Horror Movie Review: Elevator Game (2023)

Have you heard of the Elevator Game? An online phenomenon born from an urban legend that originated out of Japan and South Korea? It’s an unusual one, with quite a few complicated steps that may have been inspired by the mysterious death of Elisa Lam in 2013. A woman staying at the Cecil Hotel in Downtown LA seen on CCTV behaving erratically in an elevator, before disappearing. Her body was found a few days later in the hotel’s water tank and to this day, how she died and how her body got there, remains a mystery.

A sad story with a strong sense of mystery and horror about it, especially when you include important aspects such as the fact that she suffered from a bipolar disorder. Unsurprisingly, the story and subsequent investigations have created a legend and been immortalised in media ever since.

Her story, particularly the video footage of her time in the elevator, is what really connects to the Creeeypasta, as it’s been suggested that she may have been playing it and failed to follow one of the most important rules.

So, what is the Elevator Game? Essentially, it’s a step-by-step guide to find a way to the ‘other side’. A step-by-step guide that involves you travelling to specific floors in a specific order without stepping out, resulting in a final stop to somewhere unknown. Which is spooky enough, until you factor in the woman who may, or may not, join you at a certain point. Should she come aboard, do not interact with her in any way, it won’t end well.

This is all the basis for director Rebekah McKendry’s Elevator Game. A horror film based on the urban legend and written by David Ian McKendry and Travis Seppala. It stars Gino Anania, Megan Best, Alec Carlos, Nazariy Demkowicz, Samantha Halas, Madison MacIsaac, Verity Marks, and Liam Stewart-Kanigan.

Following an opening that shows an unfortunate woman falling prey to the supernatural horror behind the game, the film introduces a bunch of streamers who are struggling to keep viewers engaged in their content about paranormal investigations into legends. The content is drying up, the viewer content is dropping, and with that, the money pile is dwindling. They’re in financial trouble and need to keep the sponsors happy, so when their new intern suggests they play the Elevator Game, they agree, even though some think it’s a pointless exercise.

Happily, this intern (Ryan) knows exactly where they can find an elevator with the required number of floors and that will offer them the privacy needed to film their content.

Of course, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that Ryan has an ulterior motive, and it doesn’t take long for the truth around him to come out. It turns out that he is the brother of the woman at the start, and he is looking for her. So, how does this involve the streamers? One of them slept with her (she was underage) and promised to play the Elevator Game with her, before ghosting her. Ryan wants answers, but the game has started and there are rules that need to be followed.

Predictable to the point off boredom, Elevator’s first half is not a good watch. Featuring an awkward story setup, characters that don’t exactly leap off the screen, and a mystery that isn’t interesting enough to want to see solved. It’s a tough watch, but it does get better, or at least it gets gory.

The film suffers from two major problems, and both are significant enough to affect most people’s enjoyment. The first major problem is the characters, who are a combination of basic and bland. Nothing about these people stand out and nothing about them makes you want to care about them in the slightest. It’s hard to be too harsh to the actors, as they can’t save badly written characters, but there are moments where a second go at a scene or a line read would have been good.

The second major problem is the concept, specifically the Elevator Game itself. A concept that fails to inspire or excite. When it comes down to it, it’s just a supernatural entity killing off young adults. One bound by a set of rules that don’t make a lot of sense either. The awkward way in which the film tries to justify the concept just ends up exposing its nonsensical aspects even more. Watch it, and forget about it immediately, that’s Elevator Game.