Discover the Hidden Gem: Jim Henson’s The Cube, a Precursor to Black Mirror

Most of us know Jim Henson for his whimsical creations, but his work also delves into more surreal and mature themes. One of his most mind-bending pieces is The Cube, a teleplay from 1969 that aired as part of an NBC anthology series called Experiment in Television, which showcased various experimental films, plays, and documentaries. One episode even featured Marshall McLuhan discussing his famous idea that “the medium is the message.”

Among the eclectic offerings of the series, Henson’s The Cube stands out. This 53-minute film unfolds almost entirely within a single, stark white room. A man wakes up in a featureless white cube, disoriented and unaware of how he arrived there. With no windows or doors, he’s trapped in a space defined only by its white walls.

Things take a turn when someone opens a section of the wall and introduces a stool for the bewildered man. However, when the visitor closes the “door,” he finds himself unable to reopen it. This sets off a bizarre sequence of events, as numerous characters enter and exit through invisible doors in the cube.

The interactions are peculiar from the start—why is there strawberry jam on the stool? Who is this woman claiming to be his wife when he doesn’t recognize her? As the story progresses, the encounters become increasingly strange, challenging the protagonist’s grasp on reality and sanity while raising questions about the true nature of the cube. Henson even lends his voice to a gorilla in a tutu, making an uncredited cameo.

As people come and go, bringing supplies, pestering him, or even trying to seduce him, the environment around him shifts inexplicably. Furniture like beds and couches materialize out of nowhere, and a full band appears to perform a song with the haunting line “you’ll never get out ‘til you’re dead,” only to reveal that it’s a recording that skips on the word “dead.”

The Cube is filled with questions but offers no clear answers. Is the man trapped in a simulation? Is he part of a television show? Are the people around him actors, or is any of it real? Does reality even exist?

Even in a world shaped by shows like The Twilight Zone, The Cube feels uniquely strange, reminiscent of the modern dystopian anthology series Black Mirror. While it’s not entirely lost media, it remains relatively obscure, having aired only twice. There’s a sold-out DVD available online, and it sporadically appears on streaming platforms.

Currently, your best options are two uploads on YouTube. One features a higher-quality black-and-white kinescope film with remastered audio, though it cuts out most of the song due to copyright issues. The other is a lower-quality color version that retains the song but suffers from muddier visuals and sound. Whichever you choose, it’s a wild and captivating experience that showcases the wonderfully twisted imagination of Jim Henson.