Labyrinth. Just the name conjures images of billowing shirts, gravity-defying hair, and a certain Goblin King with captivating eyes. For many, like myself and my sister, Harriet, the introduction to this 1986 fantasy classic was a formative experience. Our babysitter, Imogen from Norway, first unveiled the magic of Labyrinth to us, instantly turning us into devotees of David Bowie’s theatrical Goblin King, Jareth. Decades later, the film’s charm remains potent, prompting Harriet and I to revisit this beloved movie and dissect its enduring appeal. We dove back into the labyrinth, and what we found was a testament to its whimsical wonder and surprisingly complex layers.
Imogen from Norway showed us Labyrinth for the first time, sparking a lifelong fascination with the Goblin King and his magical realm.
Recently, I proposed an hour-long Labyrinth deep-dive to Harriet. Ever the organized one, she carved out time in her busy schedule. We both re-watched the movie, armed with modern 4K screens and nostalgic anticipation, ready to unravel the magic once more. Our subsequent call was a flurry of observations, ranging from costume details to thematic interpretations.
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Olivia and Harriet re-watched Labyrinth in 4k, rediscovering details like Jareth's yellow eyeshadow and lipstick in the final scenes.
Olivia: So Harriet, what sparked your interest in revisiting Labyrinth today?
Harriet: You texted, “please do this,” and conveniently, I had some free time.
O: And your thoughts?
H: [Displays extensive notes on her phone] I’ve documented observations throughout the entire movie.
O: I took notes initially, but yours seem far more comprehensive!
H: My last note was about Jareth’s “yellow and gray eyeshadow with a yellow lip as a look” in the final scene. Banana-colored lipstick, no less.
O: Banana lipstick? I think you might be exaggerating.
H: It was yellow lipstick, coordinating perfectly with his eyeshadow!
O: I might need to re-examine that detail.
H: Watching it in 4K on our massive TV definitely enhances the visual nuances.
O: True. Was your first note perhaps, “Sarah’s cosplay in the park is incredibly relatable?”
H: Actually, it was, “Sarah lives in a mansion!”
O: Yes!
H: And her mother was an actress!
O: Precisely!
H: It just clicked for me this time. The cosplay now makes perfect sense. She’s not just a random nerd; it’s in her DNA.
🕰 Enter the Goblin King’s Realm
H: Watching Labyrinth immediately after reading Midnight Sun [from the Twilight series] is quite an experience.
O: [Muffled screaming sound] Indeed!
H: Both narratives feature a dramatic, eccentric, and ancient mythical man fixated on a teenage girl. Jareth is undeniably captivated by Sarah. It’s hard to interpret it any other way. And his prior actions are unclear. He’s clearly chosen Sarah from the start. Yet, she doesn’t seem surprised by his appearance?
O: I think we’re meant to suspend disbelief initially to swiftly move past the “Whoa, what’s happening?” phase.
H: There’s no “Who are you?” It’s just, “Ah yes, Jareth.”
O: “Oh, Jareth!”
H: “Hello Jareth, welcome!” …And his name is Jareth.
O: And he seems genuinely thrilled to have human interaction. He’s practically desperate. He almost smiles when he appears, then quickly corrects himself to deliver his dramatic pronouncements. He’s likely just happy to escape the goblins and chickens. They clearly don’t appreciate his humor!
H: Honestly, I think David Bowie aspired to be on the Muppet Show, but scheduling conflicted, so they created a movie instead.
O: I’d argue this is superior. A Muppet Show appearance would be fun, but a full movie, with original songs by Bowie, is far better.
David Bowie as Jareth, the Goblin King, in a scene highlighting his dramatic presence and costume.
🕯 The Iconic Ballroom Dress
O: I think, culturally, we’re conditioned to desire a ‘Mysterious Ballroom Moment.’
H: You know how French cuisine has five mother sauces? Well, there are three mother dresses in cinematic ballgowns. The Labyrinth dress [link to Labyrinth dress scene], Elizabeth Swann’s dress from Pirates of the Caribbean [link to Pirates dress image], and Anastasia’s purple gown [link to Anastasia dress scene].
