Dave Made a Maze 2017

As Dave’s girlfriend Annie departs for the weekend, he immerses himself in his latest artistic endeavor, driven by an insatiable creative fervor. Despite a history of abandoning projects before completion and relying on his parents’ financial support, Dave has reached a breakthrough, meticulously constructing a cardboard fortress from the center outwards. When Annie returns, she’s astonished to discover the finished product: a seemingly ordinary fort that belies its extraordinary properties. As she gingerly shakes the exterior, the cacophony of sounds and machinery emanating from within piques her curiosity.

Annie confides in Gordon, who summons their circle of friends - Leonard, Brynn, Greg, Jane, and Harry, an intrepid filmmaker accompanied by his boom operator and cameraman. The impromptu gathering also includes a hobo, recruited for his alleged expertise on cardboard, as well as two Flemish tourists, whose presence is as unexpected as it is intriguing. As the group converges on the apartment, Leonard’s initial excitement is short-lived when he realizes they won’t be able to enter the fort. Harry, meanwhile, sees an opportunity to capture Annie’s genuine emotions for a documentary and, upon sensing her deep affection for Dave, decides to join the others in exploring the labyrinth.

As they venture deeper into the maze, Annie, Gordon, Harry, and his crew discover a world of surreal wonder and supernatural occurrences. They traverse rooms filled with living origami birds and other fantastical creatures, their initial awe gradually giving way to a profound understanding of Dave’s masterpiece. Meanwhile, Leonard trails the group from afar, while the Flemish tourists appear content in their own little world, picnicking amidst the cardboard wonders.

As the group navigates the increasingly treacherous labyrinth, they stumble upon Jane, whose untimely demise at the hands of an ax-wielding Minotaur results in a bizarre and confetti-filled finale. Meanwhile, Greg’s ill-fated attempt to disable a trap leads him to a gruesome fate, leaving his companions to discover that his body has vanished into thin air. Gordon’s keen mind deduces that the Minotaur is responsible for the disappearance, sparking a chain of events that reveals the maze’s sinister secrets.

As they delve deeper into the heart of the labyrinth, Annie’s resourcefulness and determination lead her to uncover the truth: the maze is alive, its walls pulsing with an otherworldly energy. The group’s shock gives way to terror when the Minotaur claims Brynn as its latest victim, leaving them reeling in grief.

Their quest for survival takes a strange turn when they encounter Dave, whose cryptic warnings and eerie revelations only add to the mystery surrounding the maze. As they navigate the ever-shifting landscape of twists and turns, they stumble upon Dave’s own peculiar affliction: his hand has transformed into a cardboard construct, a bizarre side effect of his earlier experimentation with the labyrinth’s hidden vulnerabilities.

As tensions rise and the stakes grow higher, the group becomes convinced that their only hope for escape lies in attacking the maze at its very core. Dave’s reluctance to confront the heart of the labyrinth is tempered by Annie’s unwavering determination, and together they uncover a surreal and disturbing secret: a cardboard puppet version of Brynn, doomed to repeat an endless cycle of begging for high fives.

Meanwhile, Gordon, Harry, and their crew find themselves entranced by the puppet’s antics, unwittingly distracted from the true nature of their surroundings. As Dave and Annie make their way towards the heart of the maze, they stumble upon a strange, zoetrope-like construct that seems to embody the very essence of the labyrinth.

Their progress sparks a series of surreal and terrifying events: the fake Brynn puppet gives rise to a demonic hand that drags the cameraman away, leaving behind a trail of chaos. As Harry desperately clings to the bag of tapes, he finds himself at the mercy of the maze’s capricious whims. In the midst of this madness, the group is forced to confront the true nature of their predicament: they are trapped in a living, breathing labyrinth, with no escape from its grasp unless they can unravel its secrets and outsmart its deadly traps.

As the group reassembles, Gordon takes the initiative, masterfully diverting the Minotaur’s attention and allowing the others to regroup. Meanwhile, Leonard falls victim to a gruesome demise, his life cut short by the seemingly harmless cardboard saw blades. With the Minotaur temporarily occupied, Dave, Annie, Harry, and the boom operator spring into action, carefully positioning themselves around the heart of the labyrinth. Armed with a razor-sharp katana, they strike the final blow, causing the walls to crumble and the entire maze to come crashing down around them. As the dust settles, the group finds themselves back in their apartment, surrounded by the remnants of their cardboard creations. Harry turns his attention to Gordon, tasking him with the somber responsibility of notifying the families of those who did not survive. Dave, meanwhile, is preoccupied with brainstorming a title for their documentary, prompting a sarcastic suggestion from Annie that they dub it “Dave Made a Maze,” despite Gordon’s insistence that their creation was, in fact, a labyrinth.

As they finish cleaning up the last of the cardboard debris and toss it into the dumpster, Dave and Annie fail to notice the Minotaur emerging from the wreckage, accompanied by an origami bird. The beast walks away with an enigmatic “I Love You” sign, leaving the group to ponder the surreal nature of their adventure.