece !
trelene@reddit
I definitely remember seeing it back in the day, and my only recollection of my thoughts are, "Bowie is hot." Don't remember it being an extreme of weirdness; the movie that comes to mind for that is probably "House", the 1985 movie with William Katt. Yes, greatest American hero William Katt, who I also think is pretty hot, but not in that movie.
Grigori_the_Lemur@reddit
Saw it at 17. It is beawesome!
Azipcoder@reddit
It’s a horror movie. Totally frightening as a child.
Dark-Wolf-Angel@reddit
It's one of my favorites. Saw it as a kid and now I fall asleep to it every night as I know it so well.
semper-gourmanda@reddit
that's the one where everyone figured out David Bowie should stick to making music
peptide2@reddit
Ya but that juggling of the sphere was pretty cool
Warhammer_619@reddit
Labyrinth is bat shit crazy, but it is one of my fav things
NacreousFink@reddit
It'stop to bottom whimsical. If this bugged you don't watch any Miyazaki.
Diocletion-Jones@reddit
The best way of learning what an oubliette is.
GarionOrb@reddit
It's the only reason I know what an oubliette is.
StOnEy333@reddit
Loved it as a kid. And between this and The Dark Crystal, it was just some regular Henson dark puppeteering magic that left you in awe.
indicus23@reddit
Heh, you should check out Return to Oz
NacreousFink@reddit
Or The Dark Crystal.
Billybong69420@reddit
David Bowie in spandex Scarred me.
Winterwynd@reddit
Loved it as a tween back then, still love it now.
BuckyRainbowCat@reddit
It's a GenX classic. I never saw it as a horny and impressionable teenager either, but for those of my friends who did, they report that it left them with, er, quite an impression and a lot of sweaty dreams, mostly of David Bowie's package. Watching it only as an adult though, I don't think it holds quite the same appeal.
ahjumma-with-cats@reddit
Loved it as a kid. Didn’t notice David Bowie’s bad wig or crotch. Thought Sara was the prettiest; did not notice she was acting! My kid liked it, too. As an adult, I find it slow.
beneficialmirror13@reddit
Loved it as a kid in the 80s and still love it now.
Gardnerat3rd@reddit
I don’t know what they were smoking when they made it, but I know what I was smoking in my late teens, early twenties. Great late night movie!
BlueGreenTrails@reddit
I loved it then and now!
GoldenMonkeyRedux@reddit
I dug it as a kid. Tried to show it to mine when she was maybe 8. We lasted 15 minutes. Even though she loves Bowie. Just hyper weird. and a bit too intense for the little ones, perhaps.
It's absolutely wild.
Illustrious-Fun-549@reddit
It was magical...
The-0mega-Man@reddit
Craziest? You two need to get out more.
paintedflags@reddit
Awesome. Informed a lot of notions and ideas I had about the world.