Labyrinth

Episode 196: Labyrinth (1986)

Theme: Musicians in Movies Month
Hosts: Oz & Curtis

This week, Oz and Curtis tumble headfirst into Labyrinth — a movie marriage of The Maze Runner + Crank Yankers + The NeverEnding Story with a pinch of The Man Who Fell to Earth and a big ol’ handful of Phantasm. It’s Jim Henson puppetry, David Bowie glam sorcery, Jennifer Connelly’s drama-club energy, and the most 1986 dream logic imaginable. Goblins gossip, peaches drug you, fox-knights guard fart swamps, and Bowie’s wardrobe defies both gravity and polite society. It’s a cult classic that’s weird, whimsical, unsettling, and absolutely unforgettable (especially if you noticed that costume detail your spouse insists you look for).

Join your two favorite “is this children’s entertainment?” podcasters as they follow:

• Sarah’s Shakespeare-by-way-of-suburban-teen angst as she wishes her baby brother into goblin indentured servitude.

• Jareth the Goblin King — equal parts glam icon, villain, seducer, and guy who definitely shows up on at least one watchlist.

• Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, and a dog who deserved way more screen time than his puppet double.

• The Bog of Eternal Stench, the Fire Gang, the Helping Hands, and every other strange fever-dream obstacle Jim Henson threw at kids in the ’80s.

• The iconic Escher-room showdown, where gravity goes on break and Bowie sings at a baby glued to a wall.

From digital owls to detaching heads to magical crystal-ball juggling done by a guy hiding behind Bowie, Oz and Curtis unpack a film that’s equal parts chaos, charm, nightmare fuel, and pure Henson magic.

Final Verdict

Oz — 13 Sleepy Peaches
Curtis — 68 Farting Swamps
Both — Convinced every goblin is just an unclaimed child Jareth collected over the years… and deeply unsettled by that realization.