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<blockquote>I made this game in October of '04 for Halloween and sent it to a few of my friends in an email. About 5 months later, someone had sent the same email back to my mother! It had turned into a viral email joke. I was very flattered and figured I should make a website for all the stupid prank games I've made.
<!---- Featured Article: October 2019 --->
{{#seo:
|keywords=scary maze game, Winterrowd, Scary maze, The Maze, The Maze Game, Exorcist maze game, Maze Game, Scary Maze Game, Scary Maze HTML5, Maze Game screamer, Regan MacNeil, The Exorcist
}}
{{Featured}}
{{Deleted}}
{{Infobox Game
|title = The Maze
|image = The Maze.jpg|
|imagecaption = The level before screamer.
|maker = [[Jeremy Winterrowd]]
|type = Flash game
|date = October 2004
|platform = [[Winterrowd.com]] (Bloggits)
|written in = Flash
}}
{{Quote|I made this game in October of '04 for Halloween and sent it to a few of my friends in an email. About 5 months later, someone had sent the same email back to my mother! It had turned into a viral email joke. I was very flattered and figured I should make a [[Winterrowd.com|website for all the stupid prank games I've made.]]|[[Jeremy Winterrowd]]<ref>Winterrowd responding to a question on Yahoo Answers http://web.archive.org/web/20191207130448/https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080810043147AA2Ssol</ref>}}
'''The Maze''', also known as the '''Scary Maze Game''', is an infamous internet Flash [[screamer]] created in October 2004 by game developer and programmer [[Jeremy Winterrowd]], originally posted to his personal website "[[Winterrowd.com]]".


This Flash prank disguises itself as a simple maze game in which the player has to utilize their mouse cursor to move a small dot through the maze. At the start screen, there is a note informing the player that the objective of the game is to pass through all four levels, and the player cannot touch the walls; however, there are only three levels in the game. The game also explains that it is best with the volume on, but there's no sound in any part of the game.


-Jeremy Winterrowd<ref>Winterrowd responding to a question on Yahoo Answers https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080810043147AA2Ssol</ref>
==Gameplay==
</blockquote>
The first two levels are easy to complete. But as the third level is reached, the walls begin to shrink and have sharp turns, making it difficult to avoid touching them. This usually makes the player concentrate on the screen. Then, near the first curve to the left of the maze sharp part (The game also knows if the player is cheating; if they use right-click), a close-up image of [[Regan MacNeil]] (the possessed character portrayed by [[wikipedia:Linda Blair|Linda Blair]]) from the 1973 supernatural horror film ''[[wikipedia:The Exorcist|The Exorcist]]'' pops up along with a loud, distorted scream that plays twice, scaring the player.


{{TocDefault}}
The game was uploaded to Jeremy's now-defunct personal website, Winterrowd.com in 2005. The original version of the game had some slight differences in colors, where orange/yellow with alternative text was used instead of cyan. There's an alternative version of the game that is used in the comedy television series ''[[America's Funniest Home Videos]]'', where Regan at the end is replaced with the one from [[What's Wrong?]],<ref>youtu.be/kZKZa9bwhnA?t=30</ref> due to concerns regarding copyrighted content.


{{Infobox|Box title = The Maze|Image file = The_Maze.jpg|Image size = 180x141|Row 1 title = |Row 1 info = |Row 2 title = |Row 2 info = |Row 3 title = |Row 3 info = |image = File:The_Maze.jpg|Row 4 title = |Row 4 info = |title = The Maze|imagecaption = The infamous third level of The Maze.|first = |second = |third = |maker = Jeremy Winterrowd|date = October 2004|type = Flash game|language = {{English}}|country = {{USA}}}}
== Reactions ==
{{Main|Reaction videos}}
[[File:Reaction.png|thumb|left|220x220px|Justice playing The Maze, one of the famous screamers.]]
Many people have posted videos of other people reacting to the game. The first [https://odysee.com/@screamreuploads:e/chad-pranks-his-stepson-justice:2 reaction video] on YouTube was uploaded by OUTLAW713, on February 21, 2006.<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20070306004420/https://youtube.com/watch?v=Bvv7MBZk_f4</ref> In the [[reaction video]], a young kid, ''Justice'', is playing the maze. Then, he is surprised by the screamer. Shocked, he starts screaming and repeatedly hitting the computer screen. He then runs to his stepdad, Chad, and starts crying. The original video and channel were terminated or taken down sometime in 2009, however, some reuploads had over 27 million views.
The most viewed Maze Game video was uploaded by YouTube user nalts and has accumulated over 43 million views as of October 2017. However, the video was removed due to the channel's termination.