O: The Anastasia purple dress, absolutely iconic. The Pirates of the Caribbean dress, I’d almost forgotten.
H: It’s a strong contender.
O: You’re right. Trying to recall other memorable dresses… but Anastasia’s might just be the ultimate.
H: Sarah’s entire wardrobe is enviable, though.
O: Indeed, poet sleeves and waistcoats for everyone!
H: I’m tempted to incorporate that aesthetic into my teaching attire. Imagine introducing Shakespeare to my senior class in a Labyrinth-inspired outfit.
✨ The Ubiquitous Glitter
H: [Referring to the set design] When I was younger, I assumed the glistening was from rain. Incorrect! Everything is clearly coated in glitter, as if it’s constantly shedding from Jareth’s cloak as he traverses the labyrinth.
O: I always thought it was snail slime! It was a minor epiphany re-watching it – the sheer volume of glitter used.
H: The oubliette cobwebs have glitter, the candles, the walls, fallen logs – all glitter-dusted. It’s simply Jareth-glitter fallout, not intentional magic.
O: He just…sheds glitter. Also, oubliette. I want a black dog named Oubliette now. Perfect name.
H: ‘Forgotten,’ the dog!
O: “Oubliette!” shouted across the dog park! He could wear a little bow!
H: Ooblie.
O: Little Ooblie.
🔮 The Dream-Showing Crystal
O: The crystal that “shows your dreams?”… not particularly appealing.
H: Was that his offer?
O: Yes, Jareth presents the crystal, proclaiming, “This will show you your dreams.” Thanks, but no thanks?
H: I was distracted realizing that it’s not David Bowie’s arm doing that wavy motion [mimics wavy motion].
O: Wait, what?
H: Why else the massive cloak every time? It’s clearly someone else’s hand doing the wavy crystal movements; it looks so silly!
O: That’s funny, I did briefly wonder about the crystal ball rolling the first time I saw it.
H: He could manage small movements, but not sustained, performance-level contact juggling while acting.
O: I assumed David Bowie, being David Bowie, would have dedicated himself to mastering… whatever that’s called.
H: Contact juggling.
O: Contact juggling.
H: Contact juggling.
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⏳ The Lost Art of Frightening Children
O: I genuinely feel children’s movies today avoid genuinely scaring kids, unlike older films. And they should!
H: [Pauses] I want to argue, but… no, you’re right. I’m thinking of shows like Over the Garden Wall and Gravity Falls. They embrace creepiness. Kids handle creepy well. [Pause] And I really want to know what the baby in the “Magic Dance” scene experienced, surrounded by those bizarre muppets. Babies lack filming context. One day, that baby was just in a room full of the strangest looking creatures imaginable.
O: Imagine if that child grew up unaware of their movie role, just plagued by inexplicable, recurring goblin nightmares. But films like Labyrinth, The NeverEnding Story, and… I can’t recall others right now, share a ‘Twilight in Fantasyland’ vibe.
H: [Return to Oz](link to Return to Oz trailer], the darker Wizard of Oz sequel.
O: Yes! Weirdly quiet, unsettling, with upside-down stairs, pyramids, perpetual twilight.
H: Fog machines, cobwebs, endless forests.
O: But devoid of anyone sensible. No adult figures to make sense of it all.
H: And distinctly fake rocks, orangey painted skies, like the goblin castle reveal and the Labyrinth itself. Reminds me of low-budget Greek myth videos we watched in Latin class. Straight-to-TV quality.
O: Oh my god, yes! And vaguely related, the Encarta ’95 cover. Remember Encarta ’95, Harriet?
H: Sounds familiar.
O: Look it up. ‘Encarta ‘95 CD ROM.’
The Encarta '95 CD-ROM cover, evoking a similar unsettling, high-concept, low-budget aesthetic.
H: [Googles image] Oh. Vaguely familiar. But less central to my childhood than yours.
O: I’d use the computer just to browse ‘the encyclopedia.’
H: High concept, low budget aesthetic, for sure.
O: A creepy emptiness. And… statues? Hard to articulate.
H: Yeah, I get the vibe.
O: A mood board would clarify it. You’d grasp the concept without defining it.
