Viewed – 28 September 2010 Cinema
I wouldn’t say I’m scared of elevators. although I’ve not really had much experience with them, but either way I can’t say I’d enjoy being stuck in one when it breaks down. Let alone in a 40 story building. This unique stab at supernatural horror finds five seemingly unrelated strangers stuck in an elevator, who soon attract the attention of the security who are able to see them via the camera. Yet something is seriously not right about this particular elevator as strange things start to happen, people hallucinate and creepy faces are glimpsed on the Camera feed.
Now although this idea (based on a story by M Night Shyamalan) seems wafer thin on paper, there is plenty of depth as we follow the plight of these people and the Cop who is called in to help, who’s nursing a few emotional wounds of his own. As things go from bad to worse and it becomes evident that evil forces may be up to no good, I found myself gripped and quite freaked out at times. Acting-wise the familiar but mostly unknown cast all deliver credible, convincing performances, and the situation never gets boring as you watch to find out what will happen next, and to whom. Yet this all leads up to an ending that, without spoiling anything, left me feeling a bit let down, like the writers just lost their nerve in the closing moments. A shame because otherwise this is a creepy, effective and clever little movie.
Verdict: 3 /5
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