'''<font color="Cyan">The Maze</font>''' , more commonly known as the '''Scary Maze Game''', is a Flash game created in 2004. It was made by game developer [[Jeremy Winterrowd]].
===Level 4===
[[File:Level4.jpg|thumb|One of the supposed "Level 4"s.|right|200x200px]]
Even though only three levels exist in the game code, some videos circulated about a secret fourth level. On [[YouTube]], there are some fake videos of people supposedly successfully going through the 3rd level and finally entering the 4th level, instead of a screamer. The earliest "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXWsd5_qlpw tutorial]" on how to get to the 4th level was uploaded by the YouTube user SoccerMomDebbie on October 19, 2008.


This Flash prank disguises itself as a simple maze game in which the player has to utilize their mouse cursor in order to move a blue little dot through the maze. At the start screen, there is a note informing the player that the objective of the game is to pass through all 4 levels, and the player cannot touch the walls. The game also says that it's recommended to turn on the volume. However, there are actually only three levels in the game, and there is no point in turning on the volume because no sound is heard during the entire game... or is it? 
Other videos of the mysterious level continued to circulate. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NedCSuGt0eg This video], which has more than 1.25 million views as of 2019 showed the cursor make a shortcut (which in practice would have killed the player) in level 3 unlocks a trigger to level 4 (pictured); once finishing the level, the game goes back to the main screen; text asks the viewer; "care to try a little bit faster this time?".


The first two levels are easy to complete. The walls are wide, and it's very easy to move the blue little dot until the end of these levels. But as the third level is reached, the walls begin to shrink and have sharp turns, making it difficult to avoid touching them. This usually makes the player concentrate on the screen. Then, near the first curve to the left of the maze's sharp part, a picture of [[Regan MacNeil]] from the 1973's classic horror movie ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist_(film) The Exorcist]'' pops up along with two loud screams, scaring the user. Right after that, Winterrowd's site URL scrolls down on the screen, and two yellow buttons appear in the bottom corners. The left one tells the player to e-mail Jeremy, and the other one leads the player to his site. 
Outside of YouTube, users on Answers.com also about how to access the level; in response, users either replied a fake way or told the asker that level 4 does not exist.<ref>https://www.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_get_to_level_4_in_the_scary_maze_game</ref>


The game was uploaded in 2005 on Jeremy's website, [[Jeremy Winterrowd|Winterrowd.com]]. The original version of the game had some slight differences in color, where orange/yellow with alternative text was used instead of turquoise. There was also an alternative version of the game used in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%27s_Funniest_Home_Videos America's Funniest Home Videos],'' where the face that pops up is replaced with the one from [[What's Wrong?]]<ref>youtu.be/qNW7Zzgapsg?t=30</ref>, due to copyright laws. It includes a scream from [[What's Wrong?]]{{Cite}}
The fake level 4 was confirmed to have been made in Adobe Photoshop and played using the Microsoft Paint eraser.


