Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Elevator Game’

9/19/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

ino Anania as “Ryan” and Verity Marks as “Chloe” in Rebekah McKendry’s ELEVATOR GAME. Photo Courtesy of Heather Beckstead Photography. A Shudder Release.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Elevator Game’. This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

One particular aspect of our modern world that is genuinely fascinating, is the sheer fact that urban myths are still a thing. Because we live in an era of information. Where one can easily learn the truth about any particular topic on a moment’s notice. Not to mention, we have a vast array of technology at our fingertips, the kind that can easily help us to learn a particular truth about a particular subject if we so choose. Plus, science can easily debunk rumors and stories about monsters that roam the land, and, in some cases, science most certainly has. Yet… regardless of having these tools at our fingertips and having the ability to debunk the mystery… urban legends persist.

Which of course, leaves us wondering… why? Why would people want to lean into the mystical in an era where mysticism is nothing more than a fleeting afterthought? Well for some, they would simply say it relates to low intelligence and poor education. As though that’s the only way a person would ever believe in something mystical over reality. But that’s simply rude, and an easy way to brush off something that quite frankly, is rooted in far deeper and more philosophical concepts. The kind that relates to a need for meaning, a need for a different kind of understanding, and it just so happens that a brand-new horror feature on Shudder, takes the time to explore that meaning in Elevator Game.

A feat that this film accomplishes, by introducing us to the team from Nightmare on Dare Street. A group of vloggers who love doing spooky dares and trying out urban myths and legends to see if by chance… they are actually real or not. Which of course, always ends in a debunking of the myth, but the crew persists on. Not because they want to see something happen, but for the likes and the cash payments that comes with views. But the arrival of a new team member on staff, Ryan, is about to flip their world upside down. For he suggests the team take part in the Elevator Game. A supposed ritual that can unlock the power of an old spirit and allow for people to cross over into her world. A challenge that everyone dismisses, until some financial woes with their biggest sponsor prompts them to give it a try, wherein they discover… not all myths are grounded in imagination.

Key Art from ‘Elevator Game’ Courtesy of Shudder. A Shudder Release.

Which at first glance, appears to be a plot grounded deeper in satire of the online world and the current state of affairs for supernatural entertainment, and there’s merit to that. Since the team is only in it for fame and fortune and nothing more, and that is a recurrent theme/reality in vlogging, since many vloggers jump into the spooky stuff to bring those views together. But as the story continues along, and we learn about what Ryan has lost and how badly it has impacted him… do we really see the commentary about our need to be near myths and legends come to life. Because in essence, Ryan needs this to be real to find his missing sister, to gain some kind of closure over her loss, and to potentially be able to say a goodbye if by chance she did indeed disappear from this plane of existence.

All of which speaks to how a myth, or a legend persists. Because sometimes, when life is hard or when all is robbed from a person, the fantastical is all they have. Wherein they can find meaning and substance and perhaps work out the troubles raining down upon them. Not to mention, it can serve as an escape, as something to help one avoid the pains of everyday life or something that is gnawing at one’s soul. Which makes this, a smart film for certain. One that really does make it clear that until there is a real peace in the world, where we know how to cope with the bad and where our worries some what end, these types of concepts will live on to help us find balance and give us the distractions we need, and that made for some powerful commentary and some real tragedy in this story, but that’s to be expected in a horror film about spirits from beyond.

Speaking of the horror however, we would be remiss to not point out, that the scares are pretty solid in this film as well. For this movie makes impactful use of dread and the unknown to send chills down our spine, before unleashing the gore and the real terror in the third act, and that makes for some impactful and dynamic scares, and some genuinely eerie moments for certain. Especially when we learn what happens when someone plays the game right and gets to see the ‘prize’ that awaits them, and well, the scares and that depth, make for one solid horror feature. One that is intense, and never wastes a single moment of screen time, but more importantly, leaves us with plenty to chew upon when it comes to why the urban legend and myths in general, hold great power over us, and how that can be a problem for a person if they don’t use that power in the right manner.

Watch ‘Elevator Game’

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