Long time actor Bill Watterson has made his directorial debut on Dave Made a Maze, which had its World Premiere in competition at the  Slamdance Film Festival (read our review), where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative.  Gravitas Ventures recently acquired all North American rights and has now constructed a trailer and August 18th release.

In the film, Dave builds a fort in his living room and ends up trapped inside by fantastical pitfalls, booby traps, and creatures, leaving his girlfriend Annie to head up the eccentric rescue team to go in after him.

Luiz reviewed the film explaining that it’s what “cult classics are made of.”

“Even with the obvious adventure movie vibe, ‘Dave Made a Maze’ has some solid roots in the horror genre, with creepy cardboard puppet people and a monstrous minotaur creature stalking the characters as they delve deeper into the labyrinth,” explains Luiz. “The film is also exceptionally gory in parts, but the use of red yarn and other household materials as substitutes for blood help make the deaths seem a lot more fun, rather than off-putting. The brief stop-motion and hand-puppet segments can also be quite eerie, though the film still retains that charming, adventurous atmosphere.”

Dave Made a Maze stars Nick Thune, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Adam Busch, James Urbaniak, Stephanie Allynne, Kirsten Vangsness, Scott Krinsky, and John Hennigan.