== '''Reactions''' ==
=== Parodies ===
[[File:Reaction.png|thumb|Justice playing The Maze.|220x220px]]A lot of people have posted videos of other people reacting to the game. The first reaction video on YouTube was uploaded by user ''CantWeAllJusGetAlong'', on May 20th, 2006. In the video, a young kid, ''Justice'', is playing the maze. Then, he gets surprised by the screamer. Shocked, he starts screaming and repeatedly hitting the computer screen. He then runs to his stepdad, ''Chad'', and starts crying. As of October 2017, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh87njiWTmw the video] has over 27 million views.
''The Maze'' has been parodied on ''[[wikipedia:Saturday Night Live|Saturday Night Live]]'' skit "I Didn't Ask For This".<ref>youtube.com/watch?v=4CD0ZbvIyQE</ref> There is also a game called [[Save Justin Bieber]], created by Jeremy Winterrowd himself, which replaces some parts of the game with a picture of Justin Bieber instead of Regan, and the maze color is light purple instead of cyan.
The most viewed Maze Game video was uploaded by [[YouTube]] user ''nalts'' and has accumulated over 43 million views as of October 2017. On March 27, YouTube's Ethan Channel released a video in which [[YouTube]] ethanb0206 tricked his friend into playing the maze game (shown below, right). On March 27, the video obtained more than 0 million visits and 0 comments.


=== '''Parodies''' ===
In ''[[wikipedia:The Simpsons|The Simpsons]]'' episode "''[[wikipedia:Flanders' Ladder|Flanders' Ladder]]''" ([[wikipedia:The Simpsons (season 29)|Season 29]]) the opening segment has Bart Simpson prank his sister Lisa by having her play a game called "''Genius Maze''", which is a direct spoof of The Maze, however, in this spoof, the jumpscare happened very early on in the 2nd level and has a popup of a zombie, instead of Regan.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=502ZX1fAKzk</ref>''<nowiki/>''
''The Maze'' has been parodied on [http://bitchute.com/video/NaAKKQqq33oy/ Saturday Night Live]. There is also a game called [[Save Justin Bieber]], created by [[Jeremy Winterrowd]] himself, which replaces some parts of the game with a picture of Justin Bieber and the maze color is light purple instead of cyan blue.


In ''The Simpsons'' episode ''"[http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Flanders'_Ladder Flanders' Ladder]"'', the opening segment has Bart Simpson prank his sister Lisa by having her play a game called "''Genius Maze''", which is a direct spoof of The Maze, however in this spoof, the jumpscare happened very early on in the 2nd level, and has a popup of a zombie, instead of [[Regan]].<ref>https://www.amazon.com/Flanders-Ladder/dp/B074YXG6T2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545805709&sr=8-1&keywords=flander%27s+ladder</ref>
== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" widths="300">
The Maze Level 1.png|The first level.
The Maze Level 2.png|The second level.
The Maze.jpg|The third/final level.
</gallery>


== '''4th level'''''<nowiki/>'' ==
===Showcase Video===
Even though the game informs the player that there are 4 levels in the game, only 3 levels are playable, and the player can't really go to the last level because he's always interrupted by Regan Macneil when getting to the part with sharp turns in the 3rd level, scaring him. However, some people tried to find out if there's actually a way to get to the 4th level and how it looks like. There are some videos on YouTube of people successfully going through the 3rd level and finally entering the 4th level, but, unfortunately, all of these videos are fake. The earliest "tutorial" on how to get to the 4th level was uploaded by the YouTube user SoccerMomDebbie on October 19th, 2008.
[[File:CENSORED  The Maze-1080p.mp4|400px]]
[[File:The 4th level in the Scary Maze Game|thumb|317x317px]]
In the video, Debbie normally moves around the maze until getting to the half part of level 3. After that, he clicks with the right mouse button in order to open the Adobe Flash settings window. He clicks the "close" button and, according to him, the game will put the blue dot at the start of level 3 again. Then, he normally wanders through the level and successfully passes through the shrunk walls, touching the red rectangle. Debbie informs the viewer of the video that doing this will lag the computer a little bit (possibly because the jumpscare doesn't appear). Finally, the so awaited level 4 shows up. As shown in the video, level 4 is almost entirely composed of shrunk walls, and the exit is located at the lower left corner of the screen. Scrolling down the comment section, we can see that the biggest part of the comments claim that the video is fake and that the trick doesn't work, while some people say that the trick actually works and explains alternative ways to reach level 4, if the one present in the video doesn't work.
 
