Originally released from Allied Artists Pictures Corporation, 1953’s The Maze is a spine-tingling thriller that has the distinction of being the last film directed by William Cameron Menzies (Things to Come). This in-your-face (sometimes literally given the movie’s mastery of 3-D effects) chiller follows young Gerald (Richard Carlson) as he learns that he has inherited his ancestral castle in the Scottish highlands. Suddenly and mysteriously fleeing there after breaking off his engagement to the beautiful and kind Kitty (Veronica Hurst), he is thrust into a mystery that will shape both of their destinies. Overwhelmed by grief and desperately wanting to know why her ex-fiancé broke things off, Kitty travels to Gerald’s new home in Scotland with her supportive aunt…only to find that her lover is almost unrecognizable and that things are most definitely not what they seem.
To reveal anymore of the film’s plot would be to give away its various surprises, the main one of which is still a stunner to this day.
Newly Restored in 3-D by the 3-D Film Archive from 4K scans by Paramount Pictures Archives, KL Studio Classics has recently issued a new Blu-ray of the film that makes it look and sound better than ever. (A 2-D version is also available on DVD). The Blu-ray’s special features are as follows:
Interview with Star Veronica Hurst
Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tom Weaver
Restored three-channel stereophonic sound by Eckhard Büttner
Original 3-D Trailer
Reversible Art
Allow yourself to get lost in The Maze, and experience a 3-D thrillfest unlike no other.