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Elevator Game

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Elevator Game
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRebekah McKendry
Written byDavid Ian McKendry, Travis Seppala
Produced byStefan Brunner, Ed Elbert, James Norrie
Starring
  • Gino Anania
  • Megan Best
  • Alec Carlos
  • Nazariy Demkowicz
CinematographyBrad Crawford
Edited byChad Tremblay
Music byKevon Cronin
Production
companies
Buffalo Gal Pictures, Head Gear Films, Manitoba Film and Music, Metrol Technology
Distributed byAMP International, Front Row Filmed Entertainment, M2 Films, Movie Cloud
Release date
  • February 7, 2023 (2023-02-07) (United States)
Running time
132 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Elevator Game is a 2023 American horror film directed by Rebekah McKendry and starring Gino Anania, Megan Best, Alec Carlos, and Nazariy Demkowicz.[1][2][3] Shudder released the film 15 September 2023.[4]

Plot

Ryan is an intern with a group of streamers, Chloe, Kris, Matty, Izzy, and Kevin, who broadcast themselves investigating various paranormal and supernatural legends and local hotspots. During his first day, he suggests that the team investigate a local building where a young girl named Becki is rumored to have gone missing after playing the "elevator game". Ryan declines to tell them that Becki is his sister and that he only joined the group in hopes of gaining answers through their investigation. In order to play the game, the participants must travel to specific floors in a set order, and, when they are on the fifth floor, they must keep their eyes shut until the doors close. If successful, they will enter the spirit realm, but if they fail, they will be torn apart by the Fifth Floor Woman, which is what happened to Becki.

Needing a quick video, the team sets out to the building and film themselves undergoing the challenge, only to get interrupted partway through. They also lose half the footage due to recording anomalies caused by the ritual; however, Kris refuses to re-do the task and suggests that they abandon the video idea. This exacerbates Ryan, who reveals his identity and the knowledge that Kris refused because it would reveal his inappropriate relationship with Becki, who was underage. Disgusted, the team separates and the Fifth Floor Woman kills Kris. Izzy and Kevin return to the building in order to retrieve the cameras left behind. They perform the elevator game and are killed by the Fifth Floor Woman. Ryan also returns and performs the ritual, resulting in him visiting the spirit world and encountering the spirit. He is chased back to the human world, where he calls Chloe and asks her to come to the team office.

In the office, Ryan and Chloe encounter a terrified Matty, who has also encountered the woman. Chloe reveals that she had researched the woman and discovered that she is the vengeful spirit of a sorority pledge Allie, who was killed by a hazing prank. The sorority had left her in an elevator shaft, where she was accidentally crushed. They also realize that the woman had been humming a song about elevators, revealing that the only way to stop her is to repeat the ritual once more. The Fifth Floor Woman appears and kills Matty. Chloe and Ryan return to the building and repeat the ritual but are ultimately unsuccessful as Chloe is killed by the woman while Ryan becomes permanently trapped in the spirit world. The film ends with a social media influencer entering the elevator in order to make a video about the team's disappearance.[5][6]

Cast

  • Gino Anania as Ryan Keaton
  • Megan Best as Becki Keaton
  • Alec Carlos as Kris Russo
  • Nazariy Demkowicz as Matty Davis
  • Samantha Halas as 5th Floor Woman / Allie McCormick
  • Madison MacIsaac as Izzy Simpson
  • Verity Marks as Chloe Young
  • Liam Stewart-Kanigan as Kevin
  • Adam Hurtig as Businessman
  • Darren Wall as Security Guard
  • Bradley Sawatzky as Café Bar Host
  • Hazel Wallace as Teenage Girl

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 36% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.8/10.[7][8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[9]

Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com praised the film for its characters while also criticizing it for its flow, pointing out that "even the characters comment on how going from one floor, then up to another, then down, and then up to another, etc., is almost a joke."[10] Phuong Le of The Guardian was also critical, as they noted that the film's premise was "ripe with potential for world-building details and creative designs, but there is little visual flair on show here."[11]

Tyler Nichols of JoBlo.com panned the film, citing that the characters were unlikeable and that "It’s a constant source of frustration since movies like this NEED likable characters. Otherwise, who cares who the ghost is going after?"[12] Matt Donato of Paste added, "Elevator Game is better suited for horror fans who might not even consider themselves horror fans (yet)."[13]

References

  1. ^ "Elevator Game (2023)". FilmAffinity. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Elevator Game (2023)". Letterboxd. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  3. ^ Squires, John (10 August 2023). "'Elevator Game' Movie Trailer – Shudder Explores the Online Phenomenon This Halloween Season". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  4. ^ DeVore, Britta (12 September 2023). "Take a Ride Into the Unknown With This Sneak Peek of 'Elevator Game's Opening Scene [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  5. ^ Brown, Lee (18 September 2023). "Elevator Game (2023) Ending Explained – Is the doorway between the two worlds still open?". The Review Geek. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  6. ^ Renner, Brian D. "Everything You Need to Know About Elevator Game Movie (2023): Aug. 10, 2023 - added photos to the photos gallery". Movie Insider. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Elevator Game". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  8. ^ "Elevator Game". Rotten Tomatoes.
  9. ^ "Elevator Game reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  10. ^ Allen, Nick (September 15, 2023). "Elevator Game movie review & film summary (2023) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  11. ^ Le, Phuong (12 September 2023). "Elevator Game review – viral-challenge horror takes lift to another world". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  12. ^ Nichols, Tyler (2023-09-21). "Elevator Game Review". JoBlo. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  13. ^ Donato, Matt. "Elevator Game's So-So Horror Has Its Ups and Downs". [[Paste {magazine)|Paste]]. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
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