The video itself is fake. Upon closer observation, the exit of the last level is painted bright red, while the exits of the previous levels are painted vermilion. Also, the text font used in the word "Level 4" is different from the font used in the other levels. Additionally, the walls in Level 4 are just a little bit wider when compared to the ones found at the end of Level 3. Last but not least, we can highlight the fact that the creator of the video fails Level 4 and goes back to the beginning, claiming that it is impossible to solve.
 
What also proves that Level 4 is fake is that its layout is different when a comparison is made between this video and any other video that proves that there is a way to get to level 4. The Scary Maze Game's last level is not official, so, unfortunately, we will never be able to see how it actually looks like.
 
== '''Gallery''' ==
<gallery captiontextcolor="#ffffff" bordercolor="accent" bordersize="small" captionsize="large" captionalign="center" widths="200" position="center" spacing="small">
The Maze Menu.png|The main menu.
The Maze Level 1.png|<font color="white">The ''first'' level.
The Maze Level 2.png|The ''second'' level.
The Maze.jpg|The ''third'' level.
</gallery>
===  ===


== References ==
== References ==
<references />
<references />
==Trivia==
*This page was made {{SITENAME}}'s first featured article in October 2019.
*The scream used in the game is sourced from ''Shareware Breakthrough Soundworks,'' a sound effects CD released in December 1993 by BeachWare. On the disk, the file containing the scream is SHRIEK.WAV.


== Links ==
== Links ==
<u>NOTE</u>: The following games contain [[screamers]]!
<u>NOTE</u>: The following games contain [[screamers]]!
* '''Original version''': winterrowd.com/maze
*'''Original version''': <s>winterrowd.com/maze</s>
* winterrowd.com/maze/scary-maze-game.swf
*'''Unofficial HTML5 port''': playscarymazegame.net/play-scary-maze-game
* '''Orange version''': web.archive.org/web/20051223121743/winterrowd.com/maze1.swf
*'''Alternate HTML5 port''': scary-maze.com/html5
* '''Yellow version''': fugly.com/flash/709/Scary_Maze_Game.html
**web.archive.org/web/20100820075301/www.winterrowd.com/maze/scary-maze-game.swf
* '''Justin Bieber version''':''' '''winterrowd.com/savebieber/
*'''Orange version''': web.archive.org/web/20051223121743/winterrowd.com/maze1.swf
* '''Unofficial Portuguese Version''': fugly.com/flash/1013/7_Level_Scary_Maze_Game.html
*'''[[Save Justin Bieber]] version''': <s>winterrowd.com/savebieber/</s>
* '''''America's Funniest Home Videos'' version''': winterrowd.com/afvmaze
**web.archive.org/web/20191030110327/www.winterrowd.com/savebieber/save-justin-bieber.swf
* winterrowd.com/afvmaze/the-maze-afv.swf
*'''''America's Funniest Home Videos'' version''': <s>winterrowd.com/afvmaze</s>
* '''Unofficial HTML5 version''': playscarymazegame.net/play-scary-maze-game/ 
**web.archive.org/web/20190923130311/www.winterrowd.com/afvmaze/the-maze-afv.swf
* '''Mirror Link''': scary-maze.com
*web.archive.org/web/20151208171129/akk.li/swf/maze.swf
=== '''Unofficial Links''' ===
*dagobah.net/flash/game2.swf
* '''DeviantArt version''': deviantart.com/doodie119/art/The-Maze-710178696
*'''Scream sound used:''' cd.textfiles.com/sbsw/SCARY/SHRIEK.WAV
* '''DeviantArt version with ''AFV''''': deviantart.com/ntvm2005/art/The-Maze-What-s-Wrong-AFV-version-796727707
=== Console ports ===
=== '''Showcase video''' ===
*'''PlayStation Portable port''': archive.org/details/the-maze-psp.-7z
* youtube.com/watch?v=0WjDrQ0IhBw
*'''Nintendo Switch port''': github.com/simontime/MazeNX
<!-- Languages -->
*'''Game Boy port''': game-buoy-games.itch.io/scarymazegame
[[es:El_Laberinto]]
=== Showcase video ===
[[fr:La_souricière La souricière]]
*youtube.com/watch?v=0WjDrQ0IhBw
[[id:The_Maze]]
 
