A maze of the macabre

Shortly after the invention of motion picture people started making movies. These early works of cinema were all horror films inspired by 19th century Gothic novels in which the unknown (or the misunderstood) is explored intriguingly. A lot of these films are part of the German expressionist cinema movement which has elements that can be found in a lot of Tim Burton's work: use of frog's-eye and bird's-eye view, low key lighting, Gothic decors and an examination of the misunderstood. It's the latter that really roped me in years ago when watching Edward Scissorhands on television. This take on Frankenstein left such an impression on me as a kid that my mother would use "Mister Scissor" (Dutch: Meneer Schaar) as a way to scare me straight. When I rewatched the film at an older age, all I felt was pity for dear Edward just like I did for the confused monster of Frankenstein.

Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton (1990)

Last week I visited Tim Burton's Labyrinth in Brussels with my significant other. This exposition puts Tim Burton's creative work on display and has the visitor explore it by going through a maze. This did make the experience more engaging, but it was definitely not a key feature as you could easily see all the rooms if you purchase a premium ticket. I guess the idea of the labyrinth comes from the fact that most people don't quite understand Tim Burton's artwork. It's thought of as weird, dark and twisted with a focus on the outsider. And now I realize that people who've never felt like an reject will just keep thinking it's weird because they actually don't understand. There's nothing wrong with that (I'm happy they haven't had to experience that). There isn't a big sign saying: "Only outsiders allowed!" His work is there for the world to enjoy. There was, however, a sign telling people not to photograph the illustrations - for copyright reasons. I'm a law-abiding citizen so I did not take any pictures of these sketches.

The Penguin from Batman Returns (1992)

We entered a hall with four doors right in front of us. The steward told us that by pushing the red button a random room will be selected. The person honored with the task of pushing this button would be the baby of the bunch which naturally was me. The very first room we entered was focused on Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). Even with Christopher Nolan's Batman being narratively way stronger, I still prefer rewatching these movies because they keep being interesting in many ways and the costume design is definitely one of them. Thanks to this exhibit I got the chance to see The Penguin and The Joker's costumes from up close. I was mainly intrigued by the buttons on The Joker's waistcoat having a trump motif - it's such a small, yet very much appreciated, detail.

Figures of characters from The World of Stainboy (2000)

It's no surprise that Tim Burton has worked on projects I'm not a fan of. Unfortunately these projects got most of the biggest showrooms: Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 2005). The former had three spaces dedicated to three of its characters: the Cheshire Cat, the Red Queen and the Mad Hatter. This was nothing more than an excess of recency bias at work. Even though I understand, it doesn't mean I approve because this really wasn't his most interesting work being displayed. In spite of that, it did lend itself to some nice photo ops. Especially the Red Queen's room was exceptionally alluring so I did take a mirror selfie. In the picture below you can vaguely also see my coord which included the following:

• Bonnet: Delights World
• Necklace: Vivienne Westwood
• Cape: Tara Starlet
• Gloves (in my bag): Moi-même-Moitié
• OP: Cornet
• Bloomers: Off-brand
• Tights: Calzedonia
• UTKs: Moi-même-Moitié
• Shoes: Off-brand
• Bag: Second-hand Baby The Stars Shine Bright
• Umbrella: Angelic Pretty

Me and my significant other in the Red Queen's room

The Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Beetlejuice was only featured in the expo with a figure stood in the middle of a poorly lit room surrounded with little to no decoration. This was disappointing since it's my favorite film and I was really looking forward to how they'd include Betelgeuse's serpent form or the sandworm in some fascinating fashion, but alas. The sandworm was only seen in the gift shop which didn't do it any justice. Tim Burton's Labyrinth did show me how much Tim Burton draws - it's impressive. It's like journaling to him, but instead of writing draws and sketches what he sees around him. It was impressive to see the amount of illustrations of Elvis this man has made. If the exhibition comes to a place near you and you're intrigued by any of these works I'd say it's definitely worth exploring it.

Victor Van Dort and Emily the Corpse Bride from Corpse Bride (2005)

Thank you, and take care.