Press Down on Your Expectations for Mediocre Teen Horror Elevator Game (2023)
Title: Elevator Game
First Non-Festival Release: July 12, 2023 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Rebekah McKendry
Writer: David Ian McKendry, Travis Seppala
Runtime: 94 Minutes
Starring: Gino Anania, Verity Marks, Nazariy Demkowicz
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
When you scroll past a video on social media of a group of teens completing a “challenge,” what goes through your mind? Does it evoke a sense of nostalgia for youth? A condemnation about the need for safety? Or is it more of a grumbling about “kids these days.” In Elevator Game, the challenge could cost your life and your soul.
After losing his sister (Megan Best) to a viral sensation, Ryan (Gino Anania) infiltrates a Youtube channel’s team that focuses on paranormal challenges to find answers. The show is led by the brash Kris (Alec Carlos), intelligent Chloe (Verity Marks), and easily frightened Matty (Nazariy Demkowicz) while Izzy (Madison MacIsaac) and Kevin (Liam Stewart-Kanigan) help run the behind-the-scenes work. Forced into creating an entire new show under a time crunch to appease a sponsor, the group agrees to Ryan’s pitch to investigate the Elevator Game, since the building is close by. He chooses not to disclose that the girl who went missing is his sister. Once inside, their fate is sealed as soon as they press the first button.
Lackluster teen horror Elevator Game is light on scares but heavy handed on morality and rules-based nightmare logic.
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Structure and order are necessary for rules-centric creepypasta horror stories to thrive, but Elevator Game fails to commit to any coherence in its curse. Looking beyond the decision to place this story in a suspiciously residential-looking office building that is somehow nearly devoid of people morning, noon, and night aside from the sole security guard, Elevator Game falls into the trap of over-complicating its story without ever giving it a sense of direction. A missing girl leads way to a parallel world that is created by the vengeful spirit of another dead girl. This is all discovered by her brother after joining forces with a group of freshly graduated high school Youtubers that are already in possession of a downtown office-space and high stakes sponsors.
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While the idea of a ‘Red World’ is an interesting concept, the execution, however, is heavily fumbled by Elevator Game. Once the players successfully complete the challenge associated with the game, they are then transported to the ‘Red World,’ which is essentially a carbon copy of the real world, only red and with a bright fluorescent X in the sky in place of a moon. From there, its only function is to house the restless spirit chasing them. The exploration is minimal, with only a few quick flashes of Ryan evading capture before returning home. It’s disappointing because it feels more like filler at this point rather than the scary interdimensional hellscape it promises.
Two dimensional characters and performances drive down the concept even further, making it difficult to take seriously or have a good time. Favoring world building exposition on the history of the Elevator Game and devoting plenty of time to characters going up and down an elevator, the characters are given little room to grow in the face of their supernatural antagonists. Ryan’s devotion to his sister is admirable, but there is little shown about him beyond this one desire. Similarly, the cast of the “Nightmare on Dare Street” are flimsy horror archetypes or generic bodies to fill the screen. The performances of the cast don’t help add dimension either. Unconvincing emotional pleas, shrieks of terror, and cringe comedy make it even more difficult to believe this group of teenagers are authentic.
The tonal disconnect between its script, performances, and concept is disappointing because there is plenty of potential in the story and with the crew behind it. Director Rebekah McKendry has proven herself both an accomplished scholar of the horror genre in her academic work and as a capable filmmaker in her previous Shudder original, the delightfully fun, low-budget Lovecraftian chamber piece Glorious. Though the goofy teen horror of Elevator Game is a decided step down in quality, there are flashes of greatness that shine through it. The kills are rather creative and bloodier for a film that doesn’t give off that vibe. Visually, Elevator Game employs some unnerving tactics to disorient and dazzle the viewer with bizarre and disturbingly beautiful imagery.
While there are worse examples of mindless teen horror out there, this Shudder original has little to offer. Awkward dialogue, shallow characterizations, uneven tone, and a clunky story makes for one bumpy ride. Its interesting premise and creative approach to scares and kills simply don’t make up enough for the overall feel of the story. It doesn’t crash to the basement, but the approach Elevator Game takes to horror may have you wanting to get off early after losing patience.
Overall Score? 4/10