[[pt-br:Labirinto_do_Terror]]
== Languages ==
This article is available in different languages.
*'''French Version''': [[The Maze/La souricière|La souricière]]
*'''Spanish Version''': [[The Maze/Spanish]]
{{Template:Winterrowd}}
{{Comments}}
[[Category:Flash]]
[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Winterrowd]]
[[Category:Winterrowd]]
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[[Category:Regan MacNeil]]
[[Category:Regan MacNeil]]
[[Category:Maze Games]]
[[Category:Maze Games]]
[[Category:Flash]]
[[Category:Screamers featured on America's Funniest Home Videos]]
[[Category:What's Wrong face]]
[[Category:Internet memes]]

Revision as of 18:22, 13 September 2024

This page is about a screamer or shock site, whose original copy has been deleted.
This screamer's original copy is deleted, but the article links to an archive on the Wayback Machine or another saved copy.

“ I made this game in October of '04 for Halloween and sent it to a few of my friends in an email. About 5 months later, someone had sent the same email back to my mother! It had turned into a viral email joke. I was very flattered and figured I should make a website for all the stupid prank games I've made. ”
Jeremy Winterrowd[1]

The Maze, also known as the Scary Maze Game, is an infamous internet Flash screamer created in October 2004 by game developer and programmer Jeremy Winterrowd, originally posted to his personal website "Winterrowd.com".

This Flash prank disguises itself as a simple maze game in which the player has to utilize their mouse cursor to move a small dot through the maze. At the start screen, there is a note informing the player that the objective of the game is to pass through all four levels, and the player cannot touch the walls; however, there are only three levels in the game. The game also explains that it is best with the volume on, but there's no sound in any part of the game.

Gameplay

The first two levels are easy to complete. But as the third level is reached, the walls begin to shrink and have sharp turns, making it difficult to avoid touching them. This usually makes the player concentrate on the screen. Then, near the first curve to the left of the maze sharp part (The game also knows if the player is cheating; if they use right-click), a close-up image of Regan MacNeil (the possessed character portrayed by Linda Blair) from the 1973 supernatural horror film The Exorcist pops up along with a loud, distorted scream that plays twice, scaring the player.

The game was uploaded to Jeremy's now-defunct personal website, Winterrowd.com in 2005. The original version of the game had some slight differences in colors, where orange/yellow with alternative text was used instead of cyan. There's an alternative version of the game that is used in the comedy television series America's Funniest Home Videos, where Regan at the end is replaced with the one from What's Wrong?,[2] due to concerns regarding copyrighted content.

Reactions

Main Article: Reaction videos
Justice playing The Maze, one of the famous screamers.

Many people have posted videos of other people reacting to the game. The first reaction video on YouTube was uploaded by OUTLAW713, on February 21, 2006.[3] In the reaction video, a young kid, Justice, is playing the maze. Then, he is surprised by the screamer. Shocked, he starts screaming and repeatedly hitting the computer screen. He then runs to his stepdad, Chad, and starts crying. The original video and channel were terminated or taken down sometime in 2009, however, some reuploads had over 27 million views. The most viewed Maze Game video was uploaded by YouTube user nalts and has accumulated over 43 million views as of October 2017. However, the video was removed due to the channel's termination.