🪨 Absurd Rock Ramblings
O: Big rolling rocks. Where are they in modern Hollywood? What’s the 2020s equivalent of the big rolling rock peril?
H: [Long, convoluted monologue about rolling rocks in cinema] … ‘Big rolling rock’ peaked with Indiana Jones, now every rolling rock scene feels derivative… No space for ‘big rolling rock’ in current films… studios are too controlling… No one dares use big rolling rocks… No bravery to incorporate big rolling rocks into introspective dramas.
O: [Eventually] None of that makes any sense.
H: I just want to see Timothy Chalamet crushed by a big rolling rock, but Hollywood lacks the courage.
O: No more train track tie-ins either. Watching the rolling rocks, I thought, “A big rock rolling!” Pure, visceral peril, person versus object. Humanity against a rock.
H: Man versus god, man versus nature, man versus rock.
O: …I’m probably cutting this entire section.
H: Yeah, it’s useless.
👀 Reimagining Jareth in 2023
H: Who would you cast as Jareth in an inevitable Goblin King prequel?
O: Okay, 2023 casting. Musician, definitely. [Pause] Ugh, my brain defaults to Matty Healy, which is horrifying. Absolutely not Matty Healy. We cannot allow that. Quick Google search, ‘musician men, 2023.’
H: We know who it definitely can’t be.
O: Harry Styles.
H: Not Ed Sheeran, not Harry Styles. Ed Sheeran lacks the presence, and Harry Styles is not an actor.
O: Harry Styles would be enthusiastic, but utterly incapable. We need someone mainstream yet indie-adjacent.
H: Hozier, perhaps?
O: What?… Okay.
H: Tall, long hair… he has a goblin-esque quality.
O: I… don’t hate that. Or! Hear me out: St. Vincent? She collaborated with David Bowie, I’m sure.
H: St. Vincent as the Goblin King… I can see it.
O: She’d be my top choice. No, Hozier is good too. Who’s a… freak? [Googling] ‘men who are freaks, 2023.’
H: Sufjan Stevens.
O: Too gentle. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver would be a perpetually sad Jareth.
H: Brendon Urie might have worked at one point, but—
O: OH NO! He’d be like [high-pitched] yaaaaaaa! The songs! [Singing loudly] EVERYBODY IN THE LABYRINTH, CLAP YOUR HANDS! EVERYBODY IN THE LABYRINTH, GET DOWN TONIGHT! Awful. [Defeated pause] Okay, maybe Hozier is best. People can suggest their own choices.
✨ WHO WOULD YOU CAST AS JARETH IN A 2023 GOBLIN KING PREQUEL?
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👨🏻🎤 The Goblin King’s Lore
H: I fully believe Jareth is at least a thousand years old.
O: Really?
H: Ancient. But time probably operates differently for him.
O: Are all his goblins… stolen babies?
H: Not babies compared to other goblins. Are they castle residents or his court? Goblin nobility? Goblin babies likely exist, but his immediate goblins aren’t infants.
O: [Laughing] No, are all goblins originally stolen babies, transformed?
H: Ohhhhhhh, I see.
O: Not just ‘are these goblins baby goblins right now?’
H: I think baby-stealing is infrequent now, belief in the Goblin King has waned. No goblin-babies since the late 1800s, early 1900s.
O: Yes, Sarah seems to be the last person engaging with the Goblin King. He’s probably thrilled by her attention, anticipating her brother-wish so he can lure her into the Labyrinth and finally have some interaction. Good for him, in a way.
H: But he also tries to deter her from the Labyrinth.
O: Does he? He seems to want her to enter it, initially.
H: He’s worried about human connection, rejection, seeming odd after centuries of goblin company.
O: Totally. Poor Jareth! But what about the ballroom guests?
H: Fantasy figures, his fantasy of companionship.
O: Oh no, he’s lonely!
H: Or theory: the ballroom is the goblin court as it appeared centuries ago. Jareth will eventually become a goblin himself.
O: Through aging?
H: Yes.
O: He’s the last of the original Goblin Court.
H: Exactly.
O: Beauty and the Beast scenario? He needs Sarah to become his bride to avoid goblin transformation?
H: Or to trigger goblin transformation?
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