The game's menu.
The Maze (better known colloquially as Scary Maze Game) is a 2004 horror Flash game created by developer Jeremy Winterrowd. In it, players must navigate through three mazes with their mouse, but are jump scared by a photo of Regan MacNeil, a possessed character from the 1973 horror film The Exorcist, before being able to complete the third level.
Scary Maze Game went viral online in the 2000s and early 2010s, largely due to reaction videos of children being pranked by the game, which were also featured on various clip shows and parodied on Saturday Night Live. It has been described as one of the earliest "Internet screamers" and a progenitor of jump scare–based horror games.
Gameplay
In this game, players guide their cursor through three mazes of blue rectangles, avoiding the black walls in order to make it to a red box at the end. The game's third maze features a narrow tunnel toward the end, encouraging players to concentrate to complete it. While navigating through it, players are jump scared by an image of a possessed Regan MacNeil (portrayed by Linda Blair) from the 1973 film The Exorcist accompanied by a loud scream.
Sound Effects Used
BeachWare, SHRIEK (Debut)
Image Gallery
_SCARY_MAZE_GAME_SCREAM_SOUND.png "The Maze (2004) SCARY MAZE GAME SCREAM SOUND.png (652 KB)")
External Links
WARNING: This game contains a screamer. (Viewer discretion advised, Play at your own risk.)