Level 4

One of the supposed "Level 4"s.

Even though only three levels exist in the game code, some videos circulated about a secret fourth level. On YouTube, there are some fake videos of people supposedly successfully going through the 3rd level and finally entering the 4th level, instead of a screamer. The earliest "tutorial" on how to get to the 4th level was uploaded by the YouTube user SoccerMomDebbie on October 19, 2008.

Other videos of the mysterious level continued to circulate. This video, which has more than 1.25 million views as of 2019 showed the cursor make a shortcut (which in practice would have killed the player) in level 3 unlocks a trigger to level 4 (pictured); once finishing the level, the game goes back to the main screen; text asks the viewer; "care to try a little bit faster this time?".

Outside of YouTube, users on Answers.com also about how to access the level; in response, users either replied a fake way or told the asker that level 4 does not exist.[4]

The fake level 4 was confirmed to have been made in Adobe Photoshop and played using the Microsoft Paint eraser.

Parodies

The Maze has been parodied on Saturday Night Live skit "I Didn't Ask For This".[5] There is also a game called Save Justin Bieber, created by Jeremy Winterrowd himself, which replaces some parts of the game with a picture of Justin Bieber instead of Regan, and the maze color is light purple instead of cyan.

In The Simpsons episode "Flanders' Ladder" (Season 29) the opening segment has Bart Simpson prank his sister Lisa by having her play a game called "Genius Maze", which is a direct spoof of The Maze, however, in this spoof, the jumpscare happened very early on in the 2nd level and has a popup of a zombie, instead of Regan.[6]

Gallery

  • The first level.

    The first level.

  • The second level.

    The second level.

  • The third/final level.

    The third/final level.

Showcase Video

References

  1. ↑ Winterrowd responding to a question on Yahoo Answers http://web.archive.org/web/20191207130448/https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080810043147AA2Ssol
  2. ↑ youtu.be/kZKZa9bwhnA?t=30
  3. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20070306004420/https://youtube.com/watch?v=Bvv7MBZk_f4
  4. ↑ https://www.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_get_to_level_4_in_the_scary_maze_game
  5. ↑ youtube.com/watch?v=4CD0ZbvIyQE
  6. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=502ZX1fAKzk

Trivia

  • This page was made Screamer Wiki's first featured article in October 2019.
  • The scream used in the game is sourced from Shareware Breakthrough Soundworks, a sound effects CD released in December 1993 by BeachWare. On the disk, the file containing the scream is SHRIEK.WAV.

Links

NOTE: The following games contain screamers!

  • Original version: winterrowd.com/maze
  • Unofficial HTML5 port: playscarymazegame.net/play-scary-maze-game
  • Alternate HTML5 port: scary-maze.com/html5
    • web.archive.org/web/20100820075301/www.winterrowd.com/maze/scary-maze-game.swf
  • Orange version: web.archive.org/web/20051223121743/winterrowd.com/maze1.swf
  • Save Justin Bieber version: winterrowd.com/savebieber/
    • web.archive.org/web/20191030110327/www.winterrowd.com/savebieber/save-justin-bieber.swf
  • America's Funniest Home Videos version: winterrowd.com/afvmaze
    • web.archive.org/web/20190923130311/www.winterrowd.com/afvmaze/the-maze-afv.swf
  • web.archive.org/web/20151208171129/akk.li/swf/maze.swf
  • dagobah.net/flash/game2.swf
  • Scream sound used: cd.textfiles.com/sbsw/SCARY/SHRIEK.WAV

Console ports

  • PlayStation Portable port: archive.org/details/the-maze-psp.-7z
  • Nintendo Switch port: github.com/simontime/MazeNX
  • Game Boy port: game-buoy-games.itch.io/scarymazegame

Showcase video

  • youtube.com/watch?v=0WjDrQ0IhBw

Languages

This article is available in different languages.

Comments

Comments

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