"The Lift" is a low-budget Dutch movie about a killer elevator. The whackiest thing is that it's a mostly stone-faced low-budget movie about a killer elevator. The film was re-made as "Down / The Shaft" by the same director, Dick Maas, in the early 00's. This time he had a larger budget and a (rather questionable) sense of humor injected into the flick. Then 9/11 happened and the movie, with it's multiple terrorist references and NYC location, got postponed. It was conveniently released after lead actress Naomi Watts finally hit it big with "Mulholland Dr." and "The Ring." I enjoy the movie for it's bizarre jokes and dialogue ("I'll pee on them!"), but I can recognize it's not a particularly good movie.
Well, "The Lift" is even worse. Apparently Maas hadn't yet realized how inherently silly a killer elevator movie is. Perhaps some of the humor got lost in translation--the version I watched was horrendously dubbed in English. Lead actor Huub Stapel is unbearably uncharismatic and slowly chugs through the movie like he'd rather be doing something else. Not that he's given much to work with--his character is a total tool that only exists as a protagonist for the killer elevator. There's not much here to redeem this film, though there are a few fun (but dated) effects that helped keep my attention for its duration. If you're trying to hunt this one down, you might want to forget it. Or stick with the slaptastic and goofy remake--"The Lift" is more like the long lost cousin of "The Mangler."
Well, "The Lift" is even worse. Apparently Maas hadn't yet realized how inherently silly a killer elevator movie is. Perhaps some of the humor got lost in translation--the version I watched was horrendously dubbed in English. Lead actor Huub Stapel is unbearably uncharismatic and slowly chugs through the movie like he'd rather be doing something else. Not that he's given much to work with--his character is a total tool that only exists as a protagonist for the killer elevator. There's not much here to redeem this film, though there are a few fun (but dated) effects that helped keep my attention for its duration. If you're trying to hunt this one down, you might want to forget it. Or stick with the slaptastic and goofy remake--"The Lift" is more like the long lost cousin of "The Mangler."